The Sunshine Coast Trail (SCT) is a 180km trail that tours along the sunshine coast of BC. The trail is very well-marked, and has multiple entrance and exit points that allow hikers to conquer a small segment, rather than having to tackle the entire trail. The purposes of this article will be to share the itinerary that I did, and give some helpful tips were I to hike this trail again!
I, along with a group of 5 other friends, backpacked a 35km segment of the SCT in early June. We hiked the section from Tin Hat mountain to Inland Lake. We were incredibly blessed with (mostly) good weather, as the first 2 days were quite sunny and a comfortable temperature, and only the last day did we endure heavy rain for our final 10km push.
Day 1: There were 6 of us, so we took 2 cars to the base of the SCT. Here comes the challenging part: We parked 1 car at the base of Inland lake in the parking lot, and then piled 6 adult passengers AND 6 large hiking backpacks into one car. To say we were packed like sardines is an understatement. We then drove from Inland Lake parking lot up a long gravel road to get to the base of Tin Hat Mountain. This drive was just under 1 hour (~55 minutes). The car didn’t have 4×4 and we were fine, however we had to take it slow due to the number of potholes. We then parked the car in the small pullout area near the end of this gravel road, and began the hike. The terrain was a fairly constant uphill climb, so hiking poles may have been helpful. However, the ascent never required using hands and legs (it wasn’t THAT vertical thankfully). The total distance of this day was only around 4.5km. The view from the top was awesome, and we saw a gorgeous sunset! The hut itself was full already, but multiple tent pads were open, so we had our choice of tent site. Bear caches were provided for our food. The wind was very strong and very cold, so our warm layers and cold-rated sleeping bags were much appreciated!! Below is a pic of us at the summit of Tin Hat Mountain, and the sunset at the top 🙂
Day 2: We woke up and ate breakfast at the top of Tin Hat mountain, and then hiked for just over 7 km to Fiddlehead landing. This section was pretty, but almost entirely downhill, with some parts being very steep and requiring slow and braced steps. Be prepared for your knees to hurt. However, the path was very well marked, so we always knew where we were going. We ended up accidentally camping at the old Fiddlehead campsite as we were extremely tired from the sheer decent. The real Fiddlehead campsite was approximately 1km further, but we didn’t realize it at the time, as we hadn’t seen pictures of Fiddlehead to reference.
Day 3: Again we woke up quite early to eat breakfast and then get a head start on the day. We hiked to Confederation lake, which was just over 8.5 kilometers, and a lot of up and down terrain. We got the occasional peak-a-boo view, but mainly were hiking through forest. We were then greeted by Confederation Hut that is situated right on Confederation Lake. There is a nice picnic table, bear caches, and even a rowboat! We stayed in the hut in the lowest level (door is around the back of the hut). We were comfortable able to fit 6 of us, and have our bags by our feet.
Day 4: We woke up to POURING rain. How fun. We had a 10km hike ahead of us to get to Inland lake. We came prepared with our rain gear though, so we geared up and began our hike. This part was probably the easiest of the 4 days, and had some gradual ups and downs, and the occasion steep incline or decline. Even though we were fully in tree cover, the rain was pouring so hard that we were still drenched rats. Once we arrived at Inland we were very cold, very wet, but honestly having the time of our lives! Something about backpacking with friends is just a blast no matter what. 🙂 We then drove back to the ferries to head home.
This trip was truly unforgettable. Not just because of the amazing people I went with, but because of the variety of terrain, stunning views, and (mostly) great weather. One of the best perks of the SCT is the ability to lengthen/shorten your trip to your liking. For us, we decided ahead of time to backpack the segment that we did, but we met other hikers along the way who were doing longer 5 or 6 night trips, and some who were just doing 1 and 2 nights. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone looking for an amazing outdoor adventure 🙂
