West Coast Trail
West Coast Trail Weather
14-day weather forecast
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Precision Trail Weather
Spanning 75 kilometres of wild Pacific coastline, the West Coast Trail winds through rainforest, cliffs, and beaches shaped by ocean winds and the steep coastal mountains behind it. These forces create shifting microclimates that make weather along the trail famously unpredictable.
The Carmanah Point forecast doesn’t tell the whole story — on the same day it can be pouring at Tsusiat Falls while hikers rounding Owen Point enjoy clear blue skies.
West Coast Trail provides location-specific forecasts for every campsite and key points along the trail — giving hikers weather for where they’ll actually be.
Daily Weather Forecasts
West Coast Trail breaks each day into three periods hikers care about most:
- Morning - from sunrise to noon.
- Afternoon - from noon to sunset.
- Overnight - from sunset to sunrise.
See the day the way you’ll actually experience it — from early-morning fog to afternoon wind and overnight rain.
West Coast Trail uses advanced weather prediction models recognized as the most accurate for this region, including data from NOAA and ECMWF, to deliver reliable daily weather forecasts tailored to the unique microclimates of the West Coast Trail
Hourly Weather Forecasts
See exactly when conditions change — when rain eases, wind builds, fog rolls in, or temperatures drop overnight.
West Coast Trail uses high-resolution forecasts that update frequently and incorporate live radar data — giving hikers unusually precise short-term weather along the trail.
Being informed helps hikers make safer calls at Owen Point — boulders or inland route — or decide whether to wait out the rain before breaking camp.
Hourly forecasts also translate raw numbers into trail-specific signals like Air Feel and Sea State, making complex conditions easier to understand.
Rain Event Analysis
Being well informed about rain matters on the West Coast Trail. Most hikers check a single forecast. Experienced hikers don’t trust a single source, and often compare multiple weather models to see whether they agree.
West Coast Trail does that automatically. For each significant rain event, it cross-checks up to seven different weather models and shows how much agreement there is around the same event.
When several models are seeing the same rain, confidence goes up. When they disagree, you know the forecast is less certain.
Live Rain Radar
Superpowers for seeing exactly where rain is — and how it’s moving.
Live Doppler radar replays the last hour of precipitation along the West Coast Trail, showing what’s actually happening right now rather than what a forecast thinks might happen.
Watch a rain band move past before breaking camp, or see when the beach route is getting pounded and the shelter of the inland route is the better call.
Marine Weather
Experienced hikers know that marine conditions can push actual water levels above tide predictions on the West Coast Trail. Offshore swell and wind-driven waves can quickly turn calm beaches into dangerous crossings. Parks Canada’s tide limits assume calm seas and light wind — conditions that aren’t always the reality.
West Coast Trail turns that marine data into Sea State — a simple trail-level signal built into the daily and hourly forecast — so hikers can see when conditions are calm, building, or rough without decoding a marine bulletin.
Every Location, Even Offline
West Coast Trail keeps separate forecasts for every campsite and key points along the trail.
New forecasts are available every hour. Refresh from the beaches when you have service, and the latest forecasts stay available offline under the forest canopy.
Take Trail Weather With You
Get pinpoint forecasts, live rain radar, Sea State, and offline weather — plus the full interactive West Coast Trail map.