About
About the Salish Sea Marine Trail
Imagine meandering the Pacific shoreline from the urban setting of Victoria to immerse yourself in a network of idyllic islands, running the Vancouver Island shore north through the Gulf Islands into the wilds of the North Georgia Basin, jumping islands to reach the Sunshine Coast, then crossing the wild mountainous backdrop of Howe Sound before arriving in the urban setting of Vancouver.
The Salish Sea Marine Trail joins two of the great British Columbia cities by a paddling route that leads into some of the great wilderness locations of the Salish Sea as part of the Trans Canada Trail’s Great Trail. Experience the elegance of Victoria, the serenity of the Gulf Islands, the wilderness of the Central Georgia Basin, the beaches and sunsets of the Sunshine Coast, the magnificence of Howe Sound and the vibrancy of Vancouver. It is a marine trail like none other.
The full trail is an expedition for veteran paddlers that could take upwards of two weeks. But we've also broken down the trip into bite-sized portions so you can experience different aspect in shorter, simpler journeys to fit your timeframe, skill level and interests. You can find all those options and more in the "Plan your Trip" section below.
The Salish Sea Marine Trail consists of four legs: Victoria to Sidney, Sidney to Nanaimo (one part of the Gulf Islands Marine Trail), crossing the Georgia Strait from Nanaimo to Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast from Sechelt to Jericho Beach. There are still a couple locations on the coast where we need to improve connectivity. Our map is the main reference for using marine trails and finding information about launch sites, campsites, and day use sites.
Map
Map
Our map is the main repository of information about campsites, launch sites, day use sites and other types of sites. Please visit the map. The map below shows the four legs of the Salish Sea Marine Trail. Green/yellow icons are campsites; red icons are day use sites. Look on our main map for more details and the latest information. If you wish to paddle the whole trail please contact the BCMT.
Launch sites & Campsites
Launch Sites to access the trail and area
There are many launch sites to access the Salish Sea Marine Trail. Our map is our central repository of information about launch sites. The map is regularly updated by region managers and data managers of the BC Marine Trails. Look for the blue icon.
Campsites
The best way to find campsites is on the BC Marine Trails map. There are number of excellent campsites on each leg of the Salish Sea Marine Trail:
Leg One: D'Arcy Island, Sidney Spit, Isle de Lis
Leg Two: There are many campsites to visit on this leg from Descanso Bay and Newcastle Island to sites on Portland Island.
Leg Three: Pebbly Beach, Buccaneer Bay, Home Bay, Farm Bay, Long Bay
Leg Four: Plumper Cove, Apodaca Provincial Park (in the works)
Plan your trip
Plan Your Trip
Getting There
The Salish Sea Marine Trail can be enjoyed as one long expedition, but there are plenty of ways to enjoy just portions.
Arriving by plane to Vancouver International Airport
Don't feel stranded when you arrive from distant destinations! There are a number of major hubs along the route including Victoria, Nanaimo, Sechelt and Vancouver where you can launch your kayak or canoe. In some instances you can return to a location by ferry (Walk-on, Paddle-off). The ferry locations are marked on our main map.
Adventures can sometimes be combined with a kayak rental at your destination.
Arriving by car from Washington and the U.S.
Please note that ferries may be affected by COVID-19. Please check if the service is available.
You may find it simpler to make your way to Victoria via one of the multitude of ferry connections:
Washington State Ferry - Arrive at Sidney, perfect for starting your trip of the Salish Sea Marine Trail from Tulista Park. You can then take the Tsawwassen ferry back from Vancouver to Swartz Bay. If done as a walk-on, paddle-off journey, you could paddle from Swartz Bay to Tulista Park to return by ferry. Perfect!
Blackball Coho ferry - Daily departures between Port Angeles and Victoria.
Vancouver to Victoria or the Gulf Islands - Examine the schedules on the BC Ferries website.
Walk-on Paddle-off Program
The Walk-on a ferry and paddle-off from a nearby launch site is a BCMT program. Read more. You can locate ferry icons on our main map and read details necessary to help plan a trip.
Hazards & Risks
Hazards and risks related to the Salish Sea Marine Trail
Getting started - covering the basics
Be prepared. The BC Marine Trails has a full selection of resources, information and links here.
Specific hazards of the Salish Sea Marine Trail
The British Columbia coastline is an inherently dangerous location, and marine trail users assume the risk of navigating the BC coast. The BC Marine Trails Network has pinpointed some key locations where risks are increased due to pre-existing known conditions or possibility of risk. However, marine trail users are cautioned that risk can occur at any time at any location, and proper equipment, clothing, rescue gear, preparation and training are recommended to ensure optimal safety. Recurring safety considerations include:
Currents and rips: Conditions will be lessened if not eliminated at slack times, so check the Tides and Currents Tables to find the safest time to cross or transit difficult locations.
