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View Map of the Sunshine Coast (courtesy of British Columbia.com). Sechelt is located on Highway 101 on the Sunshine Coast, which is accessible from the rest of the Lower Mainland only by boat or airplane. Travellers aboard BC Ferries leave Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver for the 9.5-mile (15.5-km) ride to Langdale on the Sechelt Peninsula (45 minutes). Highway 101 links Langdale with Sechelt, 9 miles (15 km) to the north. Approaching from the north, BC Ferries also connects Comox on the east side of central Vancouver Island with Powell River on the Malaspina Peninsula. On the southern coast of the Malaspina Peninsula, the ferry terminal at Saltery Bay connects with Earls Cove on the northern Sechelt Peninsula and Highway 101. Coach Lines operate daily to connect the Sunshine Coast with Vancouver, and a bus service between Sechelt and the ferry terminal at Langdale is provided by BC Transit and local bus services. Air services include scheduled flights from Sechelt to Victoria, and a daily float plane air service from Sechelt to Vancouver and Nanaimo. |
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| | Named after the original First Nations people of the region, the Shishalh, the community is sustained by self-government, a communal lifestyle and wisdom of the elders. Sechelt is a small community sitting on a sandbar, the narrow Sechelt isthmus separating Sechelt Inlet from the Strait of Georgia. If it weren't for this small neck of land less than a half mile wide, a large portion of the peninsula north of Sechelt would be an island, cut off from the mainland. This wedge of sand backs ocean water, which flows from the northwestern entrance to the inlet near Egmont, into three inlets: Sechelt Inlet (the largest), and the Salmon and Narrows Inlets, which branch east from Sechelt Inlet. The word "Sechelt" means land between two waters. Indian Legend has it that the creator gods were sent by the Divine Spirit to form the world. They carved out valleys leaving a beach along the inlet at Porpoise Bay. Later, the transformers, a male raven and a female mink, changed details by carving trees and forming pools of water. The raven is an integral part of the Sechelt Indian Band's culture and is often seen in their carvings. | |
The Beauty of The Sunshine Coast
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A magnificent sweep of beautifully cobbled beach combines wave polished granite ramparts with driftwood & many-coloured pebbles. Treed mountains, cascading creeks and waterfalls create the spectacular coastline of Sechelt making the community a photographer's delight year-round. Sechelt's central location on the southern peninsula of the Sunshine Coast makes it a natural hub for business, culture and tourism. The thriving village is surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery and a natural seaside beauty that lends a special charm to the attractions and amenities of the Heart of the Sunshine Coast. The Sechelt area climate is characterized by mild, moist winters and warm dry summers. Temperatures on the Coast range from freezing in winter to highs of 30C (90F) in summer. The annual rainfall is approximately 100cm (40in.) The Sunshine Coast is sheltered from the open Pacific, and the milder weather patterns result in very light snowfalls in the region. The Sunshine Coast is split into two portions on either side of Jervis Inlet. Roughly speaking, the southern half between the ferry slips at Langdale and Earls Cove occupies the Sechelt Peninsula, while the northern half between the ferry slip at Saltery Bay and Lund sits on the Malaspina Peninsula.
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