ABOUT CORTES ISLAND

Cortes Island is one of the northern Gulf Islands of the Georgia Strait in the sheltered waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada.

The Island has about 1000 permanent residents. Along with the early settlers and their descendants there are more recent residents of all ages and backgrounds who have come here in search of a more independent, relaxed rural lifestyle . There is a strong community spirit on Cortes and the residents are friendly and helpful.

Cortes Island offers activities for young and old. Boating, sailing, kayaking, scuba diving,cycling, ocean and fresh water fishing, swimming, bird watching and hiking are some of the many outdoor activities enjoyed by residents and visitors. Cortes Island has many bays and inlets with good deep water moorage and is a popular port of call for boaters. Desolation Sound on the east side of Cortes is a well known destination for boats.

Because Cortes Island is in a ‘rain shadow’ it experiences a milder, drier climate than some of the surrounding areas. The abundance of Arbutus trees, Manzanita and Juniper bushes are testament to the hotter,drier climate in parts of the island. Cortes is a nature lover’s paradise. The bird watcher will find a wide variety of birds including bald eagles, osprey, turkey vultures, owls, loons, woodpeckers and many smaller birds that nest on the island. The mammal population includes wolves, cougars, beaver, racoons, mink, deer and smaller mammals. The waters are home to otters, sea lions, seals, Orca whales and numerous water birds. Guided nature walks, sail boat trips and kayaking tours are offered by Misty Isles Adventures. Boat and scooter rentals are available at the Gorge Harbour Marina and bike rentals are available at Monkey Wrench Bikes. Home to many creative visual and performing artists and craftspeople there are a number of galleries and craft studios open to the public, including a coperatively run craftstore at Squirrel Cove. The two community clubs organise and host dances, concerts, theatre, craft fairs, farmers markets and other activities. Annual summer events such as Cortes Day, Sandcastle Day and the Music Festival offer a chance to join islanders for traditional great food and entertainment and a real fun time.

There are three general stores, two with liquor stores, and a Natural Food Co-op selling all organic food plus road side stands with fresh organic produce. There are Farmers Markets at Mansons Community Centre on Fridays and at Squirrel Cove on Sundays and Wednesdays offering a wide variety of home grown produce and arts & crafts.

Post offices at Mansons Landing, Whaletown and Squirrel Cove are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Quadra Credit Union has a branch on Cortes Island located down the road from Manson’s Hall. They have an ATM machine.

There is a bookstore at Mansons Landing and a public library at Mansons Community Centre open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

There are a number of restaurants and cafés on Cortes. The Sunset Restaurant at Manson’s Landing is open year round. The Cortes Café located in Manson’s Hall is open for breakfast and lunch on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hollyhock Retreat Centre offers gourmet vegetarian food (reservations needed). The Cove Restaurant with spectacular views of Desolation Sound and the coastal mountains is open seasonally and is located at Squirrel Cove. The Float House Restaurant at the Gorge Harbour Marina has lovely views of Gorge Harbour. In the summer months Cortes Take Out offers ‘fast food’ from the small building located in the parking lot of Cortes Market. Trude’s Café at the Gorge is community run, uses local produce and often has special ethnic dinners and entertainment and always has fabulous desserts and pastries.

Cortes Island has one of the few Free Stores in BC. The store is run by island volunteers and is located at the Recycling Centre on the road to Squirrel Cove, open Thursday - Sunday 9 - 1pm. People take previously enjoyed clothing and treasures when no longer needed and other folk go and invariably find just what they need - the only store where shoplifting is encouraged ! Should you find you have things you do not want to take home they can always be given to the Free Store (only clean items in usable condition please). There is also a small Thrift Store in Manson’s Hall run by volunteers open Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Other unique features of Cortes Island not to be missed include...

• Historic Whaletown with its picturesque dock, old church, and post office first run in the old trading post and then moved to a small hand milled building in 1940. The split ring postal cancel stamp is the oldest in Canada in continuous use since 1894.
• Gorge Harbour, a huge body of water with a narrow entrance channel bound by towering granite cliffs on which aboriginal pictographs have been painted.
• Manson’s Bay with it’s long sandy beaches and interesting petroglyph.
• Smelt Bay where you can play and walk for miles at low tide on the huge expanse of sand and tidal pools. Watch the sun set behind the snow capped peaks of Vancouver Island.
• Hollyhock, an ocean front retreat centre offering interesting courses and workshops, gourmet vegetarian meals, a spa with massage therapy and other forms of body work, gift shop, and beautiful flower and vegetable garden.
  

Great hiking up to...

• Easter Bluff where on a clear day you can almost see as far as Vancouver.
• Green Mountain where you get a 360 degree view of the island and surrounding coastal range and Mountains of Vancouver Island.
• Kw’as Park which has miles of varied hiking trails taking you through , old growth forests of fir, spruce and cedar, wetlands, rocky bluffs covered with arbutus, manzanita and fir, glades of fern and mossy slopes.
  

Join islanders in playing soccer, frisbee golf, softball, volleyball, Ultimate frisbee, or participate in yoga, pilates and Tai Chi, exercise class, bowling, walking group, singing, bird watching, open stage and much more.

Visit the Cortes Museum on Beasley Road and learn about the history of Cortes Island. It has a wonderful collection of artifacts and display of photographs and exhibits documenting the social, economic, geographical and natural history of the island from aboriginal times through pioneer days to the present day.

How To Get Here
Cortes Island is accessible by ferry, boat or float plane. The closest town centre is Campbell River on Vancouver Island. If you are coming from Vancouver B.C. you can take a BC Ferry out of Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay which is near the town of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island or a ferry out of Tsawassen just south of Vancouver to Duke Point which is south of Nanaimo. You then drive up highway 19 or take the slower scenic seaside route up the East side of Vancouver Island to Campbell River. From Campbell River you take a ferry to Quadra Island, drive across Quadra Island to Heriot Bay and catch another ferry to Cortes Island. It is a beautiful scenic trip so plan to take your time and enjoy.