Gordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre

Overview

About Gordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre

Why stop

Friendly, helpful staff are a recurring bright spot.

Heads up

Parking details are unclear before arrival.

Map

Where it is

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Full map

Visitor centerGordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre48.57743, -124.41194

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Parking and what to ask

Ask about parking when you arrive: the exact arrangement is unclear in advance, and parking near the trailheads is unsecure. Don’t assume you’ll have secure overnight parking. The most consistent visitor feedback is that staff are helpful, which is useful when you need to talk through a tide question or a trail update. If you’re not hiking the West Coast Trail, this is a functional trail stop rather than a general park attraction.

7 active Pacific Rim alerts

ClosureWest Coast Trail winter access restrictionMentions West Coast Trail, referenced in this guideFrom October 7 through April 30, only day use between Pachena Bay trailhead and km 8 is permitted; overnight use and the remainder of the West Coast Trail are closed.Official details
ClosureWest Coast Trail lightstations closedMentions West Coast Trail, referenced in this guideCarmanah Point and Pachena Point Lightstations and their surrounding grounds in the West Coast Trail Unit are closed to public use at all times; do not enter.Official details

See all 7 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Pacific Rim Tour Guide

Your drive to Gordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

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Recorded for this place

Gordon River Orientation Centre

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“You're approaching Gordon River Orientation Centre, the check-in point for a southern start on the West Coast Trail. Stop here for the required briefing before taking the ferry across the river to the trail.”

Plays as you drive up to Gordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre in the Parkwolf Pacific Rim Tour Guide.

More about Gordon River West Coast Trail Orientation Centre

Start here for the south endGordon River is Parks Canada’s southern West Coast Trail orientation and registration centre,…

Gordon River is Parks Canada’s southern West Coast Trail orientation and registration centre, about 5 km north of Port Renfrew. For a south-end start, this is where you check in before heading to the river crossing. A Parks Canada briefing is required before a West Coast Trail hike. Staff cover current tides, weather, wildlife coexistence and trail maintenance, then issue the backcountry permit, waterproof map and tide-table references.

Make the departure easierYou can register the day before, which takes some pressure off the morning you plan to start.

You can register the day before, which takes some pressure off the morning you plan to start. The centre also sells park entry passes, including annual and Discovery passes. The Gordon River ferry crosses to the trail access, and both the briefing and ferry follow seasonal schedules; confirm current timings before you build a trip around them.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Pacific Rim

All Pacific Rim wildlife maps

11 sightingsOrcaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map

16 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map

174 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

16 sightingsSea OtterMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

134 sightingsSteller Sea LionMost seen around 6 PMSighting map

18 sightingsCalifornia Sea LionMost seen around noonSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Pacific Rim. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.