Long crossings: The Salish Sea Marine Trail requires two long (10 km) open water crossings to transit the Strait of Georgia. This represents a stretch of water for advanced paddlers only.
Ferry Lane Crossings: Several busy ferry corridors must be crossed over the course of the Salish Sea Marine Trail. Risk can be minimized by monitoring the appropriate Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services broadcast channels (indicated above) and by calling in on that same channel to alert traffic to your presence. This is strongly recommended for groups crossing ferry lanes or in questionable conditions such as chop, darkness or fog that could make paddlecraft difficult to see.
Shipping lanes: The most notable shipping lane on the Salish Sea Marine Trail is Burrard Inlet. Be sure to know where shipping lanes are located on your charts and monitor Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Services broadcast channels to track shipping movement. The following links can help you with traffic:
Pacific Pilotage Current Vessel Movements https://pilot.kleinsystems.com/public/PPA/PPA_CurrentTraffic.aspx
Port Information Guide Vancouver Harbour https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Port-of-Vancouver-Port-Information-Guide.pdf
Trail Legs
Salish Sea Marine Trail Legs
The Salish Sea Marine Trail stretches from Victoria to Jericho Beach in Vancouver. There are many entry points or launch sites to access the trail. We've divided the trail into four legs.
Leg One: Victoria to Sidney
52.6 km from Victoria Inner Harbour to Rum Island; 39 km from Clover Point.
Clover Point is the starting point for the Salish Sea Marine Trail logistically as well as symbolically, being KM Zero of the Trans Canada Trail. However, for protection and logistics, travellers may wish to begin in Victoria Harbour or any number of other launch locations possible along the nearby shoreline. From Victoria the route follows the Saanich Peninsula north adjacent to the Vancouver Island shoreline, an area bordered by island groupings containing numerous parks and marine-accessible campsites ideal for use by paddlers. Watch for wonderful wilderness areas including two major bird sanctuaries, one provincial park with camping facilities and three sections of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve with camping facilities.
Marine Trail Standard Warnings
The BC Marine Trails sets safety standards for coastal travel. Our maximum distance between campsites is 12 nautical miles. Our optimal distance between campsites is between 8 and 12 nm. Please read our disclaimer for safety and risks.
- Discovery Island (Provincial Park campsite) to D'Arcy Island campsite is approximately 10.5 nm.
Leg Two: Gulf Islands Marine Trail
92 kilometres from Sidney to Newcastle Island
On this stretch the Salish Sea Marine Trail duplicates the central route of the Gulf Islands Marine Trail, running east and north of Salt Spring Island then along Trincomali Channel through False Narrows to Nanaimo. There are a multitude of side routes, possible, of course, with one being the inside route along the west side of Salt Spring Island through Sansum Narrows, as well as side routes through Stuart Channel taking in possibly the communities of Chemainus and Ladysmith. These locations are also prime day kayaking trips from the marine trail launch sites, as are many of the locations through Swanson Channel on the east side of Salt Spring Island. The camping options here are a mix of Gulf Islands National Reserve and BC Parks campgrounds, with the notable addition of Tent Island thanks to the Penelakut First Nation making it available for public use for a fee. The waters here can be generally described as some of the most placid on the Pacific coast of North America, though attention should be paid to strong currents in channels and select locations and to the high number of ferries and other marine traffic at key locations, particularly Swanson Channel.
Alternative route options:
Samsum Narrows Route: Part of the Gulf Islands Marine Trail, it uses a narrow, scenic, curving and mountainous tidal channel to travel the inside route south and west of Salt Spring Island.
Ladysmith Connector: A side route to the Salish Sea Marine Trail includes the Town of Ladysmith and Stuart Channel south to Tent Island to connect with the Salish Sea Marine Trail at Wallace Island. It can also be used to connect to the Sansum Narrows route.
Ladysmith Connector North: A side route to the Salish Sea Marine Trail includes the Town of Ladysmith and Stuart Channel north to connect with the Salish Sea Marine Trail at Pirates Cove.
Marine Trail Standard Warnings
The BC Marine Trails sets safety standards for coastal travel. Our maximum distance between campsites is 12 nautical miles. Our optimal distance between campsites is between 8 and 12 nm. Please read our disclaimer for safety and risks.
- Montague Harbour to Chivers Point is approximately 8.2 nm. This is just outside our optimal distance to travel between campsites.
- Chivers Point on Wallace Island to Pirates Cove is approximately 10.2 nm. This is within our maximum safety distance but not within our optimal distance between campsites.
