Nicknamed the "Venice of the North" for its maze of local waterways, Pender Harbour encompasses the communities of Madeira Park, Garden Bay and Irvines Landing. All share the common coastline known as Pender Harbour where guest cottages, resorts and B&Bs can be found clustered around lakes, inlets and lagoons.
 
The annual Pender Harbour Jazz Festival showcases international jazz artists on the third weekend each September.

Pender Harbour Accommodations and Things to Do
Egmont Accommodations and Things to Do

Madeira Park is Pender Harbour's commercial centre with everything from a post office to a grocery store, clothing boutiques and a book store, as well as outdoor carvings and murals by local artists.  The government dock is home to a variety of fishing and pleasure boats, charters and tour boats.  Madeira Park's newest destination hot spot is the high-end Painted Boat Resort & Marina offering deluxe suites and fine dining, as well as multiple treatment rooms, a sauna cave and glacial rain shower at its elegant spa.

Madeira Park was named by Joseph Gonsalves, who settled here in the early 1900s after arriving from Madeira off the coast of Portugal.  

Visit Pender Harbour Online for some great local information on Pender Harbour

Garden Bay is the site of the Sunshine Coast's original (now defunct) hospital, an offshore station of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the Garden Bay Hotel and Marina (a popular pub, but there are no rooms!).

Historic Irvines Landing was once a bustling steamship port and is still a popular fishing marina and boat launch.

Just north of Pender Harbour, Ruby Lake is home to the Ruby Lake Resort and Rainforest Spa, as well as the Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretive Centre, offering guided nature hikes, wetland trails, birdwatching and educational programs. Ruby Lake Lagoon is famous for its thriving wildlife, including painted turtles, Roosevelt elk, beavers, otters and bears.

Located at the edge of the Skookumchuck Narrows, just east of the BC Ferries terminal at Earl's Cove, Egmont offers a public boat launch, water taxis, family restaurant, pub and the Bathgate General Store, built in 1948. Accommodations at the Egmont's Backeddy Marina Resort ranges from a campground to ocean view cabins and an inn.  A prime charter boat base, Egmont is also a departure point for cruises up the Jervis Inlet to serenely beautiful Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park, home to the thundering 40 m (120 ft) Chatterbox Falls, and where the granite walls of a glacier-carved gorge are marked with ancient pictographs.  

The town's newest hotel, the West Coast Wilderness Lodge, specializes in zodiac cruises to Princess Louisa Inlet and in west coast fine dining. At Skookumchuck Narrows Provincial Park, one of BC's most spectacular outdoor shows performs twice daily when up to 200 billion gallons of water flows into the narrows connecting Sechelt and Jervis inlets, creating wildly turbulent tidal rapids and whirpools. The rapids at high tide can rise up to 2 m (6.6 ft ), running at speeds of more than 30 km/hr (19 mi/hr), drawing extreme kayakers and whitewater adventure seekers from around the world.

BC Ferries Schedule: Earls Cove to Saltery Bay

Francis Point Marine Park
Pristine waterfront, intricate coves, windswept evergreens, mossy headlands, towering old-growth Douglas fir and some of the best diving on the Coast....some of the reasons this marine park is so popular. The delicate environment includes very rare plants so visitors are advised to stay on the designated trails. Access via Francis Peninsula Road, follow to Merrill Rd.

Millennium Park
Located at the Madeira Park wharf, this waterfront area features picnic tables, toilets and a marina equipped with marine pumpers and floatplane landing facilities. There is easy access to shopping, credit union and bank machine. The Slo Cat passenger tour departs from here.

Garden Bay Marine Park & Mt. Daniel
Accessible by boat or vehicle, this park offers secure anchorage, a picnic area, salmon fishing, swimming and a rugged steep hike up Mt. Daniel with its spectacular view. The summit of Mt. Daniel and the First Nations cemetery on the waterfront are protected areas. Caution: this is black bear country.

Katherine Lake Park
On Garden Bay Road, this park has RV and camp sites with electric hookups and showers. The pretty beach is a popular swimming spot and a great place to spend an afternoon with the kids. Pets are welcome too.

Pender Harbour and Area Map

Skookumchuck Narrows
One of the greatest natural spectacles in British Columbia occurs here twice daily as the tide changes and the flow of saltwater switches, reversing the direction and power of these incredibly turbulent rapids.  More information on the Skookumchuck Rapids.

Skookumchuck Tide Chart

Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve
This wild bird sanctuary located at the Ruby Lake Resort is part of the resort's conservation efforts to maintain and preserve habitat for the 90 species of wild birds that visit this freshwater lake. It is home to one of the largest concentrations of wood ducks in BC, plus blue herons, bald eagles, kingfishers, hummingbirds and other species.

Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretive Centre
Also located at Ruby Lake Resort, this new centre has been designed to help all ages explore and appreciate the natural wonders of the Sunshine Coast.

Suncoaster Trail Access
This 33 km (20 mi.) route is suitable for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. A map at the trailhead shows the system of trails, which includes wheelchair accessibility to the picnic area and waterfalls. One way to access this route is from the Malaspina Substation approx. 6.5 km (4 mi) north of Pender Harbour on the east side of the highway.

Dan Bosch Park
This day-use park on Ruby Lake has lovely views and a small sandy swimming beach with picnic tables. The quarter-mile look trail skirts the shoreline.

Klein Lake
Located near Egmont, Klein Lake is a rustic spot. Good trout fishing, a boat launch and 23 tenting or small RV campsites, but no running water. The Klein Lake/Ruby Lake trail starts here.

Egmont Heritage Centre
The Centre contains local, natural and Native history of the area with emphasis on the fishing and logging heritage. There is a special collection of Easthope and Vivian engines that were used in the early days. Collectors will enjoy a Depression glass and antique bottle display.
There is a gift shop, Internet access, free public parking and restrooms.


Egmont Map

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