Premier Listings for Isle-De-Lis Marine Park
Isle-De-Lis Marine Park is located on Rum Island, off Sidney at the east end of Gooch Island. Located less than a mile from the US/Canada border, rumrunners in the 1920s used the island as a base from which to smuggle prohibited spirits into Stuart Island, in the San Juan Islands group of the US during the prohibition era.
Mrs. R.M. Nelson bequeathed the land to the province when she passed away in 1978. She specified that it be called Isle-de-Lis, for the wild lilies that grow there. This entire 5-hectare island is parkland, and is ideally situated to observing marine mammals. Most of the shoreline is rocky, with numerous deep pockets cut into the shores.
Bordering on Haro Strait, the island is popular with kayakers using the facilities for overnight stops on multi-day paddling trips. Rum Island is connected to Gooch Island by a steep gravel beach, which provides the best place to land a kayak.
There are 3 campsites within the park, with camping restricted to the designated platforms, designed to protect the fragile vegetation on the island. Facilities include picnic tables, pit toilets and a small network of trails.
Access to Isle-De-Lis Marine Park is by private boat from Sidney on Southern Vancouver Island.
Isle-de-Lis is a part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is one of Canada’s newest national parks. The park protects a portion of British Columbia’s beautiful southern Gulf Islands – a landscape of rocky headlands, forested hills and shorelines studded with colourful tidepools. The park resembles a patchwork quilt of protected lands scattered over 15 larger islands, and many smaller islets and reefs.
Nearby Regions & Towns
Park Notices
More Information
Parks Canada – British Columbia
Box 129, 23433 Mavis Avenue
Fort Langley, BC, V1M 2R5
Phone: 604-513-4777
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
2220 Harbour Road
Sidney, BC, V8L 2P6
Phone: 250-654-4000
Premier Listings
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Five Star Whale Watching helps you discover the picturesque southern Vancouver Island, Victoria, and the Gulf Islands, home to the largest population of Killer Whales (Orcas) in the world. Come aboard one of our two 40-passenger Expedition Catamarans, each of which combines comfort, speed, safety, and your choice of 3 viewing platforms. With 20 years experience watching whales we offer more that just a “point and photograph” tour.
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Genoa Bay Marina offers lush tree-lined shores, towering vistas, and sheltered moorage. Our prices are affordable, and our services include Transient and Permanent Moorage, a General and Marine Store, Car and Video/DVD rental, Laundry, Showers and Washrooms, Fax service, Postal services, Internet and email access, and the Genoa Bay Cafe. Shipwright and Mechanical services are also available.
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Orca Spirit Adventures is Victoria’s premier whale watching company, offering carbon-neutral covered vessel and zodiac tours led by certified marine naturalists whose knowledge and passion for Vancouver Island’s marine wildlife is unequaled in the industry.
Tours are three hours in length, with April through October being the ideal whale watching months. In this peak season, Orca Spirit Adventures boasts a greater than 95% success rate of spotting whales, including humpback whales, Bigg’s and resident orcas (killer whales), and gray whales!
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EXPLORE. INSPIRE. CONSERVE. Rated Victoria’s #1 whale watching company on Trip Advisor since 2007, Eagle Wing Tours guarantees adventure and the most transformative marine experiences on the Salish Sea. With four vessels, multiple daily departures, and our knowledgeable and passionate staff we consistently provide our guests with the marine wildlife experience of a lifetime!
Environmental stewardship and sustainability are core values of our family-owned, award-winning company. We are Canada’s first 100% carbon-neutral whale-watching company. We are certified Platinum with Green Tourism Canada. And we are proud to support 1% for the Planet and many other conservation initiatives that directly benefit the Salish Sea and its inhabitants.
You will come as a tourist but return with a deeper understanding and passion for this incredible ecosystem.
