Padding the Trans Canada Trail on the Howe Sound: Salish Sea Marine Trail
Distance

DISTANCE

GPS

GPS DOWNLOADS

Distance

MAP

About the Journey

A recognized paddling route (kayaking and brigade canoe only) to connect the Trans Canada Trail in West Vancouver to the Sea to Sky Trail in Squamish is now open and operational! This route provides launching and camping sites along the Howe Sound, which visit tranquil islands and takes in the majesty of Howe Sound from a very unique perspective.

As this an ocean paddling route, please note that while this site does provide GPS data, we highly recommend carrying paper charts for the Howe Sound. Contact your local chart dealer. Ideal charts from the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) are Chart #3311 and/or Chart #3526. Both charts cover the region with 1:40,000 scale. However, Chart #3526 covers the southern shore of Bowen Island (south of Snug Cove) if you will be paddling in that area.




Staging Areas:

Boat launching can be performed in the following locations.

  • Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) or Batchelor Cove (as a Plan B)
  • Snug Cove (Bowen Island)
  • Gibsons
  • Hopkins Landing
  • McNair Creek Park (Port Mellon)
  • Lions Bay (public park with toilets and swimming area, closes at 10 pm; overnight parking in the area may be difficult)
  • Porteau Cove
  • Brittania Beach
  • Nexen Beach (Squamish) or downtown pier (as a Plan B)

See our map for precise locations of where to launch, and for hints on long-term vehicle parking with minimal complications and cost!

GPS INFORMATION:

  • KML/KMZ files can be opened in Google Earth, and many smartphone apps.
  • GPX files can be opened by most GPS software apps when KMZ cannot. Note, GPX files do not contain custom colours and icons that we use on our maps; all tracks and icons will appear the same colour and styles. We recommend using KMZ instead of GPX if possible.

The files below include data for only this specific area. For all of our Trans Canada Trail data for the entire province (including features, campsites and alternate routes), download our BC.kmz master file (1.2 MB)

Visit our GPS & Navigation page for instructions of how to use your smartphone as a GPS device (even when outside of data coverage) or how to import data to your Garmin unit.


GPS DOWNLOAD (KMZ FILE)
GPS DOWNLOAD (GPX FILE)
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Staging Areas:

Boat launching can be performed in the following locations.

  • Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) or Batchelor Cove (as a Plan B)
  • Snug Cove (Bowen Island)
  • Gibsons
  • Hopkins Landing
  • McNair Creek Park (Port Mellon)
  • Lions Bay (public park with toilets and swimming area, closes at 10 pm; overnight parking in the area may be difficult)
  • Porteau Cove
  • Brittania Beach
  • Nexen Beach (Squamish) or downtown pier (as a Plan B)

See our map for precise locations of where to launch, and for hints on long-term vehicle parking with minimal complications and cost!

Washrooms:

Washroom locations are shown on our maps. Also, all campsites shown on the map include washrooms of some variety. We have also marked several public beaches on the maps (under “Features”) which may suffice for quick “pit stops”.

Route Highlights:


DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Shopping:

Provisions and groceries are located in West Vancouver, Snug Cove, Gibsons and Squamish.

Kayak rentals are available on Bowen Island and in Gibsons.

Due to the nature of this marine route, we do not recommend sit-on-top kayaks.

Accomodations:

Please see “Trail Operators” for a list of campsites. Camping is the only form of accommodations for the marine trail. Bed & Breakfasts may exist on Bowen Island and elsewhere but we do not supply this information.

Transportation:

Directions:

Northbound Directions:

As can be expected with marine trails – strictly speaking they are not trails but routes. In other words, every paddler has the freedom to travel from point A to point B in their own unique way. Therefore, providing directions is impractical. We suggest paddlers use nautical charts to plan their routes, taking local weather conditions into consideration to find the safest route possible to match their paddling ability and capability of equipment.

That said, we have listed many of the typical passages below with theoretical distances. We have taken into consideration the distance between two points while closely following shore and making direct crossings of open water. Paddlers can certainly shorten distances by taking straighter point-to-point courses. Some paddlers may cover greater distance by exploring every bay along the way.

FROM TO DISTANCE (km)
Horseshoe Bay Snug Cove 5.5
Horseshoe Bay Halkett Bay 10
Horseshoe Bay Lions Bay 10.5
Snug Cove Halkett Bay 11
Gibsons Plumper Cove 3
Plumper Cove Halkett Bay 14
Plumper Cove Bain Creek 18
Plumper Cove Sir Thomas Lipton 9.5
Plumper Cove McNair Creek 13.5
Sir Thomas Lipton Halkett Bay 17.5
Lions Bay Halkett Bay 8.5
Lions Bay Porteau Cove 13
Halkett Bay Ramilies 9
McNair Creek Bain Creek 6
Bain Creek Thornbrough 6
Ramilies Thornbrough 7
Ramilies Porteau Cove 11
Porteau Cove Park Porteau Cove Boat Launch 1
Porteau Cove Brittania Beach 8.5
Porteau Cove Islet View 5.5
Porteau Cove Zorro Bay 5
Thornbrough Islet View 7
Islet View Zorro Bay 5
Zorro Bay Brittania Beach 4.5
Zorro Bay Tantalus 10.5
Tantalus Nexen Beach 4.5
Brittania Beach Nexen Beach 11