The endless beach at the Misty Meadows Beach Loop trail 
The “main” camping grounds structures 
The accessibility friendly section towards the beach 
Aerial view of the sand dunes on the shorted beach loop trail 
The Tlell River vista point where you can see the Pesuta Ship Wreck trail on the right, the Misty Meadow Beach Loop trail on the left 
The trail lets you spy the Pesuta Ship wreck at a distance 
Sand dunes on the trail 
View of the trail from the Haida House side of Tlell River
Misty Meadows Beach Loop Trail Features
Sand dunes
Beach access
Proximity to campground
ABOUT
Primarily thought of as a campground, Misty Meadows offers a whopping 30 sites for campers. Potable water, picnic tables and pit toilets are also available on-site. From a recreational perspective, Misty Meadows Beach Loop Trail serves as a nice introduction to the wonders of Naikoon Provincial Park. It offers beach access and some nice hiking. From the main campsite, the beach is literally a 3-minute walk; however, we’d argue the beach is only particularly noteworthy during a very low tide. At other times, the beach in this area is rock and pebbles. For those wishing to hike, Misty Meadows Beach Loop Trail offers two options: 1) A short beach loop, which clocks in at about 1km round-trip; and, 2) A much longer beach loop, which comes in at around 10.5km round-trip.
The shorter loop is well marked – just follow the posted signage. It should take about 20 minutes to complete and goes through the forest, sand dunes and beach. Note: There are a couple of side trails at the dunes – one of which takes you to the park boundary and beyond; however, please note that once you hit the boundary (denoted with a small sign), you will be skirting along private property. The dunes in this part of Naikoon are nice, but there are much larger ones further north along the Pesuta and East Beach trails.
If you’re feeling energetic, though, the longer loop may be for you. Basically, start at the same point as the shorter loop. Once you begin walking north along the beach, DO NOT turn in toward the Misty Meadows campsite; instead, just keep walking north for a good 5 kilometres or so. You will eventually come upon the mouth of the Tlell River and, assuming its low tide, you can actually get fairly close to the Pesuta Shipwreck, which sits on the opposite side of the river. From here, and for another 5 kilometres, the “loop” basically follows the Tlell River inland. Walking this route, you will come across impressive sand dunes and spy remnants of previous settlements. During Spring and early Summer, the dunes are full of wild strawberries while the sandy riverbank is rife with delectable sea asparagus.
Once you reach the Haida House, you can continue walking along the Tlell via the riverbank or Beitush Road. It is not uncommon to see locals fishing for steelhead, coho and trout along this stretch of the river. The “trail” will eventually have you cross Beitush Road and walk a short way up the dirt road towards Tlell cemetery. A few meters in, you will see the trail, denoted by a pink flagging tape, resume to your right. This single-file, well-maintained stretch runs for about 500 meters and brings you out by one of Misty Meadows’ more notable attractions, lovingly referred to as “the big tree.” From here, simply walk along the paved road back to the Misty Meadows campground.
DIFFICULTY: Easy
TOTAL DISTANCE: 10.5 kilometers
TIME: 2 hours
TYPE: Loop
ELEVATION GAIN: None