West Coast Trail
Incidents during 2024
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
99
North vs South
36
North
|
63
South
Most Common Injury
44%
Slip/Fall
Most Affected Age
30-39
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.
79
Boat
10
Helicopter
1
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.
82
CANADA
8
UNITED STATES
1
GERMANY
1
UNITED KINGDOM
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
exhaustion
ankle
strain muscle
fracture
fatigue
injured
bruise
access
head
cut/laceration
boulders
first
illness
dehydration
concussion
light
burns
vomiting
blisters
scratches/abrasion
fall
back
Heat Map
Explore the heat map and tap on incidents for more detail.