Pacheedaht Campground and Beach are located on the lands of the Pacheedaht people, very close to the trailhead for the West Coast Trail. This trail runs for 77 km up the coast to Bamfield. If you’re planning to begin from Port Renfrew, you must arrange to be transported across Port San Juan to the trailhead at the mouth of Gordon River. The Pacheedaht First Nations provide a shuttle service from the federal wharf in Port Renfrew to the trailhead from April to September. The northern terminus of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail runs from Botanical Beach to China Beach further south.
There is a 2 km long and curved beach of sand at the mouth of Gordon River. It is loaded with driftwood that has been taken to the sea by flooded rivers and winter storms. This beach is incredible. The campground is no less spectacular with its old-growth forests and private campsites. Some campsites are set up with power, sewer, and water while others are more rustic, some just back onto the beach where you can camp and build a fire of driftwood. There is much to do here, you can surf and swim, go for endless walks or just sit back and enjoy the view. You can see the lights at the other end of the bay at night.
Port Renfrew is a small village at the end of Highway 14 on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, it is known as the jewel of the West Coast, and I must admit, it sure is pretty. It is situated on the Port San Juan inlet, back in 1895, the postal address was the Port San Juan post, the problem with this is that mail quite often was sent to the San Juan Islands Post Office instead. So the settlers renamed their post office, Port Renfrew, in 1895. Today’s population is 190.
I have never come here without seeing elk, lots of elk, and you can see plenty of bears when the salmon are running. If you look to the sea, you might catch sight of a whale or two, and I saw deer walking down the beach without even paying attention to me. There are plenty of birds here to keep the birders happy, all in all, a great place to visit.