Cortes Island

Cortes Island is one of the Discovery Islands off the coast of British Columbia. In 2016, it had about a thousand permanent residents. In summer, Cortes Island's peaceful atmosphere and warm weather draw many visitors.

Understand

Communities on the island include Cortes Bay, Whaletown, Squirrel Cove and Mansons Landing. Desolation Sound is off the east shore of the island. Forestry, fishing and mining have featured in its history. There is also a campground at Smelt Bay Provincial Park.

Get in

By boat

By ferry

BC Ferries, toll-free: +1-888-223-3779. Operates ferries connecting coastal communities. (updated Apr 2022) Operates ferry service from Quadra Island (Heriot Bay) to 1 Cortes Island (Whaletown), a 40-minute crossing. Ferries leaves roughly every two hours with six sailings daily, except Tuesday, which has five. Costs $12.45 per passenger (age 12 and up), plus $24 for a car or $12 for a motorcycle (return). Quadra Island also has ferry service to Campbell River in Central Vancouver Island.

By water taxi

Water taxis based out of Campbell River or Lund can be arranged.

• Discovery Launch Water Taxi, ☏ +1 250-287-7577, info@discoverylaunch.com. Campbell River based service provider of water taxi services to the Discovery Islands, coastal inlets, as well as some of the northern Sunshine Coast and parts of Vancouver Island. There is a regular summer scheduled service between Campbell River, Cortes Island, and Savary Island. All of their boats are equipped to carry kayaks. They also offer some tours. (updated May 2023)
• Lund Water Taxi, ☏ +1 604-483-9749. Small operator based out of Lund. Can drop-off and pick-up to locations in the area including Cortes Island, Desolation Sound, and Savary Island. Offers bicycle and kayak transfer service. (updated May 2023)
• Quest Water Taxi, ☏ +1 778-346-0021, toll-free: +1-855-659-2327. Campbell River based provider of water taxi service. Service area includes around Campbell River, Comox, Courtenay, Discovery Islands, Lund, Powell River, and Mainland Inlets. (updated May 2023)
• Way West Water Taxi, ☏ +1 250-286-3050. Campbell River based water taxi serving a number of the Discovery Islands, including Dent, Sonora, Read, Maurelle and East Thurlow. They will also go to many other locations within the islands and the coastal inlets, including the lodges. They also load kayaks and can drop you off/pick you up from locations within the islands. Between late June and early Sept, there are schedule departures between Campbell River, Cortes Island, and Savary Island. They can also arrange sight-seeing tours. $80 to one of the scheduled stops, more otherwise. (updated May 2023)

By plane

• Corilair, ☏ +1 250-287-8371, toll-free: +1-888-287-8366, reservations@corilair.com. From late June to early September, offers daily scheduled seaplane service between Campbell River and Vancouver International Airport, including making stops along the way, if requested, at locations including the Discovery Islands, Dent Island, Stuart Island, Refuge Cove, Savary Island, Cortes Island, Desolation Sound, Pender Harbour and Sechelt. (updated May 2023)

See

• 1 Cortes Museum & Archives, 957 Beasley Rd, Mansons Landing, ☏ +1 250-935-6340. mid-Jun to mid-Sep: Tu-Su 10AM-4PM; mid-Sep to mid-Jun: F-Sa noon-4PM. Small museum with a mix of rotating exhibits and permanent exhibits focusing on local history, First Nations artifacts, a pioneer kitchen and a reading corner with local stories and photos. Outside there is a heritage garden and logging shed. (updated Sep 2019)

