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| Juan de Fuca Provincial Park | |
|---|---|
 A section of trail in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park | |
  Location on Vancouver Island Show map of Vancouver Island Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia | |
 Interactive map of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park | |
| Location | Vancouver Island,British Columbia,Canada |
| Nearest city | Port Renfrew andSooke |
| Coordinates | 48°29′00″N124°17′00″W / 48.48333°N 124.28333°W /48.48333; -124.28333 |
| Area | 1,528 ha (5.90 sq mi) |
| Established | April 4, 1996 |
| Visitors | 450,408[2] (in 2017-18) |
| Governing body | BC Parks |
| Website | bcparks |
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is aprovincial park located on the west coast ofVancouver Island inBritish Columbia, Canada. The park was established on April 4, 1996[3] by combining three former parks — China Beach, Loss Creek, and Botanical Beach — into one provincial park.[4] It is the location of the majority of theJuan de Fuca Marine Trail, which is a southern compliment to theWest Coast Trail withinPacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The trail was originally intended to be a part of theTrans Canada Trail and was funded byParks Canada, then later turned over to the province of British Columbia. The work was contracted to Island Green Forestry and done by 20 labourers and three Chainsaw operators.[citation needed]
The region was recognized as biologically significant, andJosephine Tilden of theUniversity of Minnesota installed the first marine research station in the Pacific Northwest atBotanical Beach in 1901.[5] The University of Minnesota maintained a research station here for five years, but they left in 1906.Conway MacMillan resigned from the University of Minnesota after the university refused to take ownership of land in a different country.[citation needed] After the departure of the University of Minnesota, theUniversity of British Columbia,University of Washington,Simon Fraser University, and theUniversity of Victoria have done research in the area.[5] Prior to the establishment, there were several parks in the area protecting what is now within the boundaries of the park.
Loss Creek Provincial Park was a 21 hectares (52 acres) Class A park established on June 29, 1959 at the bridge over the creek of the same name. It was the smallest and least developed of the three parks.[5]
China Beach Provincial Park was a 61 hectares (150 acres) Class A park atChina Beach established on January 4, 1967. It was the best developed of the three former parks, featuring a day-use area and vehicle-accessible campground.[5] The park's creation came about in a trade between the provincial government and a forestry company. By allowing logging in the Bedwell Valley ofStrathcona Provincial Park the company agreed to hand over the land for China Beach.[6]
Botanical Beach Provincial Park was a 351 hectares (870 acres) Class A park established in 1989. It was the largest of the three former parks. At the time of creation, the park was 76% natural environment, with plans for complete restoration of the entire park. This included 231 hectares (570 acres) of land and 120 hectares (300 acres) of foreshore.[7] The park was established to encourage education and research in the area. A nature reserve was established in 1961, and expanded in 1966 to include 47 hectares (120 acres) and 2,200 metres (2,400 yd) of shoreline. The initial proposal for the park was investigated in 1981, with the final park was established in 1989 as a Class A park.[7] Access to the park has been possible by the current gravel road since prior to its establishment.[5]
On April 4, 1996,[3]BC Parks consolidated all three former parks into a single larger park named Juan de Fuca Provincial Park. The new park also included the locally popular and formerly unprotected areas ofSombrio Beach and Mystic Beach.[8]
The park has an area of 15.28 km2 (5.90 sq mi). The Juan DeFuca trail was cut and built through the forest along the coast in 1995 and 1996. The area from Minute creek to Sombrio beach was clearcut in 1994 and much of the trail was cut through the clear cut area. 47 km (29 mi) hiking trail, very similar to theWest Coast Trail Which was originally a survival trail for shipwrecked sailors in the graveyard of the Pacific inPacific Rim National Park.
The park is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) west ofSooke and 36 kilometres (22 mi) east ofPort Renfrew, British Columbia.
The primary role of Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is to protect a highly scenic and unique shoreline area between Sooke and Port Renfrew along theStrait of Juan de Fuca. The park encompasses a wide spectrum of natural values from forests to wildlife that must be protected and managed to reflect the purpose for which it was created.[7] Juan de Fuca Provincial Park provides a protected habitat and natural corridor for many larger species of west coast mammals such ascougar,deer,black bear,wolf,otter,seal andsea lions. Red, purple and orangestarfish andsea urchins, white gooseneckbarnacles, bluemussels and greensea anemones andsea cucumbers only begin to hint at the colourful spectrum of intertidal life thriving here.
The following recreational activities are available: vehicle accessible and wilderness camping, hiking, picnicking, interpretive walks, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, SCUBA diving, windsurfing, and surfing. The beach is best visited at lowtide.
Juan de Fuca Provincial Park travel guide from Wikivoyage
