A remote beach at the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island is promoted on social media and international travel lists as a hidden gem for its sweeping pale sand, sea stacks, tide pools and open shoreline, scenery often compared to Hawaii.
The Journey to San Josef Bay
But the journey to San Josef Bay, near Cape Scott Provincial Park, follows a long, rough route through an active forest area. For many visitors, that part of the trip comes as a surprise after a blown tire, a damaged rental vehicle or the realization they cannot call for help.
There is no cell coverage up there, said John Tidbury, a Port Hardy councillor and operator of the North Coast Trail shuttle service. So forget about yourself; it is only good for photographs.
Chris Lindsay has spent the past decade leading trips to San Josef Bay as owner and guide of Cove Adventure Tours. He said he is increasingly stopping to help people stranded or struggling along the route. Many visitors are arriving in low-clearance cars or rentals that are not allowed on service roads, or vehicles equipped only with temporary spare tires. Others push too fast over rough sections, increasing the risk of blown tires, damaged undercarriages and crashes.
You think automatically, I will be there in an hour. And the reality is, you should budget two hours because of how slow it is and how much the road condition varies, Lindsay said.
Surge in Visitors Since Pandemic
Lindsay said visits have roughly doubled in the last three years. The uptick started after the COVID-19 pandemic when more Canadians started travelling domestically. It has been pushed further by Instagram and other social media posts.
The beach earned global recognition with a No. 36 spot on the World's 50 Best Beaches list in 2023 and No. 43 on North America's 50 Best Beaches in 2026, standing alongside destinations in Australia, Hawaii and the Cook Islands.
That attention has changed who is showing up. Lindsay said the beach once drew more experienced hikers and people familiar with the North Island. Now, he sees more day-trippers, younger travellers, families and visitors from farther afield, many of whom know the area mainly from what they have seen online.
Safety Concerns and Local Impact
Lindsay warns that as more visitors follow social media posts onto rugged logging roads unprepared for the journey, safety concerns are growing and the pressure is increasingly falling on local operators and nearby communities to respond.
The trailhead parking lot sits about 70 kilometres from Port Hardy, reached by a route that shifts from maintained roads to gravel logging roads. Visitors walk roughly 2.5 kilometres from the trailhead to the beach.
Tidbury, who regularly takes hikers to and from the trailhead, said the hardest section is the final 25 kilometres along San Josef Main, where potholes catch drivers off guard, especially because of the rain, dust and uneven surfaces. He said it is unclear who is responsible for grading that section, raising questions about how consistently it is maintained.
