West Redondo Circumnavigation. 5 days. Sea kayak. Desolation Sound, BC.

West Redondo Circumnavigation

This is a sea-kayaking trip up the sheltered warm waters of Desolation Sound, B.C. We did the trip in 5 days with 2 double sea kayaks; one adult and one kid per kayak.  We paddled hard for 8 hours a day.  Weather and seas were good except for our crossing on the 4th day.

 

Full blog with map:  https://northernwaters.shutterfly.com/westredondo

Logistics: There are lots of sea kayak rental places.  We started and rented from Okeover Arm.

Maps and route:  Look at the pictures.  I bought a map from the place where we rented sea kayaks.

Things to be aware of: The shores are very rocky and sharp.  Not a good trip for young kids since there are not good places for them to get out and romp around.  Very few landing spots and we had to paddle hours before finding a place to land.

Guidebook:

Animals:  There are a lot of wolves the lower area of this tour. If you are planning to bring Fido, rethink that because wolves hate dog intruders in their territories and will seek them out and kill them.  We took our dog and it wasn't a problem until the last night.  The wolves smelt her and came from miles around.  We didn't sleep much as they surrounded our tent and howled for hours.

Tofino to Hotsprings Cove. 5-7 days. Sea kayak. Vanc. Island, BC.

Tofino to Hotsprings Cove

Full blog with pictures: https://northernwaters.shutterfly.com/hotspringscove
 

This is a sea-kayaking trip up the sheltered (relatively) waters north of Tofino, B.C. on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This was one of our best trips ever. Phenomenal scenery, fantastic white sand beaches, solitude, mostly sheltered paddling, and an incredible hot springs at the end. Wow. However, this trip requires experience in planning sea-kayaking trips. You need to plan tides and winds (ahead of time and during the trip) so that you do not find yourself paddling dangerous rough water or tidal currents. There are local guides who lead this trip if you don't have the experience to do this.

Logistics: Search the web for kayak rental places in Tofino.  There are a few to choose from.  Tofino has grocery stores and outdoor stores.  There is a Canadian Hydrology store that sells navigational maps for the route.

Maps and route:  Look at the pictures on the link below.  I show a map with our route and our camps marked.  There are various ways to do this trip.  We were with kids and beginners so took a conservative route where we would have minimal surf.  We got up early and got off the water by noon to avoid wind.  I picked up navigational maps in Tofino, but it's wiser to get those ahead of time.  You definitely want navigational maps.  From Hotsprings Cove we took a water taxi back to Tofino.

Things to be aware of: You'll need to navigate the Hayden Passage on a slack tide.  So study the tide tables before you set your trip dates.  Best if the slack tide is 9-12 ish so you can make crossings before the wind kicks up.  If slack tide is in the afternoon then you might get pinned by wind (unless you are a strong kayaker). The crossing from Vargas to the other side is also best on a slack tide and gets bad afternoon wind.  There are some minor surf landings.  See the guidebook.  To get to Hotsprings Cove you have to do a crossing and then round the point.  The water around the point can get rough especially once the tour boats start going in and out.  Plan on a very early start for the calmest water.

Guidebook: Sea Kayak Barkley & Clayoquot Sounds By Mary Ann Snowden.  Lots of good info in this book.  Definitely get this before you set your dates.

Animals:  There are a lot of wolves in this area.  I'm not joking.  LOTS, and they killed some dogs.  If you are planning to bring Fido, rethink that because wolves hate dog intruders in their territories and will seek them out and kill them.  Wolves generally leave people alone, but there have been problems with kayakers feeding wolves on Vargas Island and a kayaker (sleeping outside his tent) was attacked a few years ago.  If you see wolves, that means they are habituated to people and be on your guard.  There are also cougars and there have been (rare) attacks on kids, though the parents have successfully beaten off the attacking cougars.  Not many attacks, but it has happened.  So, keep kids close in this area.  There are a fair number of black bear too, though I've mostly heard about them getting into food not messing with people.  Don't store your food in your kayak in this area but rather hang high or in a bear-proof bin.  Keep a super clean camp to discourage bears or wolves from entering your camp---for your safety and that of future visitors to your camp.

