It's not every sea kayaker who will want to paddle from Squamish to Bowen Island or Gibsons but, if they do, they now have a map of where they can pull up for the night.
Five years in the making, the 40-kilometre Sea to Sky Marine Trail designates six overnight camping spots in Howe Sound and three provincial park options - Porteau Cove, Halkett Bay and Plumper Cove.
"It's one more great connection to the water and a really nice amenity," says project manager Gordon McKeever, who scoured the coastline looking for appropriate sites and deftly navigated various hoops at four levels of government.
He was very touched when representatives of the Squamish Nation presented him with a drum at the launch in Squamish. "Howe Sound was a Squamish pond for millennia. This is a way for their youth to reconnect with a landscape that's been in their backyard."
The trail is a land-to-sea connection for the Trans Canada Trail and also connects to the 180-kilometre Sea to Sky Trail, which will eventually run from Squamish to D'Arcy, 150 kilometres northeast of The new Sea To Sky Marine Trail maps out nine overnight Marine Trails. Vancouver. It's part of the B.C. Marine Trail Network.
The trail wouldn't have been possible a few decades ago because few people would have seen the recreational possibilities in these waters.
"Howe Sound has a long history of industrial use and a sad history of significant pollution," McKeever says.
In recent years, however, "the egregious sources of pollution have cleaned up their act," and people are realizing they don't have to go far to get away from it all.
There's no reservation system for the campsites but McKeever doesn't think there will be a run on the sites that aren't part of a provincial park. "Sea kayak camping is not a low-entry activity," he says. "It requires special gear and special knowledge."
Nor is he worried about a negative impact on the land. "The sites are very isolated. Wilderness backpackers have a tremendous respect for nature and they're used to rustic conditions."
For a map and information, go to SeaToSkyMarineTrail.ca, which links you to B.C. Marine Trails.
