Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial Park Hiking Trip 2017
Channel: Michael Paskevicius
Date: 2017-07-07

The Hesquiat Peninsula is a peninsula on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, located northwest of the town of Tofino and Clayoquot Sound and Nootka Sound to the northwest. It marks the division between the two regions formed by those sounds and is named for the Hesquiaht people of the Nuu-chah-nulth, and is the location of Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial Park. The Estevan Point lighthouse is at the apex of the peninsula.

The Hesquiat Peninsula is one of the quietest of the Vancouver Island coastal trails, seeing way less visitors than the West Coast or Nootka trails, yet it also has the fewest difficult sections. It is about 50 km long, most of it along the seashore. The trail features great rock ledges, some boulder hopping, and lots of sandy beaches.  

Perhaps because it requires both a flight in and a flight (or boat ride) out to access, this keeps the numbers down, but whatever the reason those looking for a greater wilderness experience should seriously consider this trail. Less people also means more wildlife so those hoping to encounter wolf or bear might keep this in mind.

Blog post about the trip: https://exploring.michaelpaskevicius.com/2017/07/hesquiat-peninsula-provincial-park-hike/

Highlights:
8:45 Giant boulders at the Gulch 
9:48 Log trapped in the rock 
12:04 Barcester Bay 
14:50 Crab cannibals 
19:04 Seal skull
22:32 Cabin at Homais Cove 
25:57 Whale carcass 
26:28 Billion Boulder Beach 
27:05 Estavan Point Lighthouse 
29:04 Bear on the beach 
30:27 Crabs on the beach 
32:30 Matlahaw Point Beach  
35:14 Happy Canada Day 
41:01 Crystal blue waters of Crescent Beach
51:51 Cougar Annie's
58:15 Cutting cedar shingles 
1:07:23 Eagle shed 
1:08:10 Sea plane in Boat Basin 
1:09:03 Peter at Cougar Annie's hosting us at the beach bar 
1:10:43 Views from the sea plane 

Partially sourced from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesquiat_Peninsula