Sechelt Peninsula - By the time you reach Roberts
Creek Provincial Park, about 7.5 miles (12 km) west
of Gibsons, located on both sides of Hwy 101, the highway
will have taken up its gentle rising and falling rhythm
as it ribbons through lush second-growth forest, a rhythm
that is played out for much of its length along the
coast. This is the setting for the park's picnic grounds
and beach, the entrance to which lies south of the campground
on Elphinstone Rd, where you'll find two dozen tables
arranged beside the ocean. Bring your beach shoes, as
bare feet may find the cobblestoned coastline too rough
on tender tootsies.
Davis Bay, about 14 miles (22 km) north of Langdale,
is one of sandiest and most accessible beaches on the
Sunshine Coast. Just pull off beside Hwy 101 at a likely
looking spot and let the picnicking begin. The sweeping
views here across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver
Island are unbroken by any offshore islands, and are
a rarity along the otherwise sheltered coastline. A
pier juts a long way out from the beach, a good indication
of how shallow the water is. In summer, when the tide
rises over the beach exposed to the warmth of the summer
sun, the ocean warms up as it absorbs all that solar
energy and provides swimmers with a Mediterranean-like
setting. Purple-hued sand dollars add to the ambience;
their shells fade to a bleached white when their life
cycle is complete.
Snickett Park and Pebble Beach in Sechelt
are good places to head once you've packed the picnic
hamper full of goodies. In case you've forgotten anything,
you'll find it at one of the shops on the Boulevard
just off Hwy 101 in downtown Sechelt. If you're in a
hurry (a contradiction if there ever was one in this
laid-back environment), park yourself on Snickett's
Pebble Beach on Trail Bay adjacent to the Boulevard.
If not, head north of Hwy 101 on E Porpoise Bay Rd to
the sandy shores at Porpoise Bay Provincial Park on
the Sechelt Inlet. As you'd expect from a park this
size, rows of picnic tables dot the beach, which is
sheltered by wistful willows.
Sargeant
Bay Provincial Park north of Sechelt features a
sandy beach that's ideal for swimming and picnicking.
At the moment, few visitors know about this diminutive
park on Redroofs Rd, so you're most likely to find yourself
sharing it with local bird-watchers who come down to
explore the nearby marsh. Don't be disappointed when
you first arrive: as you walk south along the bay, the
cobblestone beach changes to more hospitable sand, which
is where you'll want to spread out and listen to the
lapping of the waves and the laughing of the gulls.
Farther north along Redroofs Rd is Coopers Green
Regional Park, where you'll find a beach with a
mix of rock and sand, and offshore islets. Enjoy a picnic
supper while watching the summer sun sink offshore as
it lights up the picturesque cove.
Katherine
Lake Regional Park in Garden Bay is a freshwater
treat in a region dominated by saltwater locales. The
sandy beach at this small lake will appeal to both swimmers
and picnickers. If you like to take an early-morning
plunge after a night spent sleeping under the stars,
this is where to do it.
Just east of Earls Cove lies the Forest Service recreation
site at Klein Lake, as well as North and
Waugh Lakes close to Egmont. All three are beautifully
clear, freshwater lakes with tiny little fish that will
nibble your toes if you stand still. North and Waugh
Lakes are situated beside Egmont Rd, and access points
are easily spotted. Klein Lake is reached after a short
drive along well-marked North Lake Forest Rd from Hwy
101 near Earls Cove.
Malaspina
Peninsula - If you haven't already enjoyed
your picnic lunch while sitting out on deck of the BC
Ferry that brought you across Jervis Inlet from Earls
Cove, stop in at the Mermaid Cove picnic grounds
in Saltery Bay Provincial Park. At both the campground
and the Mermaid Cove site there are three dozen picnic
tables, many of which sit atop mounds of sun-bleached
mollusc shells left from precontact times when Native
peoples picnicked and feasted here. You can see why
they chose this spot: shellfish cling to the rocky shoreline,
while in the deep, dark waters of the inlet, whales,
seals, and sea lions cavort in pursuit of schooling
fish.
Valentine Mountain in Powell River requires just
a short stair-climb to reach the top and the first of
several viewpoints. It's as if you're standing in an
observatory: as you make your way around the circumference,
you see enough landmarks and reference points to bring
any map to life. Islands and inlets, mountains and lakes
lay spread below you. Picnic tables have been secluded
in several places on Valentine's 853-foot (260-m) summit.
Of
all the 32 lakes in the Powell River region, Mowat
Bay Park on Powell Lake is the beach of choice.
The biggest challenge is finding the park. Powell River's
road grid is such that it takes a turn or two to reach
most of the recreation destinations tucked in the slopes
of the Coast Mountains that rise gently from the shoreline.
Mowat Bay Park is no exception, and is even a little
easier to locate than some others. From Hwy 101 in downtown
Powell River, follow Duncan Street east to Manson Avenue,
then turn north and follow Manson to its junction with
Cranberry Street. Turn east on Cranberry, then north
on Mowat and follow this to the beach.
Inland Lake is ringed with cottonwoods, which
makes it a delightful place to picnic in autumn, when
the leaves change from pale green to bright yellow.
Picnic tables are located within an easy distance of
the parking area. From there a splendidly constructed
8-mile
(13-km) trail follows the shoreline. More picnic and
bathing sites appear as you walk the trail. This recreation
site is the pride of the BC Forest Service. All visitors,
no matter what their abilities, will feel welcome here.
So successful has it been that in 1989 it won a provincial
handicap-access design award for Powell River's Susan
Jersak. To reach the lake from Hwy 101 (Marine Avenue),
follow a series of city streets through Powell River
to Inland Lake Forest Road.
You'll
also find picnicking and swimming at Haywire Bay
Regional Park on Powell Lake near Inland Lake. The
turn-off to Haywire Bay Regional Park is from Inland
Lake Rd south of Inland Lake Park. One of the treats
of visiting this beach is swimming the short distance
to nearby Honeymoon Island.
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