VISITOR’S GUIDE

Cortes Island VACATION RENTALS

We hope you are looking forward to your upcoming visit to Cortes Island!

Please enjoy this little guide to help you get the most out of your island experience.

Included you will find Cortes Island maps, and a selection of some of our top recommended things to do and places to go while visiting the island.

Enjoy your journey and your stay, and we hope to see you again soon!

cortesislandvacationrentals.com

VISITOR’S GUIDE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTS & CRAFTS 1

BEACHES 2

CORTES ISLAND INFORMATION 3

FARM & FOOD ACTIVITIES 4

FIRE & WATER ON CORTES 5

FESTIVALS & EVENTS 6

HAGUE & GUNFLINT LAKES 7

HIKING TRAILS 8

RESTAURANTS 9

SHOPS 10

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES 11

CORTES MAP 12

GOOGLE MAP 13

ARTS & CRAFTS

Page 1

Old School House GallerySummer Season open June to September

New shows every two weeksHours: Friday 6 to 9pm; Saturday and Sunday 2 to 6pm

Details: Arts & Entertainment Special Section of Tideline

Cortes Craft Shop Co-opLocated in Squirrel Cove.

Local artists showcase their handmade jewelry, pottery, photographs, cards, weaving and wool, fabric art, wood

work, books, and healing skin care products.May 20 - June 25, weekends, 12 - 4June 26 - June 30, everyday, 12 - 4

July 1 - Sept 3, everyday, 10 - 5 Sept 4 - 17, everyday, 12 - 4

250 935 6635

BEACHES

Smelt Bay

Hollyhock Beach

Manson’s Lagoon

Hank’s Beach Hague Lake Beach

BEACH GUIDE

Manson’s LagoonGreat sunsets, tidal pools,

visit during the tide changes for fun swimming!

Hague Lake BeachSandy beach, lovely fresh

swimming waters, safe and gentle for small children.

Smelt Bay Provincial ParkIncredible sunsets, long sandy beach, great for beach-combing, dog

walking, sandcastle making.

Hank’s BeachLocal favorite, great

swimming & snorkeling, mix of sand, stones, & cliffs.

Hollyhock BeachSandy, gentle, warm

swimming waters. Clothing optional beach. Dolphins and orcas are sometimes

seen off this beach. Page 2

CORTES ISLAND INFORMATION

Page 3

Cortes Island Information Book Cortes Phone Book

Visitor Information at ourcortes.com

FOOD & FARM ACTIVITIES

Page 4

Cortes Island Farmer’s Markets Fridays 12 – 3pm Manson’s Landing

Saturdays 10 – 1pm Gorge Harbour MarinaSundays 12:30 – 3pm Squirrel Cove

Linnaea Farm Explore a heritage working farm, with over 315 acres in the Linnaea Land

Trust. Take a workshop, enjoy a farm tour, and learn about this community asset.

Experience a real working organic farm with many acres of vegetable gardens, orchards, cows, lambs, and pigs, all on the edge of stunning Gunflint Lake.

Visit linnaeafarm.org for more information and details

Page 5

FIRE Fire bans in the summer are a regular occurrence on the BC Coast. Please take all necessary precautions and be

responsible with your campfire and BBQ activities.

"Never leave your campfire unattended and always keep water and a hand tool nearby in case you need to put out

the fire quickly. Make sure that your campfire is completely extinguished and the ashes are cold to the

touch before you leave the area for any length of time."- Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource

Operations.

** For more information and to check on campfire prohibitions in your area, visit BC WILDFIRE online.

** To Report a Wildfire call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 from a cellular phone immediately.

WATER Water is one of our most precious resources here on Cortes Island, and

in the dry summer months, our local water tables and wells can be challenged. Please be mindful with your water use (showers, laundry,

dishwashers, flushing toilets, etc) and stagger appropriately. This goes a long way to ensure you don’t run out of water at your vacation rental.

If the power goes out for any reason, do not use any water. This means no flushing toilets, running sinks or showers,

dishwashers, etc, until the power comes back on.

Click here for larger view

FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Page 6

May 20, 2017: Cortes Island Seafood Festival, Gorge Harbour

Postponed til 2018: Creative Spaces Garden and Studio Tour

July 15, 2017: Cortes Day, Smelt Bay (Parade at 11AM)

August 6, 2017: Sandcastle Day, Smelt Bay

HAGUE & GUNFLINT LAKES

Page 7

Hague and Gunflint lakes are our island gems, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike

throughout the summer months.

In 2014, both Hague and Gunflint lakes suffered longer than usual algae blooms in

the Spring. This has been a cause for concern for the island.

The cause is as wide as you can cast your net, not one single thing. However -

human activity around these waters is definitely a culprit.

What we can do is reduce our use of (or change) the products we put into our

septic fields, as we are not on sewage treatment.

This includes: eliminating phosphates, using ‘green’ laundry and bathing

products (ie eco friendly). This is really important.

Please plan for it when visiting Cortes.

THANK YOU!