- Pirates Cove to Newcastle Island is approximately 10.2 nm. This is within our maximum safety distance but not within our optimal distance (8 nm).
Leg Three: Newcastle Island to Friendship Park
Distance: 84 km from Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, Nanaimo, to Friendship Park, Sechelt.
This is the wilderness section of the Salish Sea Marine Trail, with much of the most dramatic shoreline and isolated locations. This is where to go on the Salish Sea to get away from it all. The trick is the open-ocean crossing to get here, which can be placid to downright dangerous depending on the weather. This makes it a fairly advanced route, but with attention to the forecast and timing moderate skill levels should have no issues if they can manage the distance of the crossing - about 10 km whether from Vancouver Island or the Sunshine Coast.
Marine Trail Standard Warnings
The BC Marine Trails sets safety standards for coastal travel. Our maximum distance between campsites is 12 nautical miles. Our optimal distance between campsites is between 8 and 12 nm. Please read our disclaimer for safety and risks.
- Newcastle Island to the Winchelseas: This distance between the Newcastle Island campsite and Gerald Island Day Use (emergency stop) is approximately 18 nm. This is greater than our maximum BCMT safety distance of 12 nm. We are currently in discussions with the Snaw-naw-as about the 'potential' stewardship of the Winchelsea Islands so we cannot list campsites or direct people to campsites at this time. Gerald Island Provincial Park is currently a Day Use site but in an emergency this could be used a safety stop. Check guide books for further safety stops in the Winchelseas. There are sites more southerly in the Winchelseas.
- Gerald Island to Sangster Island is 7.1 nm. Our minimum safety distances for crossings are 4 nm so a paddler could return to Gerald or Sangster Islands in an emergency. Sangster Island is privately owned upland. Please respect this property. There is camping at the high tide. See our main map for details.
- Sangster Island to Home Bay on Jedediah Island is 5.8 nautical miles and within our optimal distance between a safety stop and a campsite.
- Pebbly Beach South Thormanby campsite to Plumper Cove Keats Island Ch’á7elsem campsite is greater than our maximum safety distance of 12 nautical miles (approx. 21 nm). The distance from Pebbly Beach campsite to Friendship Park (one end of leg 3 of the Salish Sea Marine Trail) in Sechelt is approximately 9.2 nm. One alternate is Wilson Creek, a Day Use and Safety Stop on this leg. There are also accommodations along the Sunshine Coast. For example, there is the Driftwood Inn just west of Friendship Park. There are a few B&Bs along this stretch of coast at reasonable co
- st. Paddlers could consider finding a cottage near the shore by looking at 'Sunshine Coast, BC' on AirBnB.
Leg Four: Friendship Park to Jericho Beach
Distance: 59.8 km from Friendship Park, Sechelt, to Jericho Sailing Centre, Vancouver.
This leg combines some great mountain scenery and the fjordlike setting of Howe Sound, the Big City climate of Vancouver and the expansive beaches of the Lower Sunshine Coast. If makes for a varied but imposing area to traverse, involving both a major shipping area (Burrard Inlet), an open water section along the mouth of Howe Sound and a lengthy shoreline journey along the Lower Sunshine Coast to position yourself to or from the crossing of the Strait of Georgia.
Marine Trail Standard Warnings
The BC Marine Trails sets safety standards for coastal travel. Our maximum distance between campsites is 12 nautical miles. Our optimal distance between campsites is between 8 and 12 nm. Please read our disclaimer for safety and risks.
- Friendship Park to Plumper Cove Keats Island Ch’á7elsem is 13.5 nm. Wilson Creek can be used as a Safety Stop. Roberts Creek Day-Use would require special permission from BC Parks (info to come on this)). The alternative is to find accommodations. There are sites, for example, on AirBnB for the 'Sunshine Coast BC' (search) for reasonable charges.
- Plumper Cove Keats Island Ch’á7elsem to Apodaca Provincial Park is approximately 10.7 nm.which is greater than our optimal safety distance but within our maximum safety distance of 12 nm. Apodaca Provincial Park is currently a Day Use site but we are working on an Archaeological Impact Assessment and hope to change this Day Use/Safety Stop to a campsite in the future. There are three First Nations, BC Parks, and the BC Marine Trails involved currently in this work.
- Apodaca Provincial Park to Jericho Beach is 7.5 nm or within the optimum distance of the BCMT safety mandate. However, this is a straight distance. Paddlers may want to travel along the shoreline. We have completed an archaeological impact assessment on Apodaca Provincial Park and currently there are stairs being installed to access the site. We hope in the near future to announce it as a campsite on the Salish Sea Marine Trail.