Juan de Fuca Marine Trail Day 3: Chin Beach to Sombrio Beach

Day 3 was our final day on the trail. We woke up at 7 am and got to see orcas pass by as we ate breakfast. I cannot express the extent of my excitement in words, it was a truly magical moment. The morning was bright and clear, unlike the previous morning which gave us a great view of the Juan de Fuca Strait. We packed up and were on the trail by about 9:30am.

The distance between Chin Beach and Sombrio beach is only 8 km, but includes some of the most technical sections of the trail and the longest climb. We started at kilometre 21 (Chin Beach) and continued to kilometre 29 (Sombrio Parking lot exit). This would conclude our three day trip.

The terrian started very similarly to the previous day, with a beach walk. At the end of the beach access (there is an extreme low tide path along beyond this section of beach but it was not accessible while we were here), we had to climb up some rocks to the start of the forest path. Keep an eye out for a buoy on the edge of the shore. There is a sign for the Juan de Fuca trail here as well, so you won’t miss it.

We made it to kilometre 23 at 10:45 and stopped for a short break. Our next point of interest was the Loss Creek suspension bridge which my guide said was at 23.8km on the trail and the map said is at 24km. We reached the bridge 10 minutes after leaving the 23 km marker, so I would say the bridge itself is more accurately around 23.2 or .3km.

The bridge sits high above the creek canyon and makes for a dramatic view of the rainforest below and the ocean to the left. On the other side we passed some hikers coming out to the bridge for a day trip so it’s certainly a significant point along the trail. We took many pictures here.

After the bridge comes the longest climb of the trip. We continued upwards for about 30 minutes before we reached the 24 km marker. While it is the longest climb, I think the steepest climb belongs to the first bluff on day 2.

Once we reached kilometre 24, it was only a few more metres before we reached flat ground. From here we made good time alongside an old logging road until the left turn back onto the Juan de Fuca trail. Keep your eye out for this signpost as you will reach 25 km very shortly after the turn.

We ate lunch at kilometre 25 and were hiking again by 12:10pm. We knew the next section was flat and were a little worried about time as we had 3 hours to make it to our pick up location and the most technical part of the trail left. We walked quickly for the next kilometre and reached the 26 km marker at 12:20. After around a kilometre and a half of reprieve, we had reached the most technical kilometre of the trail.

After kilometre 26, the trail immediately turns to follow a narrow ridge down to the ocean. Take your time on the steep sections as the mud can make them slippery. Once you lose all your elevation, you will reach the cliff lookout depicted below in which you can see the beautiful ocean water and the mountains of Washington in the distance. We gathered our bearings at got ready for the next section.

There is a caution sign on Sombrio Point, warning hikers of a potential fall risk as they continue along the oceanside. The path follows the edge of the water for the next half a kilometre about 10-15 metres above the ocean. The waves crash along the rocks here. Tread carefully as this is not a spot you’d like to fall.

We didn’t feel that there was immense risk here, but we took some sections slowly to make sure we stayed balanced with our packs. The section between kilometre 26 and 27 took us an hour and fifteen minutes, the longest kilometre on the trail. We walked the last two kilometres in an hour, reaching Sombrio Beach just before kilometre 28.

The path to Sombrio beach after 27 km meaders through the woods above the beach for nealry a kilometre. You pass a cove and cross over a waterfall that feeds into the ocean.

Once you make it to the beach, it is slow going on the round rocks to protect your ankles. Once at kilometre 29, we dropped our packs and gave our feet a dip in the cool ocean. We walked the five minutes from the beach to the parking lot in our camp shoes (flip-flops) to let our feet breathe.

Overall, the Juan de Fuca was an incredible trail that challenged us more than we expected (thinking it couldn’t be as difficult as hiking in the Rockies…), but gave us incredible views and an unforgettable experience. I would certainly recommend this trail to any backpackers who are up for an adventure. For anyone who has yet to backpack, I’d recommend doing a single night trip before embarking on this trail, but I would definitely work up to it. It was well worth the sore legs!