The Sunshine Coast Trail - A Stunningly Beautiful Recreational Experience Around Powell River, BC

The Sunshine Coast Trail is a 180 km long hiking corridor in the Powell River area of the Upper Sunshine Coast of BC that connects patches of old growth forest, numerous lakes and alpine areas from Saltery Bay to Sarah Point. This huge volunteer built project started in 1992 when a handful of outdoor enthusiasts realized that there was a vanishing amount of accessible old growth left on the Upper Sunshine Coast. They formed the Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society a registered, non-profit, charitable society, to set aside protected areas linked by corridors.

The Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society [PRPAWS] membership approached this staggering goal one trail at a time. Largely through volunteer labor, the organization built new trails, at times integrating already existing ones. The Sunshine Coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth surrounded as it is by ocean and covered by forests, mountains and lakes. The SCT website includes many pictures of the stunning views and of the construction of cabins along the route.

The trail is seeing ever increasing use from locals and out-of-towners alike and is beginning to realize its potential as a great tourist attraction. This 180km trek, twice as long as Vancouver Island’s West Coast Trail, has Sarah Point (past Lund) as its northern terminus and ends at Saltery Bay in the south. Sarah Point is accessed by the Lund Water Taxi [Call (604) 483-9749 for pricing and schedule and to make reservations]. A detailed map is available on the SCT website showing the locations of all the campsites and cabins along the trail.

Lots of other information about the trail like the current trail conditions are available on the website as well. The Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society also has a seasonal newsletter and for even more detailed information one of the original founders of the society and environmentalist Eagle Walz has published his 3rd Edition of the Sunshine Coast Trail Guidebook. 

The Sunshine Coast Trail is a testimony to the hard work and love of the local volunteers who built and maintain it. It's these wonderful people who make Powell River the community it is. Time after time, week after week, i realize how lucky i am to have moved here and to have connected with them. Powell River will one day, as the masses in Vancouver overflow their confines be an oasis of sanity because of the wonderful folks who are here now preserving areas like The Sunshine Coast Trail.