Cape Scott Park is a rugged coastal wilderness park at the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island, 563 kilometres from Victoria. BC Parks says the park has more than 115 kilometres of ocean frontage, including about 30 kilometres of remote beaches.
The park extends from Shushartie Bay around Cape Scott and south to San Josef Bay.
Cape Scott is one of Vancouver Island's major wilderness beach and backpacking parks. Rocky promontories, salt marshes, jagged headlands, rainforests, bogs, muskeg, and white-sand beaches shape the experience.
Nels Bight is one of the best-known destinations, stretching more than 2,400 metres long and 210 metres wide at low tide. Other significant beaches include San Josef Bay, Guise Bay, Experiment Bight, Lowrie Bay, and Nissen Bight. The park also has sea stacks accessible at low tide and old-growth Sitka spruce and western red cedar, including very large trees along routes such as the San Josef Beach hike.
Visitors can choose day hiking, backpacking, beach camping, swimming at Nels Bight or San Josef Bay, canoeing or kayaking at San Josef Bay, fishing, hunting in season, and winter camping with no winter camping fee.
Plan around backpacking, North Coast Trail logistics, San Josef Bay, Nels Bight camping, remote beach walking, sea stacks at low tide, Mount St. Patrick views, old-growth forest, surf kayaking, and backcountry permits.
Prepare for cold wet weather year-round, slippery boardwalks, limited water sources, bears, wolves, riptides, intense surf, and active logging roads from Port Hardy to the trailhead. Dogs are permitted only at San Josef Bay.
