Pender Harbour and Egmont is a mostly rural area northwest of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. It includes the communities of Madeira Park and Garden Bay on Pender Harbour and the villages of Earls Cove and Egmont.
View of a portion of Pender Harbour from the shore at Irvine's Landing
Before the first Europeans discovered the area, a vibrant population of First Nations equalled or doubled its current number of inhabitants. Sex'wamin, the Shishalh winter settlement centred on Garden Bay, was likely one of the largest on the British Columbia coast. It is estimated that over 5,000 First Nations people lived in longhouses on the shore near where the Garden Bay Hotel now sits. The Shishalh vacated Pender Harbour and relocated to summer villages up the inlets of Jervis, Salmon, and Narrow. Theirs was the opposite of current migration patterns, which see Pender Harbour's population swell in the summer and thin during the winter months.
The Sunshine Coast Highway (Hwy 101) is the main road in and out of the area. It is approximately a 75- to 90-minute drive north from the Langdale ferry terminal, which connects with Horseshoe Bay and Vancouver.
BC Ferries, toll-free: +1-888-223-3779. Operates ferries connecting coastal communities in British Columbia. (updated Jun 2022)
49.753-124.00891Sunshine Coast (Earls Cove) ferry terminal, 16550 Sunshine Coast Highway (located at the north end of this stretch of highway 101). Crossing time from Powell River (Saltery Bay) ferry terminal is 50 minutes. No fare when crossing to Powell River (Saltery Bay) and there is a fare when crossing to Sunshine Coast (Earls Cove). The ferry runs eight times daily. (updated Oct 2023) Four days per days per week on the Earls Cove side, the Sunshine Coast Connector travels between Earls Cove and the Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal with stops in Sechelt and Gibsons. On the same four days per week, BC Transit (Powell River Regional Transit System) bus route 12 operates four days per week to Powell River (Saltery Bay).
Sunshine Coast Connector, toll-free: +1-844-613-8222, coastconnector@gmail.com. Bus service between Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal and Sunshine Coast (Earls Cove) ferry terminal (1.5 hours) with stops in Gibsons, Sechelt, Madeira Park, and Egmont. Travelers to and from Powell River can ride the ferry at Earls Cove and BC Transit (Powell River Transit System) route 12 that connects with Powell River (Saltery Bay) ferry terminal. (updated Apr 2022)
49.7497-123.93021Egmont village and wharf, Bathgate Rd, Egmont. The wharf by the Bathgate General Store provides some pretty views of the village, harbour and mountains. (updated Apr 2016)
49.6225-124.02532Seafarer's Millenium Park, end of Madeira Park Rd, Madeira Park. Small park that overlooks Madeira Park Public Wharf and has nice views of Pender Harbour. There's a gazebo, picnic tables, small boardwalk and access to the wharf. (updated Apr 2016)
Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park49.7408-123.90863Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park, Egmont (parking lot for trail access is on the Egmont Road, shortly before entering the village of Egmont (about 6 km after turning off of Hwy 101)). The site of some of the strongest and most spectacular tidal currents in western North America. These narrows occurs where the water enters into the Sechelt Inlet. There can be as much as a 2m difference in sea level between Sechelt Inlet and the Jervis inlet. The water can be moving at speeds of up to 16 knots and creates standing waves up to 1.5 m and whirlpools. Access to the best place to view the narrows is a 4-km roughly 1½-hr hike (each way) from the parking lot. (updated Apr 2016)
50.1965-123.77494Princess Louisa Inlet. One of BC's most beautiful natural locations. The wide opening of Jervis Inlet narrows to become a 64-km (40-mile) long fjord ending in Princess Louisa Inlet. Accessible only by boat. On the journey up, your boat will navigate past dozens of waterfalls that trickle down from steep, craggy granite bluffs that loom over you on both sides. Once past the geological constriction called Malibu Rapids, Princess Louisa Inlet opens up, revealing the glacier-fed Chatterbox Falls, the highlight of this sheltered inlet. (updated Oct 2023)
50.2066-123.77075Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park. A 65 hectare park within Princess Louisa Inlet that has a boardwalk trail access to reach Chatterbox Falls from the park's docks. The air in the area around the falls is so moist that the trees are covered with thick moss and ferns. The docks offers boaters water service, but no electricity. There is also moorage available for at least twenty boats. It is common for boat tours to make a stop at the this park. (updated Oct 2023)
Tour operators to Princess Louisa Inlet include:
49.75705-123.939996Sunshine Coast Tours, 16660 Backeddy Rd, ☏ +1 604-883-2280, toll-free: +1-800-870-9055, info@sunshinecoasttours.ca. Offers separate tours to Princess Louisa Inlet and Skookumchuck Narrows. Tours typically offered during summer months. The noted address is the location of the dock where tours start from, not where the business operates out of. (updated Oct 2023)
49.75549-123.933987Egmont Adventure Centre, 6719 Maple Rd, ☏ +1 778-280-8619. Offers tours of Princess Louisa Inlet, typically during summer months. Also offers jet ski tours and rentals. (updated Oct 2023)
49.62074-124.023211EarthFair Store, 12902 Madeira Park Rd, Madeira Park, ☏ +1 604-883-9006. Books, activities, and gifts, for naturalists, kids and bookworms. (updated May 2018)
49.7568-123.94011Backeddy Marine Pub, 16660 Backeddy Rd, Egmont, ☏ +1 604-883-2298. M-Sa noon-10PM, Su 11AM-10PM. Pub and restaurant known for its gigantic "Skookum Burger". There’s also other pub fare, like sandwiches, fish and chips and a number of seafood appetizers. Mains $9-19. (updated Apr 2016)
49.7561-123.93762Inlets Restaurant at West Coast Wilderness Lodge, 6649 Maple Rd, Egmont (The village of Egmont), ☏ +1 604-883-3667. The fine dining at the Lodge is all about the view. It has floor-to-ceiling windows that span the entire dining room, and was built high up on a bluff overlooking Sutton Islands and the Sechelt Inlet. $10-20 breakfast and lunch, $20-40 dinner. (updated Apr 2016)
49.7108-123.96791Ruby Lake Resort, 15426 Sunshine Coast Hwy, ☏ +1 604-883-2269. Ten rooms (studio and one-bedroom units) on a hill overlooking a lake in a bird sanctuary. The rooms are clean, although a bit dated, but the setting is beautiful and it’s very peaceful. Units have a kitchenette and there is a communal BBQ. There are many trails on the property (some hills) and canoe and rowboat rentals on the other side of the road. (updated Apr 2016)
This city travel guide to Pender Harbour and Egmont is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
←
S