Premier Listings for Beaumont/Mt. Norman Park
Beaumont Park on the west shore of South Pender Island is one of the most popular marine parks in the Gulf Islands, hugging the shoreline in the fabulous setting of picturesque Bedwell Harbour.
The Coast Salish people hunted and fished around Pender Island as far back as 6,000 years ago. In the 1700s, Spanish explorer Francisco Eliza sailed past Pender Island, which he named Sayas (“skirt”).
Permanent settlement of the islands began with small sheep farms in the 1800s. By the 1900s, the island community had grown large enough to warrant a government wharf, a post office, and ferry service from Sidney, on Vancouver Island. Beaumont was established as a BC Park in 1963.
The park totals 58 hectares of beach and bluff, offering 11 campsites, pit toilets, good anchorage, mooring buoys, and a sandy beach for kayakers to land. Note that there is no fresh water available at the campsite (the hand pump is not working). Fees for camping and mooring are charged May 15 to September 30. Excellent anchorage and 15 mooring buoys are available east of Skull Islet, but the islets and surrounding reefs, while interesting to explore, do not offer good anchorage.
Nearby marinas offer full facilities. There is a shopping centre within walking distance of Port Browning, and a customs office operates at Poets Cove Marina in Bedwell Harbour during the summer months.
There are various recreational opportunities at Beaumont, including boat-in and walk-in camping at the beautiful shoreside campsite, picnicking, fishing, paddling, swimming and hiking. Walking trails connect the park with Mount Norman, the highest point on Pender Island (800 feet / 244 metres), offering panoramic views of nearby Gulf Islands and the distant San Juan Islands. Exploring highlights that are well worth the effort include Ainslie Point, Razor Point, Peter Cove, and the fantastic beaches around the Skull Islets.
Fees for overnight use of mooring buoys and campsites are payable at the self-registration vault. The vault for the mooring fees is located ashore at the top of the staircase. Park attendants may also collect fees at the buoys after 3:00 pm. Campers and boaters should select a vacant site or buoy, complete the permit provided, detach the stub and receipt, place the fee in the envelope (Tax is included in the fee), seal the envelope, and deposit the envelope in the red deposit vault located at the campsite. The receipt should be placed on the clip at the campsite.
Mink and River Otters can be seen in the surrounding waters, and watch for Surf Scoters and Harlequin Ducks while you explore the fascinating sandstone formations on the shoreline. Rock formations on the shoreline include ancient sedimentary rock subjected to such extreme earth forces that the rock is now orientated at 90 degrees to its original plane. This can be dramatically viewed at most of the beaches on the Pender Islands.
Beaumont Park is located on South Pender Island in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia. BC Ferries provides a service to Otter Bay Ferry Terminal on North Pender Island. A wooden single-lane bridge connects North and South Pender Islands.
To reach Beaumont by land, start up the Mount Norman trail from Ainslie Point Road (no overnight parking), then take the turnoff to Beaumont. It’s a fairly steep 2.5-km trail, and while it only takes about 30 to 40 minutes to walk down, it’s a challenging hike to come back up. Kayaks and canoes can be launched at Bedwell Harbour’s government dock in Egeria Bay, or from Medicine Beach on North Pender Island – a 1.5-km paddle to the park from either destination (one way).
Beaumont Park is a part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, 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 Gulf Islands National 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
Biographical Info
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Biographical Info
Poets Cove Marina is located in beautiful Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island, one of the top ten anchorages in the Western Hemisphere. Contained within North America’s largest designated marine park, the Marina at Poets Cove offers 110 deep water slips for boats up to 100 feet, with fuel, power, water, and a Canada Customs office right in the Harbour. Heated pool, hot tub, laundromat, and showers.
Biographical Info
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