Desolation Sound. 3-14 days. Sea kayak. Lower BC.

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park (sea kayaking)

Full blog with pictures here: https://northernwaters.shutterfly.com/desolationsound
 

Desolation Sound is a large and famous marine provincial park on the north end of the Sunshine Coast (north of Powell River, B.C.). The area is famous for its warm water and incredible sea life. The north end of the Sunshine Coast is a magical place. There is so much to do.

Our first trip was a 4-day trip into the Desolation Sound Marine Park and over to Roscoe Bay for a night.  We started in Okeover Inlet, paddled up Lancelot Inlet and camped (outside the marine park).  Next day we paddled to West Curme Island and camped.  Day 3 we paddled to Roscoe Bay.  There's a hike to a nice lake there for swimming.  Last day we paddled all the way out.  This is just one small sampling of the sea-kayaking possibilities. There are lots of nice day trips out of Lund also.  For example, paddling to Savary Island and/or the Copeland Islands.

Difficulty: If you stay in Okeover Inlet, the area is well-protected and is a good place for novices and families.  Watch the tides since there are strong currents that can really slow you down if you have to fight them.  If you leave the inlet, then you can face winds but you'll still generally have protected waters following the coast towards Prideaux Haven.  The crossing to Roscoe Bay is prone to chop and waves and you should be fairly comfortable in a kayak before heading there.

Kayaks and gear: We rented kayaks: a double (K and 7 yr old) and a triple (2 adults + 3 yr old in the middle hatch) from Powell River Sea Kayaking on Okeover Inlet.  There are lots of rental places in Desolation Sound; just search the web. 

Maps: If you just going to the Desolation Sound Marine Park, then the maps that the rental company gives you should be sufficient.  If you want a detailed marine chart ($20), you can get those in Powell River at Marine Traders by the ferry terminal.   Breakwater Books in Powell River (Alberni & Marine) has guide books.

Camping: BC Parks has recently instituted a 'designated camping' policy in Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park (read about it here http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/desolation/).  That means you are only allowed to camp in the designated camps.  Currently (2013) there are 2 developed camps for kayakers in Okeover Inlet, and 5 outside in the NE part of the park and 2 in the NW part of the park. The camps have tent pads and privies.  Not all camps have water.  You need to take something to carry water and fill up where you can.

Animals:  No bear problems that we heard of and the outfitters said they stored food in the kayaks, which they wouldn't do if there were many black bears about.  There is a wolf pack living on Cortes Island and one in the Lancelot Inlet area.  There haven't been problems for people, but they do attack dogs.  So be careful if you bring Fido and keep it on leash during the day and in your tent at night.  During our 2013 circumnavigation of W Redonda to the north, we spent one night near the opening to Lancelot Inlet and we had our dog with us.  The wolves visited us during the night---presumably after our dog.  We all had a tense hour from 2-3am while the wolves howled outside our tent and we crouched inside with paddles ready for a fight.

Broken Islands, NW Vancouver Island, sea-kayaking, 3-8 days, beginner-intermediate

Broken Islands (sea kayak)

The Broken Group Islands off the west coast of Vancouver Island are a very popular sea-kayaking destination because of the sheltered paddling opportunities, phenomenal scenery, and wildlife viewing opportunities. There are many possible trips. We took a boat out to Dodd Island to start a 5-day trip:  Dodd-Turret-Clarke-Effingham-Gibralter.

For info, just do some google searches.  It is very popular and a number of places rent kayaks and do shuttles to the islands.  Some people paddle in, but we had small kids with us and didn't want to do big crossings with them.   Note, the Broken Group can get excessively busy because it is incredibly beautiful and it's full of charismatic animals.  We saw humback whales, Steller sea lions, sea otters, and incredible invertebrate sea life.  And the camps are gorgeous.  And it's a group of islands so the waters are protected and it's a good place for novice sea kayakers and families.  So if you are looking for solitude, you will have to time your visit for the off-season (note the weather will probably be bad in the off-season).