Parks Directory
Baker's Beach Park
This sheltered, sandy beach on a small bay, a favourite swimming spot for locals since the early days of Pender Harbour, was finally dedicated as a regional park in the mid-1990s. It's the site of the annual Go Green Day beach cleanup barbecue.
Access from Warnock Road, off Francis Peninsula Road in Madeira Park.
Dan Bosch Park
With a sandy swimming beach on Ruby Lake, this summer, day-use (9 a.m.-9 p.m.) regional park features three picnic tables, public toilets, a trail and onsite caretaker.
Access from Hwy 101, about ten minutes south of the Earls Cove ferry terminal.
Egmont Park
This small, level park in the centre of Egmont features a grassy field, tennis court and playground at the old Egmont School site. It's the site of most of the annual Egmont Day activities.
Francis Point Provincial Park
The 81-hectare marine park and adjacent ecological reserve was dedicated in 2001. In 2009, Barbara DeMott donated 2.2 hectares to be added to the park through the BC EcoGift program in exchange for tax benefits. Download .pdf document, Management Plan for Francis Point Provincial Park and Ecological Reserve.
The day-use park is undeveloped, pit toilets only, but offers a trail to a panoramic ocean view at the top of Francis Peninsula in Madeira Park. The offshore area is noted for exceptional diving.
Follow Francis Peninsula Road from Hwy. 101, turn left on Merrill Road and find the park entrance at the end.
Garden Bay Marine Park
This day-use marine park, established in 1969 on the northern shore of Pender Harbour near Garden Bay, is 163 hectares in size with 200 metres of waterfront. It features a sheltered anchorage with floating dinghy dock, trail and a picnic area with a water tap —boil water before consuming or cooking— and pit toilets. Activities include swimming, fishing, wildlife viewing, canoeing and kayaking. Park upland includes Mt. Daniel, where you’ll find Mt. Daniel Trail and a small Coast Salish cemetery.
Access by land, about 2 km down Claydon Road from Garden Bay Road. Marine access is steep and rocky.
Iris Griffith Wetlands
In downtown Madeira Park, this small wetland park features a boardwalk across a beaver dam, seating, interpretive signs, fish ladder for spawning salmon and variety of waterfowl including resident Great Blue herons.
Once an inaccessible bog and fondly known as West Nile Pond, it was developed as a project of the Pender Harbour Growth & Development Partnership and named after longtime Egmont resident and devoted environmentalist, Iris Griffith.
Access from Madeira Park Road beside the Post Office, or from Lagoon Road behind the Community Church.
John Daly Park
This small Kleindale park was named after an eccentric local commercial fisherman who married author Edith Iglauer (her book and the subsequent movie, Fishing With John, was based on their meeting and early relationship).
The park features a salmon wintering pond, trail and a large grassy area suitable for picnics. It’s ideal for viewing the dramatic spawning activity from late September to late December. Black bears, raccoons and bald eagles are attracted by spawning salmon, so keep your dog leashed— some just can't resist a roll on a stinky, rotting salmon carcass. At spawning time, late fall, you'll see dozens of eagles and maybe a bear or two.
Access 1 km down Garden Bay Road from Hwy. 101, on your left. Watch out for goats on the road.
Katherine Lake Park
Caretaker - 604-883-9557
On picturesque little Katherine Lake, this popular swimming and RV/campground features a sandy beach, trails, wheelchair access, drinking water, toilets, showers, and an onsite caretaker. In summer, reservations are recommended for overnight camping. Because of this lake’s small size and huge popularity, the Health Dept. may prohibit swimming because of high fecal coliform counts (this usually occurs mid to late summer). Access from Garden Bay Road, 5.5 km from Hwy. 101.
Klein Lake Forest Recreation Site
Caretakers Rick & Cheyenne - Site 10
This provincial forest recreation site, featuring 15 tent sites and the Ruby-Klein Traverse, is recommended for swimming and canoeing. In summer, reservations are recommended for overnight camping. Access 3.3 km down the unmarked, unpaved North Lake Forest Service Road # 8058 off Egmont Road.
Lions Park
Caretaker Cindy Schroeder - 604-883-0432.
This public park, built and maintained by the Pender Harbour Lions Club, features a hall, playground, trail, salmon hatchery, barbecue area, sports field and onsite caretaker. This is a popular spot for local weddings, family reunions and festivals. Access from Hwy. 101, just north of the Garden Bay Road turnoff.
Pender Harbour Cultural Centre
See: Attractions> Pender Harbour Cultural Centre.
Pender Hill Park
This undeveloped regional park in Irvine's Landing features a trail to one of the most spectacular panoramic views in the area. Follow Garden Bay Road from Hwy. 101 to the Y intersection on Garden Bay Lake. Take Irvine’s Landing Road, then turn right on Lee Bay Road. You’ll find the access about 1.1 km down Lee Bay Road.
Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve
This 25-acre reserve by Ruby Lake features a freshwater lagoon, forested area and the Iris Griffith Interpretive Centre. Access from Hwy. 101 near Ruby Lake Resort.
Seafarers’ Millennium Park
For years, first-time visitors to Madeira Park would ask, "Where's the park?" Locals would quip, "The whole area is like a park! What more do you want?" Someone finally decided that Madeira really did need a park, and so Seafarer's Millennium Park (bet you guessed it opened in 2000) is a tiny but impressive showcase for the work of volunteer gardeners, landscapers, rockworkers and wood carvers, built to answer that old park question.
Framing the Madeira Park public wharf and adjacent to the Pender Harbour Cultural Centre, it features a gazebo, picnic tables and benches. It's the site of our annual April Tools Boat Building Challenge, Hallowe'en Fireworks party, a great viewpoint to enjoy the Christmas Carol Ships Parade and a favourite meeting place for the Digital Junkies photography club.
Access off Madeira Park Road, at the wharf.
Skookumchuk Park
This 123-hectare park, established in 1957, has pit toilets, picnic sites and features a trail to the powerful Skookumchuk tidal rapids. The rapids are one of the most visited attractions in the area, site of the annual Skookumchuk Challenge kayak rodeo and a popular scuba dive site. This park is day-use only (no camping) and dogs must be leashed. Please respect the privately owned property adjacent to the entrance trail.
Access from Egmont Road (off Hwy. 101 near Earl’s Cove) between Waugh Lake and Egmont. A parking lot and sign marks the entrance (don’t tempt fate by leaving valuables in your vehicle).
Spipiyus Park
This Provincial park established in 1999 is, at almost 3,000 hectares, the largest in the area. “Spipiyus” is the Coast Salish name for marbled murrelet, a red-listed water bird that nests in the area.
Looking down on Pender Harbour from the Caren Range, the park is networked with old logging roads, mountain-bike trails and hiking trails. Features include a restored historical fire tower on top of Mount Hallowell.
Use the park with caution in hunting season as most of the area is open to hunters. Larger wildlife species include Roosevelt elk, black bear, cougar, wolves and coyotes.
Access from the top of Menacher Road in Kleindale and Trout Lake Road in Halfmoon Bay.
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