Along the West Coast Trail you encounter countless deadfall around, over and along the trail. Deadfall is the name for dead and fallen trees and in a West Coast rainforest you see some magnificent examples. The West Coast Trail runs down the stormy West Coast of Vancouver Island which topples giant trees for six months of the year.
West Coast Trail Shipwrecks
Alaskan at 4k Soquel at 5k Sarah at 7k Becherdass-Ambiadass at 8k Michigan at 12k Uzbekistan at 13.8k Varsity at 17.6k Valencia at 18.3k Janet Cowan at 19k Robert Lewers at 20k Woodside at 20.2k Uncle John at 26.2k Vesta at 29k Raita at 33k Skagit at 34.2k Santa Rita at 37k Dare at 39k Lizzie Marshall at 47k Puritan at 48.5k Wempe Brothers at 49.4k Duchess of Argyle at 58k John Marshall at 62.3k William Tell at 64.2 Revere at 69k Cyrus at 75k
West Coast Trail Campsites
Pachena Bay Campground Michigan Creek at 12k Darling River at 14k Orange Juice Creek at 15k Tsocowis Creek at 16.5k Klanawa River at 23k Tsusiat Falls at 25k Cribs Creek at 42k Carmanah Creek at 46k Bonilla Creek at 48k Walbran Creek at 53k Cullite Cove at 58k Camper Bay at 62k Thrasher Cove at 70k Pacheedaht CampgroundCape
Many are flushed out of the forest in flooding rivers and creeks into the ocean where they are churned in the sea for a while, then tossed back on land by some magnificent storm. You find the most extraordinary examples of this all along the West Coast Trail. Huge, ocean polished deadfall sprawled across the beach or laying in a riverbed, hundreds of metres from the ocean. Deadfall is the more generalized term, however there are other words to describe more specific forms of deadfall. Windthrow and blowdown refer to trees that were blown over and uprooted. A tree that has not been ripped out by its roots, but instead snapped along its trunk is called windsnap. Windsnap is often the most impressive type of deadfall you see as you can't quite get your head around how a storm could be so powerful as to snap a massive tree in half. What an amazing sight to see and hear, the snap must be incredibly loud. Every year storms topple a huge number of trees across the West Coast Trail and the trail crews have a considerably amount of work repairing and clearing the trail. Many trees come crashing down on boardwalks and a gap has to be cut through the tree and the boardwalk rebuilt. Often you see boardwalk still crushed under some fallen giant and a new boardwalk constructed around or over it. Sometimes deadfall is used as a bridge over a creek or ravine. Much of the deadfall you see on the West Coast Trail is so bizarre that you have trouble figuring out how it came to be in the position it is in. Deadfall is just one of many features that makes the West Coast Trail such a wild and incredible place!
Deadfall and Windsnap Across the West Coast Trail
This deadfall and windsnap appears near the start of the West Coast Trail at about KM4. Laying across the trail just high enough to crouch under and continue down the trail. These two trees disappear into the rainforest on either side and you can't even tell which direction they fell from.
Deadfall Art Near KM8 on the West Coast Trail
This mystifying couple of trees appear to have fallen together and are now holding each other up. They look like a deadfall art exhibit as you pass under them near KM8 on the West Coast Trail.
Darling River Deadfall Driftwood Giants
Darling River between the beach and Darling Falls always seems to have a collection of enormous deadfall driftwood laying in and across it. With the beach a couple hundred metres away it is hard to imagine how they could have gotten thrown this far up the river. The winter storms must be colossal to toss monsters like this so far. The perfectly idyllic Darling Falls just a few metres away must look like a war zone during the stormy winter months.
Darling River Upside Down Deadfall Roots
The variety of deadfall in and along Darling River is bizarre and beautiful. This upside down tree in the middle of the river makes you stare in wonder for a while. Is it deeply sunk into the river bed or is it flat and just balancing there?
Stunning Darling Falls
Darling Falls is beautiful, perfect and serene. In the calm weather summer months you have to imaging what it must look like during winter storms that are capable of launching huge trees this far from the ocean. Much of the year Darling River swells to a torrent and too fast and violent to cross. After heavy rain in the summer is sometimes prevents modern day hikers from crossing and forces them to wait until it calms down to a reasonable level to walk through.
