Queen Charlotte Track: Anakiwa to Mistletoe Bay

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This is the first section of the Queen Charlotte Track when hiking it from Anakiwa to Ship Cove. It can be navigated in either direction. The Queen Charlotte Track from Anakiwa to Mistletoe Bay runs through a dense, lush fern forest. Much of this section is close to the shoreline with spectacular views of Queen Charlotte Sound, its coves, bays, and islands.

From Anakiwa, the Queen Charlotte Track immediately enters the dense forest along the shoreline. Although the forest is dense, there are great views of the sound and islands because the track is so close to the shoreline. Over the first 1.6 miles, the trail climbs slightly from sea level and then returns to sea level, at Davies Bay (also shown as Umungata Bay on maps), 1.6 miles from the Anakiwa trailhead.

At Davies Bay, there are campsites and a toilet. Davies Bay has a beautiful small beach too. This is a good place for a snack/lunch break.

After Davies Bay, the trail begins to climb gradually, staying close to the shoreline in the dense forest for about a mile. As the trail climbs, the views across Queen Charlotte Sound get more expansive and spectacular. About 2.6 miles from the Anakiwa trailhead, the trail starts to move inland from the shoreline, as it continues to climb gradually for another 1.7 miles, to its high point for this section. Although the trail is never far from the shoreline, views of the sound become less frequent due to the dense vegetation.

After the trail reaches its high point (for this section) about 4.3 miles from the Anakiwa trailhead, it descends very gradually, with some flat stretches as it goes to Mistletoe Bay. Although the trail descends, it remains high above the water. This stretch of the trail is also slightly inland from the shoreline, so views of the bays and coves depend on breaks in the vegetation. Mistletoe Bay is reached about 7.5 miles from the Anakiwa trailhead.

Lush fern forest.