Home »
The Sunshine Coast remains a magical kingdom
Road Trippin’ – The Sunshine Coast, B.C.
Once you know about the Sunshine Coast, you never forget it.
The island that isn’t an island stretches for 80 km from Langdale Ferry Terminal to Earl’s Cove Ferry Terminal. The Sunshine Coast Highway takes you through Gibsons, Roberts Creek, Sechelt, Halfmoon Bay and Pender Harbour, along with numerous smaller communities.
The Sunshine Coast, located north of Vancouver, is technically two sections; the lower half and upper half, requiring another ferry ride from Earl’s Cove to Saltery Bay, near Powell River. This piece focusses on the lower half of the Sunshine Coast.
The ‘coast’ is an island that isn’t an island because the only way to access it is by ferry. There is no road and that is an entirely different story.
To access the coast you have to board a BC Ferry in Horseshoe Bay. The ride itself is worth the visit to the coast, especially if you manage to cross Howe Sound on a lovely day.
Gliding between Bowen and Gambier Islands and past Keats Island, sheltering Gibsons Harbour, the ferry nears the bulbous mound of Soames Point and the Langdale Ferry Terminal.
It’s only six kilometres to Gibsons, either by Marine Drive or up Sunshine Coast Highway.
Gibsons is famous to Canadians because of the long-running CBC show The Beachcombers. As such, the town has preserved that aspect of its heritage – but there is far more to it than that.
The town has an excellent little museum and numerous points of interest for history buffs.
Read more about the history of Gibsons.
Gibsons is split into two sections – the lower and upper town. The lower town offers all the standards for visitors seeking a maritime experience, from its sheltered harbour, cozy waterfront streets with a lovely variety of dining options and my favourite, Gramma’s Pub. Full disclosure: I lived on the coast for a year back in the early 1990s, while working at the late, great Sunshine Coast News.
The upper section contains all the retail and service businesses necessary for locals and visitors.
Twelve km north on the Sunshine Coast Highway, one comes to Roberts Creek, a small and wonderfully funky community of artists, retirees, weekend home owners and hard-working Sunshine Coasters.
There are a couple of waterfront access points and parks in Roberts Creek, as well as beautiful Cliff Gilker Park.
Another 11 km of driving will take you to Sechelt, the largest centre on the lower half of the coast, with a population of about 10,500.
Sechelt abuts the shíshálh Nation, which has been self-governing since 1986.
Before reaching Sechelt, one passes through the communities of Wilson Creek, Davis Bay and Selma Park.
Davis Bay offers a lovely beach and stunning views across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island.
We stayed in a lovely VRBO in Selma Park and revelled in the views over the strait while relaxing in a hot tub.
Sechelt/Davis Bay is unique in that Sechelt Inlet is separated from Georgia Strait by a 1.2 km isthmus. Sechelt Inlet stretches about 30 km northwest, past two large inlets (Salmon and Narrows) to Egmont, close to the fascinating Skookumchuck Narrows.
Egmont is a quaint and quiet maritime community, about 60 km drive from Sechelt.
Heading north from Sechelt, one passes through the small community of Halfmoon Bay. Take Redrooffs Road to Sargeant Bay Provincial Park for a nice coastal stroll.
Just north of Halfmoon Bay is Pender Harbour, a collection of small towns including Madeira Park, Garden Bay, Irvine’s Landing and Donnelly Landing. Make sure to get a map of the area because there is some lovely exploring to be done.
It’s a further 27 km by road to Egmont/Earl’s Cove, following lovely Ruby Lake for several miles.
That is a swift nutshell of the coast but please do take your time when you visit because there is so much more to see in this coastal and coast mountain paradise.
My initial take on the coast, when I moved there in 1993, was that it was a magical place filled with fascinating coastal souls.
And while much has changed in the past 28 years, with most towns experiencing growth and the Sunshine Coast Highway being much busier, this often over-looked stretch of B.C.’s coast remains a magical and awe-inspiring place.
See Sunshine Coast Tourism for more.
To get to the Sunshine Coast, follow Highway 1 west to Horseshoe Bay and catch the Langdale/Sunshine Coast BC Ferry.
It is 861 km from Cranbrook to Horseshoe Bay.
Lead image: A young Great Blue Heron stalks lunch in Gibsons Harbour. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photo
Photos by Ian Cobb and Carrie Schafer
e-KNOW
