The Sunshine Coast - Our Journey to Texada Island

Around the beginning of December we start to dream... of green forests and quiet beaches, ocean views and no traffic. We dream of our next trip to Texada Island.

Travelling to Texada Island requires a trip up the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. This road trip is one of my favourites in our province. It involves windy roads, three ferries, great big forests and lots of geocaches! And so much more for the explorer in you.

After getting off the ferry in Langdale we make our way first through Gibsons. Now if you're from Canada you know that Gibsons is home to Molly's Reach of the Beachcomber's TV show that ran from 1972 to 1990. If you have no idea what I'm talking about just click here. It's a Canadian icon and part of our genetic makeup! This great cache (GC137C1) will give you an awesome view of 'the Reach'.

Continuing north we meander through the beautiful little town of Sechelt and then through places with lovely names like Redrooffs Road, Halfmoon Bay and Maderia Park. Just past Maderia Park, to the north, is Mount Daniel. Historically Mount Daniel served as a spot of local aboriginal importance. Young teenage girls were isolated at this spot to assemble rocks in "moon circles" as way of entering puberty. The hike up to to the top of Mount Daniel is about 3km one way. The view is incredible and of course there is a cache there... (GC20PZK). If you have time then make your way up Mount Daniel.

After Mount Daniel we're almost at Egmont and the next ferry to Saltery Bay. But wait... before the ferry, no trip up the Sunshine Coast would be complete without a side trip to the Skookumchuck Narrows. Skookum means 'strong' and chuck means 'water' and that's exactly what you will witness at this incredible display of nature... very strong water. Skookumchuck Narrows forms the entrance of Sechelt Inlet and before broadening into Sechelt Inlet, all of its tidal flow, together with that of Salmon Inlet and Narrows Inlet, must pass through Sechelt Rapids. On a 3 metre tide, 200 billion gallons of water flow through the narrows connecting Sechelt and Jervis Inlet. The difference in water levels between one side of the rapids and the other sometimes exceeds 2 metres in height! There are, of course, a few caches in Skookumchuck Provincial Park including a very educational earthcache (GCMXRA).

Now it's time for the ferry to Saltery Bay (don't you just love that name too?). This ferry is a little cozy one compared to the ferries that cross to Vancouver Island but we just love it. We grab some soup & crackers in the gift shop and settle down by one of the big windows and just soak in the incredible scenery of Nelson Island and Captain Island. It is just spectacular.

Finally we are on the last leg to Powell River. As the crow flies we've only traveled about 144km but really there is no where in British Columbia where you can travel "as the crow flies!" Going around inlets, skirting mountains and the odd ferry trip makes the trip to this point about 6 to 8 hours long, depending on ferry waits and how many geocaches you stop for!

Powell River is a gorgeous little town with beautiful views of Texada Island, Malaspina Strait and Vancouver Island (waaay in the distance). Originally home to world's largest pulp mill, Powell River has grown into a adventurer's playground. From hiking to beachcombing, from geocaching and everything else in between... Powell River is the destination for outdoor enthusiasts!

We spent the night in the cozy Westview Centre Motel which we love. It's clean, very affordable and minutes away from the ferry to Texada (though their driveway is an experience!) and then, the next morning, we treated ourselves to an awesome breakfast at the Marine Inn. There is nothing like a cup of tea, delicious eggs benedict and a view of the ocean all rolled into one!

Finally it's time to take the last ferry to "our island." Yes, we have to admit that Texada Island has become our island. It feels like coming home. We drive up to our 'Retreat' and the weights and worries of reality slip away. We are here once again and it has been worth every mile to get here.



If you'd like more information on exploring Texada Island, check out some of our previous posts.

Texada Island - Our Happy "Caching" Place

Well we just got back from Texada Island. Our 5th visit and it was of course just as wonderful as it's always been. We rent the same little place with an incredible view of the ocean right beside Shelter Point Park. It's quiet and peaceful and we just renew & rest.

There is only one thing wrong with our perfect retreat now... there's only one more cache left on the island for me to find!

So I thought that I'd write this post as my "How to Cache Texada Island" entry. If you are planning a trip to this wonderful place and you want to do some caching this should help.

