Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay, a quaint and picturesque seaside village on the North Shore of Vancouver is a ten-minute drive from where we live. It is the gateway to Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast and central Vancouver Island.

It is best known for its BC Ferry terminal, serving Snug Cove on Bowen Island, Langdale on the Sunshine Coast, and Departure Bay in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Ferries glide in and out of Horseshoe Bay, and the wake from the larger boats creates surf as they hit the shoreline.

Journeys began and ended in Horseshoe Bay long before the arrival of the first Europeans. For Native people, Horseshoe Bay was a traditional meeting place, used both as a seasonal fishing encampment and a place to spend a night when travelling between villages on the Squamish River and Burrard Inlet. The sheltered bay was called ch'xay or Chai-hai, after the swishing sound made by schools of little fish stirring up the waters of Horseshoe Bay. In 1991, it was discovered that Horseshoe Bay Park stands atop an ancient shell midden.

The pleasant waterfront of Horseshoe Bay is lined by quaint cafés, restaurants, shops and boutiques, with great views of the surrounding mountains, islands and scenic Howe Sound. Secluded Horseshoe Bay offers sea kayaking, scuba diving, boating, hiking, skiing and cross-country skiing.

We are content just walking around or lazing about the park facing the waters.