SCT Day 1: Sarah Point to Manzanita Hut

Hiked August 28, 2025

Quick Overview

We spent the night at the cheapest motel we could find in Powell River. We woke up early to grab a quick breakfast and drive to Saltery Bay, as we'd booked the Sunshine Coast Shuttle for 8AM. We parked at the SCT Kiosk/southern terminus, where there was a large parking area along the gravel road. We were told by the shuttle company that this parking area can get totally full in the summer, but there were a few open spots when we arrived. There are no facilities at the trailhead/parking lot, but there was a porta-potty within walking distance by the ferry terminal.

The shuttle arrived on time and we had a great ride up with our driver. He showed us Lund as we drove by, and gave us some recommendations for things to do on our final day in the area after we finished up on the trail.

After bouncing down the rough road from Lund to Sarah Point, we were dropped off only a few hundred meters from the hut just before 10AM. We put our packs on and headed down the steep road to the hut.

Once at Sarah Point Hut, we walked towards the signed water source and found two small streams. The first one was pretty stagnant but the second was flowing nicely. We left the hut around 10:40AM, heading north around Sarah Point itself.

Sarah Point Hut

Fully enclosed hut with covered porch.
4 wooden tent pads; 2 outdoor picnic tables; 2 fire rings with benches; composting toilet; bear cache.
Water source: yes.

Sarah Point was a pretty sight, but we'd recommend staying in the hut over the campsite as it's far more comfortable and no fees apply (but you really should give a donation to qPAWS if you stay in the hut - it goes to upkeep costs for the trail and huts). The lowest tent pad by the water looked the best if you stayed there; it looked to be in a fantastic position to get an ocean sunset.

Sarah Point BC Parks Campsite

4 wooden tent pads; throne-style pit toilet. No bear cache.
The lowest tent pad has the best view.
BC Parks Camping Fees apply.

The trail hooked around the point and climbed quickly up and away from the water. The day was hot and the ground was dry and dusty, but luckily the trail stuck to the trees and shade kept us comfortable as we hiked.

Just under an hour later we arrived at Feather Cove. This is another BC Parks site and seems mainly aimed at paddle campers. There was fantastic beach access from all the sites and nice to see bear boxes provided.

Feather Cove Parks Campsite

9 wooden tent pads; outhouse; 2 bear caches.
Lovely cove for swimming.
BC Parks Camping Fees apply.

We left Feather Cove at 11:40AM with the intention of stopping for lunch at Hinder Lake. The lake was a great spot and we were able to easily get water for the dog, although we didn't need to refill our own bottles yet.

We were surprised to see Bliss Portage Hut emerge from the trees as we'd forgotten about it - it was too close to the start of the trail to be worth stopping at for long. We explored around quickly before heading on towards Wednesday Lake.

Bliss Portage Hut

Fully enclosed hut with lovely open porch.
5 wooden tent pads; 3 picnic tables; fire pit with seating; composting outhouse; bear cache.

We found our first bear scat (very berry, not super recent) of the trip just after Bliss Hut, but there were no bear signs otherwise.

Around 3:30PM we stopped at Wednesday Lake. We filtered ~15L of water for the night and full day tomorrow as we don't expect to find water on the trail at all. After the water work was done, we jumped in for a swim! The water was warm, and swimming here was definitely a highlight of the trip. We were unsurprised to find that you can day hike to the Wednesday Lake from Sarah Point Road just past Lund; the gravel road is in great shape at that point. The lake would be a fantastic summer day hike destination!

At 4:30PM we carried on towards Manzanita. Our packs were super heavy now with the water weight so going was slow. The trail climbed up and over bluff after bluff, each one bigger and taller than the last. Katie felt "like I was going to die" but a quick jujube break revived her shortly before we got to the top. Tired and thirsty from the hot dry day, we celebrated when we laid eyes on the first sign of the hut at 6:00PM: the old outhouse!

Manzanita Bluff Hut

Partially open main floor with stunning floor-to-ceiling windows of the view.
4 picnic tables; composting outhouse; bear cache.

The views from the hut and surrounding bluff were stunning. We enjoyed a late dinner on the cliffside and watched the sun go down. The sunset made the slog with all the water worth it.