Sechelt Inlets Marine Park provides safe and enjoyable access to three protected inlets of Sechelt, Narrows and Salmon.
Ideal for kayaking, the inlets allow quiet exploration of a part of the rugged landscape that is typical of Northern Georgia Straight. Steep, forested hills surround the inlets, with many small creeks cascading down hillsides.
This park area is made up of six different sites:
Kunechin Point is the site of the former Canadian destroyer Chaudiere Artificial Reef for scuba divers. Skaiakos is an undeveloped site. Sandy beaches provide safe pull-outs for camping, swimming, fishing or scuba diving. Protected anchorages can be found at Kunechin Point and Tzoonie Narrows, and are shown on marine charts.
There are seven different camping areas with approximately 60 marine-accessible walk-in sites within the park. Camping is allowed year-round when accessible, but no facilities are provided. Campsites are accessible by kayak, canoe, sailboat, and powerboats. Sites are generally gravel or grass. No facilities are provided.
The seven camping areas are as follows.
Small campsite with two or three tent spaces and one pit toilet. Fires permitted below high tide line. This is generally used as a day-use and picnic area. It has a gravel beach.
Anchorage in the bay is poor when there is a Southeaster, or a “Small Craft Advisory”. Monitor the Coast Guard Radio Weather channel, listening for the Merry Island Light station report. Beware of local daily winds picking up in the Inlet.
This is one of the larger camping sites. It can easily accommodate 10 to 15 tents. Views look up towards the glacier in the distance at the head of Salmon Inlet. There is one pit toilet. This site has the advantage of the early morning sun reaching it first. There is one group fire ring. Fires are permitted, however, firewood is not provided. Water is available from a near by stream. A “boil water advisory” is in effect. This stream may dry as the end of summer approaches. This site has one of the nicer swimming beaches.
Anchorage in the bay is poor when there is a Southeaster, Westerly or a “Small Craft Advisory”. Monitor the Coast Guard Radio Weather channel, listening for the Merry Island Light station report. Beware of local daily winds picking up in the Inlet.
No potable water available, you must provide your own. No fires permitted. There is one pit toilet and two wooden tent pads. This site is heavily used and there is not much space for tents. Alternative campsites would be Nine mile, Halfway or Kunechin Bay. There is scuba diving at Chaudiere Artificial Reef.
No potable water available, you must provide your own. Fires are permitted, however no firewood is provided. Two small campsites available accommodating up to four tents.
There is one pit toilet. This is a good anchorage for power and sail boats. Consult Marine Charts for the location of submerged rocks in the bay approach with caution on entering the bay.
No camping, no picnicking and no fires.
Anchorage in the bay is poor when there is a Southeaster, Westerly or a “Small Craft Advisory”. Monitor the Coast Guard Radio Weather channel, listening for the Merry Island Light station report. Beware of local daily winds picking up in the Inlet.
This area is difficult to reach, due to the wind conditions on Salmon Inlet. The inlet has steep sided rock faces, with limited opportunities to seek shelter from rough weather when approaching the Thornhill Creek site. It has two campsites, on hard packed gravel and grass as well as one pit toilet. There is a stream nearby, however, a “boil water advisory” is in effect. Fires are permitted although firewood is not provided. There is no beach. It is cobble stone and large rocks. This is not a protected anchorage for powerboats.
This is the furthest park of the Sechelt Inlets Marine Parks. This is a larger site and can accommodate up to 10 tents. There is one fire ring. Fires are permitted, however fire wood is not provided. There is one pit toilet and a rope bear cache available.
There is a stream near by though it is difficult to find. As the end of the summer approaches the stream may dry up. It is recommended that you bring along your own water. There is a “boil water advisory" in effect. This is a sheltered anchorage for power and sail boats, however refer to Marine Charts for the location of submerged rocks, in the bay. Scuba diving is available.
Campfires are permitted except at Kunchin Point where fires are prohibited. Fires must be kept to fire rings if provided or below the high tide line on the beach.
Use a gas stove for cooking. Campfires are only permitted in fire rings provided or on the beach below the high tide line. While campfires are allowed and campfire rings are provided, we encourage visitors to conserve wood and protect the environment by minimizing the use of fire and using campstoves instead. Limited burning hours or campfire bans may be implemented.
To preserve vegetation and ground cover, please don’t gather firewood from the area around your campsite or elsewhere in the park (this is a ticketable offence under the Park Act). Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil.
Boaters may use any of the seven available sites for day-use.
This park has pit toilets, no flush toilets.
This area is especially appealing to canoeists and kayakers. Many paddle-in sites are available. There are rentals nearby at Tillicum Bay and Sechelt.
Charts of the area are: # 3512 Strait of Georgia Central Portion and # 3514 Jervis Inlet including Sechelt Rapids.
Topo Map for this area: Sechelt Inlet 92G12
Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
The park is 20km north of Sechelt and it is only accessible by boat or floatplane. Public access is from Porpoise Bay Park or from Tillicum Bay Marina, one kilometre south of the community of Tuwanek.
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.