Nitinat Lake serves as the midpoint access point for the West Coast Trail on the west coast of Vancouver Island, within the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

Hikers entering or exiting the trail here travel by water taxi from the private dock in the community of Malachan IR #11, with a single scheduled morning departure down the lake toward the trailhead at Balaats'adt (Nitinaht Village).

The Nitinaht Narrows Ferry also operates in this area on an as-needed basis between May 1 and October 7. Because the water taxi runs only once daily, hikers are advised to plan an overnight stay in Nitinaht Village before their departure date.

Basic tourism services, including accommodations and a campground, are available near the access point.