BC Marine Trails

SKABC’s generous 2011 donation of $5,000 from the Heritage Fund is gratefully acknowledged by your fellow paddlers in the sister BCMTNA clubs.

Along with nine other BC sea paddling clubs, SKABC is one of the founding members of the BC Marine Trails Network Association (BCMTNA).

May 2012

Marine trails consist of coastal travel routes with landing and launch sites identified and described for trip planning.  Many of the sites are suitable for overnight camping using Leave No Trace principles and responsible stewardship.  Primary sites – the best ones to use normally -  are usually less than 10 nm apart .  Alternate sites may be interspersed, to give more options, but may be smaller or usable only at lower water levels or in certain weather conditions.

We have developed an interactive map of sites.  As trails are officially opened, the sites will appear on the map (most are currently hidden because the trails they are on do not yet have status).  At this time, you will see sites from:

  • Tofino around Cape Scott to Port Hardy – West Coast Vancouver Is N trail
  • Saanich Peninsula to Nanaimo – Gulf Islands Trail

Please check out the web site at:
www.bcmarinetrails/org

We are working on more trails – see below!

We are also conscious of needing funding to continue with this ambitious venture.  We cannot lean too heavily on the clubs and we are leery of being over-dependent on grants from governments,  so we have begun to develop a sponsorship program to encourage donations from businesses, in return for recognition.  If you have ideas about what businesses (large or small) might be good sponsors for BCMTNA, please let me know.

Nick Heath     groundcheck@bcmarinetrails.org

Goals: The Association’s goals are to preserve and enhance access to vital coastal locations that have been used by paddlers (mostly, but not exclusively kayakers) as rest stops, safe havens, campsites or launch sites. The plan is ambitious in scope – the entire BC coastline – inlets, fiords and islands included ( – yes all 27,000 km)!

Vision: Much of the shoreline of British Columbia is Crown land or land that is subject to being transferred to a different level of government under First Nations’ treaty settlements. However, due to commercial and private pressures, more and more demands are being made on these lands. In BC, by law, the foreshore below the high tide line cannot be privately owned, but in the more populated coastal areas, much of the land above high tide is private. It can sometimes be very difficult for paddlers traveling the coast in their kayaks or canoes to find accessible uplands suitable for camping in these areas.

As the population of BC increases, pressures on coastal lands will also increase. This is why steps are being taken now to identify and secure necessary havens, pull-offs and camping areas along the coastline of British Columbia. These sites, together with frequent accessible launching sites, will become the basis of the BC Marine Trails Network: a network of marine trails along the British Columbia coastline, for the public recreational use of present and future generations.
Ahous Bay
Sites will be carefully selected with the following factors in mind:

  • They each provide a refuge off the water in case of sudden weather changes, fatigue, etc.
  • They are within reasonable paddling distances apart
  • They have scenic beauty
  • Beaches are accessible at high and low tides
  • They each have an upland area suitable for camping.

 Achievements in 2011

  1. West Coast Vancouver Island Marine Trail – approved and opened
  2. Gulf Islands Marine Trail (3 branches) – approved and opened
  3. Memorable Grand Opening event

Projects for 2012

  1. Launch of web site with interactive site map – Completed March 2012, thanks to generosity of Mountain Equipment Coop.  Thanks MEC!!.
  2. Discovery Islands Marine Trail – submitted for approval.
  3. Desolation Sound Marine Trail – submitted and under discussion with BC Parks and with Recreation Sites and Trails BC.
  4. Johnstone Strait South Marine Trail – submitted for approval.
  5. Mainland Straits Marine Trail – submitted for approval (Cordero, Chancellor, Havannah and Chatham Channels).
  6. Broughton Archipelago and surrounding area Marine Trail – in preparation
  7. West Coast Vancouver I South (Tofino to Victoria) – in preparation.
  8. Howe Sound sites to be determined in cooperation with Trans Canada Trail reps who want a water-based route to link Horseshoe Bay to Squamish for their proposed Victoria to Tuktoyaktuk trail.  Site checks planned for April 2012.
  9. Achieving self-sustaining status through a corporate sponsorship and a supporter subscription model, based on sponsored advertising on our web site – now accepting individual and corporate sponsors.
  10. Further developing existing Marine Trails e.g. Gulf Islands access and parking clarifications.
  11. Establishing and strengthening links to coastal communities, especially First Nations  communities and governments.
  12. Strengthening relationships with Parks Canada, BC Parks and other agencies.

Update and request for help

  • Volunteers needed! Help will be needed to staff our booth at several Paddlefest events this summer.  SKABC members were generous in supporting our booth at the Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Show in March 2012 – thank you!
  • Form to submit site information
  • Email to submit site photos (give direction, location, state of tide).
  • Also, site information can be submitted, discussed and critiqued on the West Coast Paddler discussion forum.
  • Letter to SKABC members and other supporters from Stephanie Meinke, President of BCMTNA. She gives a progress report and the Association’s plans for 2011.

2012 location checks

BCMTNA will develop a current list of priority areas for site checks.  A 7 day Zodiac cruise (!) to check sites was done in April 2012 in Johnstone Strait and the Broughtons.

Various paddle-powered trips are planned for the Tofino to Victoria sites by the clubs on Vancouver I.

Any paddlers visiting the following areas are asked to check first with Nick Heath, SKABC (groundcheck@bcmarinetrails.org). Some on this list are potential sites, some are well-known, but need a bit of specific information. The sites are:

Pender Harbour

  • Francis Point
  • Scotch Fir Point

Texada Island

  • Bay east of Pocohontas Bay
  • Pocahontas Bay

 

Milties Beach

Discovery Islands

  • Maud Island
  • Bay south of Von Donop

Queen CharlottesQueen Charlotte Strait (North shore)

  • Boyles Point
  • Lewis Cove
  • Kenneth Bay
  • Howcraft Point
  • Raynor Island Group
  • Blunden Harbour

 

 

 

Comments are closed.