Premier Listings for Princess Louisa Marine Park
Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park on the Sunshine Coast has a charm and scenic beauty that must be seen and experienced to be fully appreciated. Voted the “most scenic natural anchorage” in the world, the marine park is located in the Princess Louisa Inlet and is accessible by boat or plane only – there are no public roads. The only entrance to the marine park is through the Strait of Georgia by way of Jervis Inlet, 90 km north of Skookumchuck Narrows.
This 65-hectare park offers a unique setting with tranquil waters surrounded by a magnificent granite-walled gorge. Cut by a glacier, the walls rise to heights in excess of 2,100 metres. Until mid-June, the warm sun melting the mountain snow creates more than sixty waterfalls that cascade and spume down precipitous walls to mingle with the waters of Princess Louisa Inlet below. Tumbling 45 metres at the head of the inlet is the beautiful Chatterbox Falls, one of the most visited and celebrated nautical destinations in British Columbia.
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Princess Louisa Inlet, referred to as Suivoolot or “sunny and warm” by natives, serves an active part in native lore for groups such as the Sechelt Nation. As placid as a mountain lake, the ocean waters of Princess Louisa Inlet move constantly with the tides, but currents are practically non-existent except for the seven to ten-knot Malibu Rapids at the entrance.
The area surrounding Chatterbox Falls was originally purchased by James F. MacDonald in 1927 and passed on to the non-profit Princess Louisa International Society in 1953, so that “all may enjoy its peace and beauty”. After years of guardianship by the Society, the park’s administration was given over to the Government of the Province of BC for all to enjoy. The park was created on June 24, 1965.
There are 800 metres of trails/boardwalks located at Chatterbox Falls. Outside the park is a nearby hiking trail to Trappers Cabin that takes approximately 2 hours and is somewhat dangerous and difficult. It is approximately 7 hours to the alpine and another half day to the icefield. These trails are recommended for experienced mountaineers only. Other attractions in the park are the mountain goats, alpine meadows and native petroglyphs.
This spectacular park contains 10 walk-in tent sites available at Mcdonald Island and at Chatterbox Falls. Visiting boats can moor at the floats. During the high-use season, usage may be limited to 72 hours only. Canoeing and kayaking provides a wonderful perspective from which to view both scenery and wildlife. A hiking and walking trail enables visitors to view and appreciate the natural beauty of the royal fjord from the tranquility of its shoreline. MacDonald Island is accessible by dinghy.
Facilities include campsites, a picnic shelter, toilets and a ranger cabin. Boating facilities provided include mooring buoys, stern pins, a boat dock and a dinghy dock.
Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park is located approximately 38 miles (60 km) northeast of Powell River on the BC Sunshine Coast. Egmont is a convenient and popular departure point for cruises up Jervis Inlet and Queens Reach to Princess Louisa Inlet and the Chatterbox Falls, one of the most splendid trips you can take in BC, to the tranquil paradise tucked into the Coast Mountains on the BC mainland.
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Explore BC and Southeast Alaska with Bluewater Adventures aboard our 70′ yachts sailing the BC Inside Passage, the Queen Charlotte Islands, Gwaii Haanas National Park, the Great Bear Rainforest, and Vancouver Island. You’ll see whales, Grizzly, Black and Kermode bears, and experience ancient native villages and Haida culture, primeval forests, wilderness, and amazing coastal wildlife.
