West Coast Trail
Incidents during 2025
Based on Parks Canada Search & Rescue Data
Summary
The West Coast Trail hosts 7-8,000 hikers each season. These incidents represent roughly 1–1.5% of hikers.
Total Incidents
82
North vs South
32
North
|
50
South
Most Common Injury
56%
Slip/Fall
Most Affected Age
20-29
Years Old
Incidents
Breakdown of incident types reported on the trail.
Hazards
Top ten contributing hazards and terrain factors involved in incidents.
Age
Age groups of individuals involved in trail incidents.
Gender
Gender breakdown of hikers involved in incidents.
Evacuations
Evacuations by helicopter, boat, or self-evacuation.
61
Boat
7
Helicopter
15
Self-Evac
Most evacuations on the West Coast Trail require a surf landing.
Hotspots
Curious which sections of the trail are the hot spots for injury?
South
North
The south end is notoriously the more incident-prone section of the West Coast Trail.
Extraction Points
Top locations where evacuations occurred.
By Country
Where hikers involved in West Coast Trail incidents were visiting from.
58
CANADA
4
UNITED STATES
1
GERMANY
1
AUSTRIA
By Month
Seasonal trends showing total incidents and slip/fall frequency.
- Slips/Falls
- Total Incidents
Common Terms in Incident Reports
Most frequently mentioned words in incident descriptions and injury types.
sprain ligament
knee
pain
fracture
boulders
cut/laceration
injured
ankle
head
wrist
concussion
access
hikers
fractured
puncture
stranded
illness
fever
self
shoulder
fall
nausea
search
lost
failure
Heat Map
Explore the heat map and tap on incidents for more detail.