Deadfall Crossing Over Orange Juice Creek
Just up the beach from Darling River you have to cross this hilarious pile of deadfall driftwood to get over Orange Juice Creek with Orange Juice Falls pouring down like a fire hose. The variety of ways to cross rivers, creeks and ravines along the West Coast Trail is fantastic.
Deadfall Smashed West Coast Trail Boardwalk at KM17
Numerous deadfall trees have obliterated this section of boardwalk near KM17 turning it into another marvelous deadfall wreckage exhibit. You can only imagine what the West Coast Trail would look like if it wasn't cleared and cut through every year. Before the West Coast Trail was established and regular trail clearing was done, shipwreck survivors characterized the forest as impenetrable.
Colossal West Coast Trail Deadfall
Incredibly huge giants lay along the beach routes on the West Coast Trail. This monster lays high up on the reef waiting for the next big storm to yank it back out to sea.
Deadfall Crisscrossing the West Coast Trail
A gap was cut out to open up this pile of deadfall across the trail near KM24. Dozens of trees must have come down during one winter as the carnage continues for hundreds of metres and despite lots of work done was evidently to clear it, it is still a hilarious tangled mess.
Boardwalk Altered Deadfall Ramp
This strange boardwalk ramp appears to have been crushed by one tree and jacked up near vertical, then another tree fell in front of it, finally it looks like trail crews cut away the deadfall holding it up, leaving the boardwalk to fall over the other deadfall and is now suspended like a ramp.
Tsusiat Deadfall Forest Embrace
This crazy deadfall tree near Tsusiat Falls looks like it may have fallen off the cliff or was blown in by a winter storm. However it got in this interesting position it is now being absorbed by the forest. The top half is wrapped in forest growth and bushes are growing out of it.
Obliterated Boardwalk by Driftwood Deadfall
Another hilarious dead end on the West Coast Trail. This boardwalk was evidently crushed and buried by deadfall driftwood from some winter storm. You can see some of the wrecked boardwalk in the midst of the driftwood.
Deadfall Wall on the West Coast Trail
This amazing deadfall wall is particularly funny. It looks like two big trees uprooted in a storm and it looks like the trail maintenance crew found the KM52 signs and pounded them into the ground of the crater left by the trees.
A Perfect Deadfall Bridge
Sometimes deadfall crashes down in a perfect way, like this one to cross a creek. West Coast Trail maintenance crews modified it into a bridge.
Deadfall Ramp Over a Pile of Deadfall
This deadfall ramp is a wonderful way to get across a pile of deadfall. Another crafty modification by the inventive West Coast Trail crews.
Deadfall Creek
This amazing little creek has this crazy deadfall tree suspended awkwardly over it. You can tell the upper level the creek reaches by how sanded down the lower half of the tree is. How perfectly this scene represents the West Coast Trail. It is surreal, unexpected, unbelievable, wild and you have to assume that this wouldn't have ever been seen if there wasn't a trail running past it. How many thousands of similarly beautifully wonderful sights occur beyond the West Coast Trail. Expectation of something new and probably wonderful around the next corner is part of the magic of the West Coast Trail.
Never Ending Deadfall Exhibits
Just when you thought you have seen the most bizarre deadfall art on the West Coast Trail, you come to this at KM64. At T shape formed, after some thought, by a pile of deadfall, with one pressed on to another in a T shape. After a few years they fused together and eventually the top of the T rotted and broke off leaving this. There still must have been a time where the upper part was suspended somehow and that part is gone now too.
Beach Deadfall on the West Coast Trail
You can't help but marvel at the size of these giants laying across the reef. You can tell by their worn off roots that they have been sanded off by swirling in the ocean for weeks before getting tossed up on this reef for a few months, then pulled back out into the stormy sea in the winter.
More West Coast Trail Glossary A to Z
Prologue
The West Coast Trail
When to Hike & Fees
Trailheads
Getting There
Considerations
Campsites
