Juan de Fuca Park

Juan de Fuca Park is on the west coast of southern Vancouver Island, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This park offers views of roaring surf and marine wildlife, from spectacular coastal trails.

The most popular attraction here is the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Other popular destinations include Botanical Beach and China Beach. The China Beach area offers a campground and day-use area.

Juan de Fuca Marine TrailThe Juan de Fuca Marine Trail follows 47 km of remote coastline along the western shoreline of southern Vancouver Island. It is a rugged trail designed for use by experienced backcountry hikers. However, it includes some easy-to-moderate sections suitable for day-hiking.

To learn more about the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, see the hiking section.

Botanical BeachBotanical Beach is at the western end of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. It is popular with visitors hoping to view the area’s unique marine ecosystems. At low tide, you can walk out across sandstone and granite outcroppings to see tide pools filled with marine life.

Help protect Botanical Beach’s extraordinary ecosystems. Do not touch, remove, collect, or disturb any marine life or the tide pools it lives in. Keep dogs leashed and out of tide pools. Never put buckets, nets, or your hands in tide pools. Do not harvest shellfish, as this is prohibited by provincial and federal law.

It is illegal to harvest marine life or remove natural resources. Provincial fines start at $288. Further penalties are possible under federal law.

To report illegal harvesting, call 1-877-952-RAPP (7277) or submit an online report at Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP).

For information on viewing marine life responsibly, see wildlife viewing.

China BeachAt the park’s east end, you’ll find China Beach Campground. This is in a vehicle-accessible forested area. About 1 km west of this, at the Juan de Fuca East trailhead, is a popular day-use area. Trails connect the campground to China Beach and the smaller Second Beach, just east of the day-use area.

For information about the campground, see the frontcountry camping section.