IF YOU ARE VISITING A LAKESIDE HOME, PLEASE:

Use only eco-friendly bathing and cleaning products

Be mindful of water use

Do not dispose of chemicals, phosphate-products (detergents), or bleach down the drains

HIKING TRAILS

Ferry toQuadra Island

ProposedWhaletownCommons

Klahoose FirstNation

Sou

th P

oint

Hathayim ProvincialMarine Park

Kw'asRegional

Park

CarringtonBay Regional

Park

MansonsLanding

ProvincialPark

Smelt BayProvincial Park

SiskinForestPark

Squ

irrel

Cov

e

Tiber Bay

Gorge H

arbour

Olmstead

Mary Point

Sawmill

Sis

kin

Cor

tes

Bay

Jocelyn

Sut

il P

oint

Harbour

Huck

Rob

erts

on

Talbot

Rex

ford

Smel

t Bay

Beasley

Seascape

Raven

Carrington Bay

Bartholomew

Lago

on

Potlach

Hag

ue

Hig

hfie

ld

Manzanita

Seavista

Cemetery

Elli

ngse

n Red

GraniteBelwood

Gnat

Salal

Haye

s

Papp

Yakka Way

Plun

ger

Siereen

Jeffe

rey

Tan

AustinM

anson

Bod

ingt

on

Teal

crof

t

Oce

an V

iew

Hansen

Cal

wel

l

Christensen

Dea

n

Sav

anna

h

Gregg

Sal

mon

berr

y

Non

e

Sutil Point

Seaford

Whaletown Rd

Whaletown Rd

Seaf

ord

Seaford

Bartholomew

Potlach

Seaford

Sutil

Poi

nt

Whaletown Rd

Whaletown Rd

Cor

tes

Bay

Robertson

Gorge Harbour

Tork

Carrington Bay

Taka-Mika

Bayview

Thund

er

LoweFreeman

Cha

madaska

Charlotte

Forrest

LarsonsMeadow

Oke

Kwas Bay

Hunt

Car

ringt

on B

ay

Byers Pt. Rd

Mils

tead

Harbour

Bartholomew

Cliff

Bluff

I S L A N D

Island

Islands

North Twin Island

Marina Island

South Twin Island

Mary Point

Easter

Mtn.

Hill

Wolf

R E A D

R E D

O N

D A

Frog

Mountain

W E S T

Green

Peak

Sutil Point

Penn

Read

Sutil

Ree

f

Grove

Junction Point

Shark Spit

Red Granite Point

Kitten Is.

Camp Island

Ring Is.

Cat Island

Tan Island

Coulter

Larsen's

Cod Rocks

Long Tom

Meadow

Haywire Bay

Grandmother

Green Valley

Han

k's B

each

Goat Mtn.

Island

Bluff

Island

I S L A N D

I S L

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R E D O N D A

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Carrington

L.

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C

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Gunflint

Anvil

Quartz

Smelt

Whaletown

Lagoon

Wiley

Bay

Mansons

Cove

Robertson

Cork

Tiber

Frabjious

Coulter

Lake

Hague

Poison Bay

Windy Bay

West Gorge

Delight

Nutshell

Bluejay

Echo

l

Bay

a

Bay

Lake

Lake

Bay

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Bay

U

Lake

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Bay

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Han

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reek

Slack Creek

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Dock

FerryBike Trails

Beach

Trails

RoadStream

Contours (40m)

Island Timberlands Property

First Nations LandLake

ParkTidal Waters

0 1 2 3 40.5

Kilometres (NAD83 UTM Zone 10N)

There are many private roads and trails on Cortes Island which are not on this map. Please respect all privateproperty and residence on the island. Please keep the forest environment clean and always pack out what youbring in. This map was produced for the Friends of Cortes Island (FOCI). Feel free to contact FOCI if you haveany questions, comments or possible edits to this map. The use of this map is at the users own risk.

Whaletown C ree

k

Cortes IslandRecreational Trails

Page 8

Cortes Island Trail Map Kw’as Park Trail Map

More Hiking Trails

RESTAURANTS & CAFES

Page 9

Cortes Market Takeout Open in the summer, fast food takeout next to the Cortes Market. Burgers, fries, ice cream.

Cortes Natural Food Coop Cafe Bakery, coffee, wifi, fresh bread, smoothies, breakfast & lunch menu. Pizza nights & open mic nights.

The Cove Restaurant CLOSED FOR 2017.

The Floathouse Fine dining at the Gorge Harbour Marina. Featuring West coast and local cuisine. Open year round. Reservations recommended.

Flying Squirrel Takeout Burgers, wraps, salads. Located at Squirrel Cove.

Hollyhock Restaurant Ethnic and locally inspired vegetarian & seafood buffet-style cuisine. April through November. Reservations required.

SHOPS

Page 10

Cortes Natural Food Co-opThe island’s natural health and organic food store.

Squirrel Cove General StoreProduce, grocery, liquor store, post office, fishing licenses.

Gorge Harbour Marina General StoreProduce, grocery, liquor store, bakery, with an emphasis on local / organic.

Cortes MarketProduce, grocery, liquor store, household products, DVDs.

Hollyhock Gift ShopBooks, music, children’s toys & activities, clothes, jewelry, thoughtful gifts.

Marnie’s BooksBooks, games, magazines, located in Manson’s Landing next to the co-op.

Hunt & Gather Gallery of fine art and adornment. Open daily 11 - 6. Near Cortes Coop.

OUTDOOR

Page 11

Misty Isles AdventuresKayaking and sailing tours, and charters throughout the Discovery Island and Desolation Sound. Kayak and canoe rentals. 250 935 6756mistyislesadventures.com

Cortes Island Fishing AdventuresFull or half day guided fishing trips, sightseeing trips and water taxi services. 250 202 3414cortesfishingadventures.com

Page 12

Google Map of Cortes Island

Page 13

cortesislandvacationrentals.comcortesislandvr@gmail.com

250 935 0102

Enjoy the journey!