a kayak - Wavelength Paddling Magazine

The BC Marine Trail
u Trail guide preview: Brooks/Kyuquot
While seemingly too wild and
inaccessible for a casual visit, many kayakers
enjoy serene visits by taking a water taxi.
This, for instance, cuts down the length of
the trip from the launch site at Fair Harbour
or Artlish River, which would otherwise
require one day out and one day back by
paddle. Add another day of paddling each
way if your goal is the Bunsby Islands.
Water taxis are harder to come by if your
goal is the north end of Brooks Peninsula.
Luckily water access is a bit simpler as
paddling to some key locations will take a
few hours, not days.
Access Points: For south Brooks
Peninsula, two key access points exist
in Kyuquot Sound. Both are within the
auspices of the Kyuquot/Checleset as a
result of the Maa-nulth Treaty. Public access
remains unchanged, however.
For visitors to the north side of Brooks
Peninsula, two points provide handy access
to the water, though transit requires a
lengthy drive over tough and active logging
roads. Expect white knuckles. Side Bay
provides the most direct access, with the
advantage of being on an extremely scenic
beach, while Klaskino Inlet has a small and
very rough boat launch with limited parking.
It is also possible to reach the Side Bay
area from the Quatsino Sound launches
such as Winter Harbour.
Short or moderate trip options:
Almost any trip here should involve several
days, but it is worth the investment. While
water taxis will cut the travel time to your
base camp, a week is still recommended and
you won’t regret the time. For self-directed
trips, a launch from Fair Harbour makes
Rugged Point a great and easy destination,
with the Mission Group a slightly more
advanced option.
To the north, both Side Bay and
Klaskino Inlet make Heater Point a
wonderful destination, or any of the other
campsite options from Lawn Point to Apple
Islets. Weather permitting a day trip to
Solander Island is exceptional.
Advanced trip options: The prize,
of course, is a transit of Brooks Peninsula,
usually run from north to south to take
advantage of good weather (that being the
prevailing northwesterly).
New BC Marine Trail sites: This
region is problematic as the foreshore
along the south peninsula including the
Bunsby Islands is in Checleset Ecological
Reserve. Because of this the foreshore
is barred from public access (the islands
themselves are not). The ecological reserve
was created in 1981 to protect sea otters
that were reintroduced here. They are now
flourishing, but the current strategy remains
to direct recreational use away from the
islands towards Big Bunsby Provincial
Park, which was created to serve the
recreational needs. Unfortunately, camping
is at a premium on the island, and the two
inventoried sites surveyed by the BC Marine
Trails Network Association are less than
ideal. Also off the list are many Mission
Group sites (with the notable exception of
South Spring Island, which remains outside
the Maa-nulth Treaty lands). In other words,
this area still has much to be done.
22 COAST&KAYAK MAGAZINE SPRING 2011