Multi-day kayak trips in qathet made easier with a good map

It may be early in the year, but not too early to start planning a paddling or kayak trip to a first-time or favourite kayaking route or marine park destination on the northern Sunshine Coast.

Many handy guide books have been published on the subject, including Sea Kayak Desolation Sound and the Sunshine Coast by Heather Harbord, who still lives and writes in qathet.

Paper map as a back-up

Although for multi-day trips, print-out paper copies (kept in a plastic cover, so it doesn't get wet) of maps are still highly recommended by seasoned sea kayakers, there is the BC Marine Trails Map, used by an estimated 20,000 folks per year, in order to trip plan.

Revamped digital map

BC Marine Trails Network (BCMT) recently revamped its digital map, which includes an improved user interface and advanced trip planning tools, according to the BCMT website.

Communications and stewardship coordinator for BC Marine Trails, Sam Cutcliffe, said there are around 100 sites in the Sunshine Coast and Desolation Sound region.

"That includes launch sites, day-use areas and campsites," said Cutcliffe. "In terms of improvements, it's also now functional on mobile devices, which it really wasn't before."

BC Marine Trails Map improvements include: less clutter and more information; a new scrolling sidebar; First Nations information; and multiple photos.

Real-time data available

Important for sea kayakers are the trip-planning tools, site-condition reports and route measuring ability.

"Public site-condition reporting is really one of the most notable changes," said Cutcliffe. "Now that individuals are able to go in and see those site-conditions and report in real-time, it is really a game-changer." 

Why is this a game-changer for kayakers?

In the past and even now, folks are relying on what could be very old data, due to a website not being updated and/or using an outdated travel book.

Site to site planning

"A big new change is our site-selection tool, which is what I just used to roughly count how many sites there are in your region [qathet]," said Cutcliffe. "If you have a GPS device, for example, you can go in and lasso [loop] the 96 sites that are on Sunshine Coast, Desolation Sound region, download all that data and then upload it to your device."

He said when kayakers are out and about on the water, they will be able to access the information of where sites are and what to expect, making it a lot more streamlined.

Know many kilometres until camp

The new route-measuring tool is a win for multi-day kayakers who may not be measurement inclined.

"We have a much more functional measurement tool, so you can plan your route along the coast from site to site, and it will give you the length of the entire journey," said Cutcliffe. "It will give you the length of a leg you're planning, or multiple days; that's a big thing."

Planning tools

Most seasoned kayakers or expedition paddlers will spend multiple hours looking at a marine chart with a protractor, calculating angles from one headland to another, according to Cutcliffe. But the BC Marine Marine Trails map lets users define a radius, draw a line, or a polygon and find sites within the defined proximity distance, then, site data can be uploaded directly to a GPS device, and printed out.

For example, if a group of kayakers launch from Lund and know they only have the ability to paddle for five kilometres or fewer in a day, they can use the measuring tool to see where the best place to set up camp would be; most likely somewhere on the Copeland Islands.

Cutcliffe said the map revamp is only one part of the mission for BC Marine Trails, which is a nonprofit and a charity.

"When the group started over 30 years ago, it was mostly as public advocacy for obtaining areas for paddlers to go and continued public access," said Cutcliffe. "The original dream was a connection from Washington [State] all the way to Alaska;  funnily enough, [BCMT] was started by an American."

Kayak with minimal impact and respect

The organization's current iteration still focuses on marine trail development with minimal impact on the environment and mapping, but First Nations engagement has become a focus in recent years, along with environmental stewardship.

First Nation engagement 

"Something that's become very prevalent is our First Nations engagement committee," said Cutcliffe. "So, what that is, is a project essentially to work alongside every single coastal First Nation in the province and ensure their approval on all the sites that we are advertising."

BCMT is currently developing the Discovery Islands Marine Trail and has added 82 new sites to the marine trail map in December 2024. There is a map available for free to the public, and for those who become members of BCMT, similar to the popular AllTrails app for hikers.

"The map available to members is far more robust," said Cutcliffe. "Check out bcmarinetrails.org/new-map for comparisons between the two and features of each."

BCMT also has how-to videos on all map features, that can be found at bcmarinetrails.org/map-how-to-videos.

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