Take a Spring Getaway on the Sunshine Coast

One great thing about living in or visiting Vancouver is the easy access to a lot of excellent places where you can go for a weekend getaway.  One of my favorites (besides the many islands that dot the coastal area) is to take a ferry trip over to the Sunshine Coast.  If you don’t have a car, you can catch the local buses to take you to the various destinations.  However, with a car it will allow you more flexibility. And there’s lots to see!  Coach Lines operate daily connection the Sunshine Coast with Vancouver and there’s a bus service between Sechelt and Langdale.  Air services include schedule flights from Sechelt to Victoria and a daily float plane air service from Sechelt to Vancouver and Nanaimo. 

Sail with BC Ferries to Langdale, just 40 minutes from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver.  If you’re looking for a mountain adventure (skiing or hiking) just 20 minutes from Landale via Field Road in Wilson Creek you’ll find Alpha Adentures where you can arrange transportation to  Dakota Ridge where you can snow-shoe and ski.  (Day passes priced at $20) Wilson Creek is the location of the regional airport and there’s a campground here for summer visitors.

If you’d rather go sight-seeing and spend a leisurely weekend enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Sechelt Peninsula, start your trip from Gibsons, a short drive from the Langdale ferry terminal.  This historic little town was once the site for the TV series “The Beachcomber” and you can still visit Molly’s Reach pub.  If it’s history you’re interested in, visit the Sunshine Coast Museum.  Or take a stroll along the seawalk by the harbour where you can by fresh seafood right off the side of a fish boat. 

The Sechelt Peninsula is known as “The Sunshine Coast”. The area’s climate is mild with moist winters and dry summers.  It’s sheltred from the open Pacific and has a magnificent sweeping coastline of cobbled beaches, treed mountains, creeks and waterfalls. 

The town of Sechelt was named after the First Nations people who inhabit the region, the Shishalh.  The town of Sechelt is a small community located on the narrow Sechelt isthmus separating the Inlet from the Strait of Georgia. The town is on 9 miles (15 km) north of Langdale ferry terminal on Highway 101, through Gibsons.  Don’t miss visiting the impressive House of Hewhiwus (House of Chiefs), the Sechelt band offices and Sechelt Nation’s cultural centre.  At historic Rockwood Lodge, which was once a Union Steamship resort, Canadian authors meet in mid August for the annual Festival of the Written Arts.

For the sports-minded traveler, on April 11, the 33rd annual April Fool’s Run Half-Marathon will take place from Gibsons to Sechelt so if you’re a runner plan to take part.  Information here.  Or  you might want to consider the four-seven day boot camp offered by The Garage, a private personal training studio in Gibsons.  Golf, Kayaking and guided hikes are part of this group experience. For those who like hiking, check out Mount Daniel Hiking Trail, Smuggler Cove, and Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park.  Great destinations for photographers too!  Information here.

If you’re looking for lodgings in this area, Gibson’s Getaways is a unique group of five bed and breakfasts.  And Sechelt Escapeshas five B&Bs offering comfort and hospitality along with delicious breakfasts.

There’s so much to see on the Sechelt Peninsula.  the Upper Sunshine Coast has amazing sites to see and places to visit for relaxing getaway weekends.  For more ideas including 2 – 5 day trips to Powell River  See here

Visit Getaway BC for more information on the Sunshine Coast.

PHOTOS by W. Ruth Kozak