- Trail: Juan de Fuca Trail
- Trailhead: Day use parking lot of China Beach
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 2K One Way
- Elevation Gain: 65 meters
- Bring: Water, Snacks, Bathing Suit
Mystic Beach is a picturesque, rugged, rocky beach that is part of the Juan de Fuca Trail. You can either complete it as a short, easy day hike, or do a bit of backcountry camping once you get there.
It is easiest to catch the trailhead located in the China Beach Day Use parking lot. The trail itself is well marked with orange diamond placards. It winds through old growth forests, with a classic Vancouver Island vibe.
You’ll see moss covered Douglas Fir and Red Cedars, webs of spider web like roots, and hear loads of birds chirping away. There is one bird that sounds like some sort of electronic instrument I am still trying to identify. Wooden catwalks keep you out of some areas of mud, steps carved into the steep bits, and a sweet suspension bridge for your feed give the hike nice a variety.
Once you pop out at Mystic Beach, there is lots to explore. Take a break, have a sandwich while watching the seals bob in the waves, or dunk your head in the stunning waterfall that cascades down to the beach from the temperate rainforest above.
There are dispersed campgrounds if you want to spend a night or 2 down on the beach, and you can also link up with the larger and longer Juan de Fuca Trail. Well worth the hike in, it is really your stereotypical pristine PNW style beach. Dogs are welcome on the trail, just please clean up behind them, and keep them leashed—we saw a Ranger enforcing it.