The city of Powell River, the Sunshine Coast's largest community, is known for its well-preserved historic Townsite, a planned community built by the local mill between 1910 and 1930 and  now a National Historic District of Canada. Today, Powell River is equally famous as a gateway to the marine parks of Desolation Sound and as a mecca for outdoor adventure enthusiasts seeking world class hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, fishing and scuba diving.



The local Knuckleheads are a prime powder destination for toboganning, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

In 2004, Powell River was named a Cultural Capital of Canada, laying claim to the title through its annual artists' studio tour, international choral competition, symphony orchestra and film festival.

In Westview, the city's retail core, visitors can browse gift shops and art galleries, and dine at multicultural eateries with fresh local fare. The Powell Model Community Project for persons with disabilities publishes a guide to the city's wheelchair accessible accommodations, facilities and walkways. Much of the town is built sloping down to the sea and brilliant, almost nightly, sunsets from Palm Beach and Willingdon Beach silhouette the Hulks, 10 concrete WWII ships forming the world's largest floating breakwater.

The nearby Coast Salish village of Sliammon offers free tours of its salmon hatchery and fluvarium, an underwater salmon-viewing gallery.

Other attractions include the Townsite Heritage Walk, Powell River Historical Museum, Powell River Forestry Museum, Myrtle Point Golf Club, windsurfing on Powell Lake, the Blackberry Festival, the Sunshine Coast Trail and the Powell Forest Canoe Route.

Aerial maps of this warm-water holiday destination reveal its ring of gleaming white sand beaches, earning Savary Island subtropical comparisons. This small 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long and less than 1.0 km (0.6 mi) wide island is described by the Savary Island Land Trust (SILT) as "essentially a migrating sandbar" with a range of highly sensitive ecosystems from sand cliffs to dune meadows and ancient forested dunes. While this is the most heavily subdivided land in Canada, mostly made up of private holiday homes, the island has no power and no public campsites or washrooms. Overnight visitors are welcomed, however, at several cottage rentals, B&Bs and a private campsite. Daytrippers can be dropped off and picked up at the public wharf, with many visitors arriving by water taxi or aboard chartered boats from Lund Marina. The best way to get around is to cycle from beach-to-beach. Prime stops include South Beach, Duck Bay, Sutherland Beach and the Malaspina Promenade

The waters around Savary are the warmest water north of Mexico.  The tides moving from the north and south of Georgia Strait meet just north of Savary. The southern tide is warm and the waters move less, resulting in generally warmer seas. Add in the water flowing over Savary's sun-baked sandy shelf and you get the warmest water north of Mexico. Incidentally, some marine mammals, such as killer whales, are territorial within the north and south tides and this area is a 'no-go' border zone with a low incidence of sightings.

With about 1,100 year-round residents, 50 km (31 mi) long Texada is BC's largest Gulf Island. Ancient First Nations middens are evidence of the island's earliest inhabitants before it was discovered by Spanish explorers. In the 1800s, iron, copper and gold were mined here, creating a boomtown out of the historic community of Van Anda, once the home of the only opera house north of San Francisco. Visitors can tour the old mines and the island's working limestone quarries, still active today. Local mining history is on display at the Van Anda Museum and visitors can explore more about the early pioneers at the Texada Heritage Society Museum at Blubber Bay. Recreation here includes hiking, cycling, bird-watching, rockhounding and fishing at popular spots like Gillies Bay, Shelter Point Regional Park and Shingle Beach. Texada's warm water and high visibility make for excellent scuba diving, with local diving walls described by a Sport Dive Magazine writer as "dripping with life". Visitors flock here in July for the annual Texada Island Sandcastle Weekend and shop in Gillies Bay for unique hand-made flower rock jewellery. A 30-minute BC Ferries service runs daily from Powell River Westview ferry terminal to Blubber Bay. KD Air operates regular floatplane service from Vancouver to Gillies Bay Airport.

Although many of the old logging roads have been reclaimed by nature you will still see signs of this history everywhere. Shelter Point, located on the west side of the islands, still displays the remains of a once thriving logging area and is now home to the Shelter Point Regional Park & Campground, a full facility campground which preserves the forest in its natural setting and offers an ideal place to spend your summer vacation. There are 2 major population areas on the island, Van Anda on the east side and Gillies Bay on the west side with a population of about 1100 people. While not all services may be available on the island, most major amenities such as foodstuffs, hardware, gas and postal services can be purchased here.

The best beach times are 1-1/2 hrs. before and after Low Tide.

Blubber Bay Tide Table

Captain George Vancouver sailed here in 1792 and finding the area too remote for his tastes, named it Desolation Sound. Today, its pristine isolation is a major attraction. One of BC's finest saltwater cruising areas, said to rival the best in the world, Desolation Sound lures legions of pleasure boaters and paddlers with its warm waters, photogenic wildlife and sheer-sided waterways of Scandinavian-like fjords that at low tide reveal thick walls of purple starfish.

Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park's 60 km (37 mi) of coastline and crystal-clean, nutrient-rich waters are prime habitat for intertidal marine life, as well as for seals, sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, eagles, shorebirds - and occasional migrating whales. Grace Harbour, Prideaux Haven and Tenedo's Bay are the three main destination anchorages among the many sheltered bays and inlets. Popular activities include scuba diving, saltwater and freshwater fishing, and walk-in wilderness camping.

Water taxis, guided kayak tours, cruises and boat charters can be arranged from Lund and Okeover Inlet.