After a great night sleep in our camping van at Smelt Bay Provincial Park on Cortes Island, Trish and I were ready to do some exploring.  We started with Manson’s Landing Provincial Park, a 5km drive from Smelt Bay.  This park was established near the Manson’s Landing settlement in 1974 and includes beaches, a spit, bike and walking trails, and the lovely Hague Lake. A well-kept wharf is situated on the ocean side of the road and a lovely sandy beach on the lagoon side.

The tide was low and the lagoon mostly dry, except for a rivulet of water that pooled around the large rock outcropping in the middle of the bay.   A parent with a couple of small children wandered off towards the island, lifting their feet high as they squished through the wet and heavy sand. A version of beachball was being played nearby, and a few people were lying on towels enjoying the summer heat.

Trish and I strode down the beach trail towards the estuary at the end of the bay, maybe a couple of kms (just over a mile) away.  We followed a well-cleared path that dipped in and out of tracts of trees.

The squishy sand was dotted with small clam holes, and oysters held tightly to rocks, waiting for the tide to come back.  This is one of the few provincial parks that allow harvesting of clams and oysters within its boundaries and I was sorry not to have brought my salt fishing licence.

A fallen cedar blocked the path at one point, but an enterprising hiker or park employee had built a stile, making it easy to climb over.

We passed a sign pointing to a 1 km trail that ends at Hague Lake and a quick discussion ensued as to whether or not we should go back and get our swim suits and take this trail, but we decided to stick to the original plan, and swim after lunch.

Our beach trail ended at the estuary where a small creek carried fresh water from  Hague Lake into the ocean.

The area was green with ferns, grasses and salal.  Rocks and boulders led to a bluff, and as we scrambled up, we frightened a garter snake. It quickly slithered behind some salal bushes, moving too fast for a photo!  We climbed to the top of the bluff and ate our snack, gazing out over the bay.

Our conversation, as it does when Trish and I are together, turned reflective and we lost track of the time.  I don’t know how long we sat before Trish pointed to big puddle not far from us and asked, “That water wasn’t there before was it?”  The tide had turned. Time to go back.

As the bay filled with water, the sandy playland turned into a waterpark.  Kayaks came off the trucks in the parking lot, water mattresses and toy floats and rafts came out, and kids donned flippers and snorkelling masks.  By the time we returned to the parking lot, the water had risen enough to drown the path and the rocks that we had been resting on.  The tidal flats had completely disappeared.

We wandered around the spit to the ocean side, where boats moored alongside the wharf.   Mostly pleasure boats, small yachts and sailboats, but a couple of guide and fishing boats had also come in for a respite.  It was picturesque, colourful boats, a beautiful calm sea and forested islands as a backdrop.

Instructions for every language.

We ate our lunch and then headed off to Hague Lake, also within the Manson’s Landing Provincial Park boundaries.  This lake is a popular spot for locals, and there wasn’t much room left on the beach.  We found a small spot between two families and set up our chairs.  A pleasant couple of hours were spent swimming, drawing, reading and yakking.  As the shadows of the late afternoon sun crossed the beach, the temperature cooled and we packed up and headed back to camp.

For more information about Cortes Island, please visit my blog Cortes Island

Here is my growing list of the parks visited as I continue my quest to visit all 648 BC Parks!!

https://648bcparks.ca/my-bucket-list-places-i-have-visited/