There are 12 caches on the island and there isn't one that I wouldn't recommend. But first you need to get there. If you're coming from the Lower Mainland of BC and you'd like to cache along the way you probably want to do a couple of pocket queries for the trip. You are most welcome to use my public query. It's called "Horseshoe Bay to Powell River." It will give you every traditional cache that is within 2.5km of the 101 Highway.

The trip to Texada is a beautiful road trip but it's also a long one. As the crow flies it would be pretty short but, well where in BC can you travel as the crow flies?

You'll need to take three ferries, one from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale... then drive about an hour to Earl's Cove where you'll take a 40 minute ferry ride to Saltery Bay. One more 30 minute drive to Powell River and you're almost there. A 35 minute ferry ride to Blubber Bay brings you to Texada Island, the Emerald Island. Welcome.

1. The very first cache is GCRMDY - Blubber Bay. This cache is just a few metres from the ferry terminal in some large boulders. Save it for when your waiting in the line-up for your ferry ride home.

2. The next cache is GC1C1QR - Texada Geo Guide. This is the cache that you want to grab first. It's absolutely brilliant in that it has a printed guide for every cache on the island. I really think we need one like this for the lower mainland! Kudos to Batwinged Hamburger Snatcher for coming up with this great idea. Perfect for the cacher that doesn't have any time to waste in an area that they may not know very well.

3. Glass Beach - GCXZPW, is next and it is one of my all time favourite caches. In 5 years of caching I've never enjoyed a site more than this spot... not so much for the scenery, which was awesome, but for how this spot touched me in a personal way. You can read more about my experience at this cache here. Don't miss this one.

4. After Glass Beach is a multi GCW6D8 - Nearly Cache a Woozle. This one involves about a 20 minute hike so I'm sorry to say that we had be putting it off, every year we'd say we'd get this one next year! But this last trip was the time and we found it on a beautiful cold day and so glad we did. What a great cache and why did we put it off? Make sure to pay attention to all the pink flagging tape. Once we got to the cache site we had a special treat - about 50 sea lions playing in the bay! It was awesome.

5. GCVEE4 is called Texada's First Macro. The view from this spot is wonderful and the history lesson is well done. Just make sure you don't drop the cache.

6. Turtle's Rock is the only cache we haven't attempted so I guess my advice for this one will have to wait until next year.

7. Pocohontas Bay - GCRTX8 is next. What a beautiful drive through green forest down to the ocean, though it is best taken with a 4x4. Follow the directions on the cache page and you'll have no trouble. Make sure to take your camera as we saw many birds at this spot.

8. Post to Post - GC11WW0 is a very well done multi that begins at the RCMP detachment at Gillies Bay. Stage 1 begins at some some great local artwork and then stage 2 & 3 are just a short walk away. The final is in a great container and was fun to find.

9 & 10. After caching in Gillies Bay travel down the road a bit to Shelter Point Park to find the next two caches. Gnomes Shelter - GCR2G1 & The Boardroom GC11RY9 are on the great trail in this park. You'll see amazingly huge old growth trees along the way. I was in awe. After finding these two caches make sure to take some time to go down to the beach. The beaches on this part of the island are made almost entirely of small pea size pebbles. When it's quiet the waves on shore make a beautiful tinkling sound. And if you're very observant you may find a Texada Island flower rock. This is the only place in the world where you can find one.

11. As far as I'm concerned Lily's Lookoff - GCVKFR has the best view of all the island caches. Take your 4x4 and don't forget your camera.
12. Cache Anything Bob? - GCVKF9, at Bob's Lake, is a great place to camp if you don't mind Forestry Campsites and/or a perfect spot for a picnic. We sure enjoyed this cache... beautiful spot, even in January and a great drive to get there. The hiding spot was a bit of a challenge but if you use your geosenses, or you bring along your eagle-eyed hubby like I did, you should have no trouble. Just look for the inukshuk, hopefully he's still there when you are.

And that's it. 12 wonderful reasons to visit Texada Island. We hope you enjoy your visit as much as we have enjoyed our visits. Can't wait to go back.