Campsite serving paddlers, boaters on Vancouver Island’s west coast upgraded
Published 1:30 pm Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Volunteers rolled up their sleeves and cleared bush, built picnic tables and restored a campsite serving paddlers and boaters circumnavigating Nootka Island and adjacent waters on the west coast of Vancouver Island recently.
BC Marine Trails and the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation have successfully completed a major restoration project at Santiago Creek on Tahsis Inlet, improving safety and visitor infrastructure at one of the few marine campsites serving paddlers and boaters circumnavigating Nootka Island, or the region’s inside waters.
After a joint site visit in 2025, BC Marine Trails & Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation identified several safety concerns and aging infrastructure, BC Marine Trails said in a press release. BC Marine Trails worked closely with the Nation and Recreation Sites and Trails BC to develop and implement a restoration plan.
Over two days, volunteers removed 38 hazardous trees, installed a new yellow cedar picnic table and bear cache, repaired the pit toilet, refurbished an existing picnic table using reclaimed materials, cleared invasive vegetation, created three additional tent sites, and installed new signage and a visitor logbook.
The project highlights the value of collaborative stewardship in maintaining safe and sustainable access to coastal recreation sites while respecting and supporting Indigenous leadership and connections to place. BC Marine Trails extended thanks to the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation for their partnership and guidance throughout the project. The group also thanked the many donors who funded the project and to Shorebird Expeditions for providing transportation to this remote site.