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Cortes Island is one of the Discovery Islands off the coast of British Columbia. In 2016, it had about a thousand permanent residents. In summer, Cortes Island's peaceful atmosphere and warm weather draw many visitors.

Understand

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Communities on the island include Cortes Bay, Whaletown, Squirrel Cove and Mansons Landing. Desolation Sound is off the east shore of the island. Forestry, fishing and mining have featured in its history. There is also a campground at Smelt Bay Provincial Park.

Get in

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Map
Map of Cortes Island

By boat

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By ferry

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BC Ferries, toll-free: +1-888-223-3779. Operates ferries connecting coastal communities. BC Ferries (Q795723) on Wikidata BC Ferries on Wikipedia Operates ferry service from Quadra Island (Heriot Bay) to 1 Cortes Island (Whaletown), a 40-minute crossing. Ferries leaves roughly every two hours with six sailings daily, except Tuesday, which has five. Costs $12.45 per passenger (age 12 and up), plus $24 for a car or $12 for a motorcycle (return). Quadra Island also has ferry service to Campbell River in Central Vancouver Island.

By water taxi

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Water taxis based out of Campbell River or Lund can be arranged.

By plane

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Get around

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See

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  • 1 Cortes Museum & Archives, 957 Beasley Rd, Mansons Landing, +1 250-935-6340. mid-Jun to mid-Sep: Tu-Su 10AM-4PM; mid-Sep to mid-Jun: F-Sa noon-4PM. Small museum with a mix of rotating exhibits and permanent exhibits focusing on local history, First Nations artifacts, a pioneer kitchen and a reading corner with local stories and photos. Outside there is a heritage garden and logging shed.

Do

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The Gorge of Cortes Island
  • Kw'as Park. Park set amidst old-growth and second-growth forest between two lakes. There are many hiking trails, some with moderate climbs and a number of viewpoints. Access is from one of the following two points: 1 Seaford Rd access – at the sharp bend in the road near the Cortes Motel, look for the wooden mapboard; 2 Kw'as Bay Rd access – look for the "park trail" sign near Lowe Rd
  • 3 Manson's Landing Provincial Park, Seaford Rd & Sutil Point Rd. Park spanning the ground between Hague Lake and Manson's Lagoon, with a day use area on each. The beaches are popular for swimming, particularly Hague Lake which is warm in summer. Canoeing and other water activities are also popular. There are some short hiking trails and beach walks. Mansons Landing Provincial Park (Q6751808) on Wikidata Mansons Landing Provincial Park on Wikipedia
  • Misty Isles Adventures, +1 250-935-6756. Sailing cruises, kayak tours and kayak rentals from May through September. Depending on the season, sailing trips go to Mittlenatch Island (May/June), Desolation Sound (July-Sept) or other parts of the Discovery Islands. Kayak tours are guided from one of the docks on Cortes Island or "mothership tours" where point-to-point travel is done by the Misty Isles ship and then you kayak at the destination. Sailing cruises $95-130, kayak mothership tours $680 (two days, one night), kayak rentals $50-60 for a day.
  • 4 Smelt Bay Provincial Park, Sutil Point Rd (15 km south of Whaletown). 7AM-10PM. Park with a pebble beach, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, a small number of picnic tables in the day-use area and camping. At low tide, you can walk along the beach from the park south to Sutil Point. The park's name comes from the capelin fish that spawn in the area in the fall, which attracts other marine life and birds. Day use is free. Smelt Bay Provincial Park (Q7544413) on Wikidata Smelt Bay Provincial Park on Wikipedia

Buy

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  • 1 Cortes Craft Shop Co-op, Forrest Rd, Squirrel Bay (next to the Squirrel Cove General Store), +1 250-935-6635. mid-May to Jun: Sa Su noon-4PM; Jul-Aug: daily 10AM-5PM; first half of Sep: daily noon-4PM. Small shop featuring crafts and textiles from local artisans.

Eat

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  • 1 Cortes Market Coffee & Deli, 809 Sutil Point Rd, Mansons Landing, +1 250-935-6626. M-Sa 8:30AM-7PM, Su 10AM-6PM. Grocery store with cafe serving coffee and deli sandwiches.
  • 2 Cortes Natural Food Co-op, Cafe & Bakery, 800 Sutil Point Rd, Mansons Landing, +1 250-935-8577 (store), +1 250-935-6505 (cafe). Store: M-F 9AM-7PM, Sa Su 10AM-6PM; cafe: M W F 9AM-3PM. Grocery store, cafe and bakery. The cafe and bakery serves breakfast sandwiches, wraps, pizza, sandwiches and a variety of freshly-made breads and baked goods. Breakfast/lunch $4-11, baked goods $2-5.

Drink

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Sleep

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  • 1 Cortes Island Motel, 1078 Seaford Rd, Manson's Landing, +1 250-935-6363. Ten room motel in a forest setting. Rooms options range from one double or queen bed to rooms with two beds and a pull-out sofa, and eight of the rooms have a full kitchen. Amenities include free Wifi, satellite TV, and use of communal outdoor spaces including BBQs, picnic tables, a swing and green space. $100-120.
  • 2 Gorge Harbour Marina Resort, 1374 Hunt Rd, +1 250-935-6433. Marina with a number of accommodation options. Tenting and RV campsites (some RV sites are full serviced). The grounds include an outdoor pool, hut tub and playground. Motorboats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available for rent.
  • 3 Smelt Bay Provincial Park, Sutil Point Rd, toll-free: 1 800 689-9025. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Seasonal campground with 22 vehicle accessible camping spots. The sites are generally spacious and in a forest. There are pit toilets and cold water but no electrical hookup. The pebble beach and day-use area are a short walk away. The gates are open 7AM-10PM and the campground operates from early May to the end of Sept. $20. Smelt Bay Provincial Park (Q7544413) on Wikidata Smelt Bay Provincial Park on Wikipedia

Connect

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Go next

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  • Much of the central eastern portion of Cortes Island borders upon 1 Desolation Sound, a popular boating and kayaking destination.
This city travel guide to Cortes Island is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.