Do

The Gorge of Cortes Island

• Kw'as Park. Park set amidst old-growth and second-growth forest between two lakes. There are many hiking trails, some with moderate climbs and a number of viewpoints. Access is from one of the following two points: 1 Seaford Rd access – at the sharp bend in the road near the Cortes Motel, look for the wooden mapboard; 2 Kw'as Bay Rd access – look for the "park trail" sign near Lowe Rd (updated Sep 2019)
• 3 Manson's Landing Provincial Park, Seaford Rd & Sutil Point Rd. Park spanning the ground between Hague Lake and Manson's Lagoon, with a day use area on each. The beaches are popular for swimming, particularly Hague Lake which is warm in summer. Canoeing and other water activities are also popular. There are some short hiking trails and beach walks. (updated Sep 2019)
• Misty Isles Adventures, ☏ +1 250-935-6756. Sailing cruises, kayak tours and kayak rentals from May through September. Depending on the season, sailing trips go to Mittlenatch Island (May/June), Desolation Sound (July-Sept) or other parts of the Discovery Islands. Kayak tours are guided from one of the docks on Cortes Island or "mothership tours" where point-to-point travel is done by the Misty Isles ship and then you kayak at the destination. Sailing cruises $95-130, kayak mothership tours $680 (two days, one night), kayak rentals $50-60 for a day. (updated Sep 2019)
• 4 Smelt Bay Provincial Park, Sutil Point Rd (15 km south of Whaletown). 7AM-10PM. Park with a pebble beach, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, a small number of picnic tables in the day-use area and camping. At low tide, you can walk along the beach from the park south to Sutil Point. The park's name comes from the capelin fish that spawn in the area in the fall, which attracts other marine life and birds. Day use is free. (updated Oct 2019)

Buy

• 1 Cortes Craft Shop Co-op, Forrest Rd, Squirrel Bay (next to the Squirrel Cove General Store), ☏ +1 250-935-6635. mid-May to Jun: Sa Su noon-4PM; Jul-Aug: daily 10AM-5PM; first half of Sep: daily noon-4PM. Small shop featuring crafts and textiles from local artisans. (updated Nov 2019)

Eat

• 1 Cortes Market Coffee & Deli, 809 Sutil Point Rd, Mansons Landing, ☏ +1 250-935-6626. M-Sa 8:30AM-7PM, Su 10AM-6PM. Grocery store with cafe serving coffee and deli sandwiches. (updated Nov 2019)
• 2 Cortes Natural Food Co-op, Cafe & Bakery, 800 Sutil Point Rd, Mansons Landing, ☏ +1 250-935-8577 (store), +1 250-935-6505 (cafe). Store: M-F 9AM-7PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM; cafe: M W F 9AM-3PM. Grocery store, cafe and bakery. The cafe and bakery serves breakfast sandwiches, wraps, pizza, sandwiches and a variety of freshly-made breads and baked goods. Breakfast/lunch $4-11, baked goods $2-5. (updated Nov 2019)

Sleep

• 1 Cortes Island Motel, 1078 Seaford Rd, Manson's Landing, ☏ +1 250-935-6363. Ten room motel in a forest setting. Rooms options range from one double or queen bed to rooms with two beds and a pull-out sofa, and eight of the rooms have a full kitchen. Amenities include free Wifi, satellite TV, and use of communal outdoor spaces including BBQs, picnic tables, a swing and green space. $100-120. (updated Sep 2019)
• 2 Gorge Harbour Marina Resort, 1374 Hunt Rd, ☏ +1 250-935-6433. Marina with a number of accommodation options. Tenting and RV campsites (some RV sites are full serviced). The grounds include an outdoor pool, hut tub and playground. Motorboats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available for rent. (updated Nov 2019)
• 3 Smelt Bay Provincial Park, Sutil Point Rd, toll-free: 1 800 689-9025. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Seasonal campground with 22 vehicle accessible camping spots. The sites are generally spacious and in a forest. There are pit toilets and cold water but no electrical hookup. The pebble beach and day-use area are a short walk away. The gates are open 7AM-10PM and the campground operates from early May to the end of Sept. $20. (updated Oct 2019)

Go next

• Much of the central eastern portion of Cortes Island borders upon 1 Desolation Sound, a popular boating and kayaking destination.