huckepack

Sunshine Coast Trail

Length

This trail
166.0 km
How
Measured on our OpenStreetMap map line (data of 5 Nov 2026): the main route
Official
180 km, stated length (qathet Parks and Wilderness Society)

166km

Ascent · descent

This trail
7,110 m up, 7,090 m down, estimated
How
Estimated from the GEDTM30 terrain model along our OpenStreetMap line: every main stage's climbs and drops along samples 100 m apart, each counted once it reaches 10 m
Keep in mind
A 30 m terrain model: short climbs between the samples are missed

estimated: 7,110m ↑7,090m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingPath grade: ≈ T3
  • Climate: Moderate in Jun–SepHeat: 24 °C by day (July)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: ≈ 30 h 45 (stage 2)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Moderate in Jun–Sep; Effort: Hard

Suggested

Source
qathet Parks and Wilderness Society

12–13days

Per day

This trail
13–14 km · ≈ 550–590 m ↑
How
The trail's length (our measurement, 166 km) ÷ its days (12–13, from qathet Parks and Wilderness Society); ascent likewise

13–14km· about 550–590 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 98%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 2%
  • Water, snow and ice: 1%
  • Bare rock and sand: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Location

Country
Canada
Regions
British Columbia
Start
Sarah Point
Finish
Saltery Bay trailhead
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Vancouver Pacific Central22.3 km by road to Horseshoe Bay (ferry to Langdale) · 27 min, then ferry
  • Comox Valley Airport (YQQ)7.1 km by road to Comox (Little River, ferry to Powell River) · 10 min, then ferry · seasonal international flights
  • Vancouver International Airport (YVR)34.3 km by road to Horseshoe Bay (ferry to Langdale) · 46 min, then ferry
Protected areas
Inland Lake Provincial Park
Managed by
qathet Parks and Wilderness Society (qPAWS)Official website (opens in a new tab)
Waymarking
Trail markers, twice as many north to south, and kilometre markers along the trail
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
the trail's ascent (the terrain model's estimate) over the main stages' length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T3 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The society calls the trail well built, with moderate sections and difficult terrain, cumulatively a challenge even to the most seasoned experts: steep climbs from the sea to Tin Hat Mountain and Mount Troubridge (1,300 m), mountain summits without water, snow at height into early summer and sporadic phone coverage. A rough mountain path without scrambling (T3).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club (opens in a new tab)

    estimated T3
  • Climbingestimated 43 m per km
  • Steep stretches22 % of the way
  • Natural ground94 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Jun–Sep

  • Heat · July24 °C by day
  • Cold · June4 °C at night
  • Wet days · June11 days
  • Snow · June0 days
  • Wind · September12 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 2estimated 30 h 45

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
18–24°C
Nights in season · highest point
1–8°C
Wet days a month
7–12
Daylight
12.5–16.3h
SeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point5101520Daylight8.5 h10.0 h11.7 h13.7 h15.4 h16.3 h15.9 h14.4 h12.5 h10.6 h8.9 h8.1 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January6.6 / 2.3-2.7 / -6.519.618.630.98.5
February7.9 / 2.1-1.7 / -6.714.613.828.210
March10.1 / 3.50.3 / -5.41816.730.911.7
April13.5 / 5.53.7 / -3.314.311.62813.7
May18 / 9.38.2 / 0.511.84.313.115.4
June20.7 / 12.411 / 3.910.90.41.316.3
July24.4 / 14.714.5 / 76.60015.9
August24.1 / 14.514.5 / 7.67.30014.4
September19.9 / 11.510.9 / 4.810.40.30.512.5
October13.7 / 7.55.1 / 0.316.36.813.710.6
November8.7 / 40 / -3.81916.627.68.9
December6.1 / 2-2.9 / -6.31917.830.98.1

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevation
1Sarah Point Shingle Mill (Powell River)46.6 km1,660 m ↑1,610 m ↓10 → 60 m
2Shingle Mill (Powell River) Lang Bay83.8 km3,730 m ↑3,690 m ↓60 → 100 m
3Lang Bay Saltery Bay trailhead35.5 km1,720 m ↑1,790 m ↓90 → 20 m

Totals and averages count the main stages only. Distances are ours, measured on the OpenStreetMap map line between the stage ends: no source publishes them. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (GEDTM30, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m; climbs and drops counted once they reach 10 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
1,277m high4m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
29 % (16°), 145 m up over 500 m, stage 2
Steepest descent
−34 % (19°), 168 m down over 500 m, stage 3
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

29% ↑−34% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
16 km up, 19.1 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

35.1km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 94%, 151.5 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 6%, 9.2 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 0%, 0.1 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

94% natural6% gravel<1% paved
200 m600 m1,000 m1,277 mStage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km160.8 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
GEDTM30 terrain model (OpenGeoHub, from Copernicus and other elevation data), 30 m grid, the bare ground under the trees, every 100 m along the main route
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 88% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest98%Grassland and shrubs2%Bare rock and sand0%Water, snow and ice1%Stage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km160.8 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. Camp in the numerous designated areas along the trail; the huts cannot be booked, are shared first come, first served, for one night, with priority for thru-hikers; groups of eight or more should use the campsites.

18.8 km without a bedCamping18Huts17Hostels0Rooms0Stage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km160.8 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 18 campsites, 17 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 84.8–103.6
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
107.6 km without clean water, km 53.2–160.8, stages 2–3
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 9 taps, fountains and drinking springs
Not counted
The 25 places to sleep: Creeks and lakes along most of the trail, not on the high summits; boil or purify the water. They count as any water
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

107.6kmScarce

Any water

This trail
20.4 km without any water, km 109.7–130.1
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m and the places to sleep whose water isn't treated
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

20.4kmScarce

Shops

This trail
81.1 km without a shop, km 45.5–126.6
Counted
3 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

81.1km
Water · 20.4 km withoutPublic drinking water · 107.6 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 160.8 km withoutRefills at places to sleep (treat before drinking) · 20.4 km withoutShops · 81.1 km withoutStage 1Stage 2Stage 30 km160.8 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official sources: Government of British Columbia; Government of British Columbia
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Black bear ModerateCougar Low

Black bear

Moderate danger

The society lists black bears among the animals hikers may meet, asks them to hang food in a bear bag away from the hut or campsite and to carry bear spray.

If you meet one

  • Remain calm and slowly back away, talking to the bear in a quiet, monotone voice
  • If the bear gets too close, use pepper spray (within 7 metres) or something else to threaten or distract it
  • Stay together and act as a group; keep children close, pick up and carry small children
  • Watch the bear until it leaves and make sure it has a clear escape route

Don't

  • Feed bears (it's against the law to feed dangerous wildlife)
  • Run or climb a tree
  • Scream, turn your back on the bear, kneel down or make direct eye contact
  • Try to get closer to it

Advice: Government of British Columbia. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.

Cougar

Low danger

The society lists cougars among the animals of the trail; the BC government advises making noise on the move and keeping children in sight in cougar country.

If you meet one

  • Stay calm, keep the cougar in view and pick up children immediately
  • Back away slowly, ensuring that the animal has a clear avenue of escape
  • Make yourself look as large as possible and keep the cougar in front of you
  • If it shows interest or follows you, respond aggressively, maintain eye contact, make loud noise, arm yourself with rocks or sticks
  • If a cougar attacks, fight back, focusing on its face and eyes

Don't

  • Run or turn your back on a cougar; sudden movement may provoke an attack
  • Let children wander in cougar country

Advice: Government of British Columbia. Level: ours. Silhouette: Margot Michaud (Puma concolor), PhyloPic, public domain.