Sombrio Beach

Breathe. The waves, the air, the rainforest. Sombrio Beach is located on The West Coast of Vancouver Island, and is a hot spot for surfing in Canada. Sombrio Beach is about a two hour drive from Victoria, BC and is situated in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park.

With a temperature rainforest backdrop full of truly giant Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, and Cedar trees, the turquoise water and sandy beaches of Sombrio set the tone for harnessing nature’s energy on your surfboard. Sombrio Beach is a very popular spot for all levels of surfing and stand up paddle boarding, depending on the current surf conditions.

A short, wide and gentle 500m trail from the trailhead takes you down to Sombrio Beach. At the trail fork, take a left for East Sombrio Beach for access to the prime surfing spots. Bring your camping gear and stay a few days on the beach($10/night per person), there are outhouses and food caches right at the beach camping area. Campfires on the beach are all good too.

The main break is right in front of East Sombrio camping area. Check out more details about the surfing options and current surf weather at wannasurf.com.

BETA

Cost: FREE

When to go: Year round

Trip rating: A1

Access: head west on Highway 14 leaving Victoria, passing through Sooke and Jordan River. Just past Jordan River, you enter Juan de Fuca Provincial Park and distances for each trailhead are posted along the highway. Eventually you will reach a highway sign indicating2km to the Sombrio Beach turnoff, then another indicating 400m. The turnoff is a left turn on the crest of a slight hill as it rounds a corner, and is not marked – see photo below. The access road is just under 2km long, and can get very rough, however is passable by most 2WD vehicles even with lower clearance. There is a large trailhead parking area at the bottom of the access road.

Turnoff from Highway 14: N48.50229 °, W124.283070 °

Trailhead: N48.50113 °, W124.29642 °

Sombrio East Beach surfing beach: N48.49937°, W124.29994°

RAD adventure tip: This is a super super popular spot!! It has a history of massive parties on May long weekend, and now even as early as Easter long weekend! Depending on your vibe, aim to either hit or miss those times!

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