The Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park Trail is located near Sechelt, in Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada. The trail is an easy family friendly out and back trail that totals about 4km long and minimal elevation gain. The parking lot at the trailhead has limited spots and the trail is quite popular, so it is recommended that you start early if you want a place to park.
Some Interesting History of Smuggler Cove (sauce):
A possible apocryphal story is that Smuggler Cove owes its name to its reported use by Larry Kelly. Kelly, the “King of the Smugglers” who was also known as “Pirate” came up to Canada after fighting for the confederates in the American Civil War. When the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, many unemployed Chinese workers tried to emigrate to the United States but were forbidden official entry. Kelly assisted the Chinese to cross the border for a fee of $100 each. His insurance against detection was to have the Chinese agree to be roped together and tied to a large hunk of pig iron. If there was a chance that they would be apprehended by U.S. customs, he would throw the iron and Chinese overboard. Common misconception is that Larry Kelly was also nicknamed "Pig Iron," but this was another smuggler by the name of Jim Kelly.
The first time we went on this hike was in the summer of 2018 during our trip to Sunshine Coast, BC. We revisited the hike again when we went on our camping trip to Sunshine Coast, BC in the summer of 2020. The following pictures are from our revisit hike back in 2020. The trail starts flat and wide on a gravel path. It eventually becomes a few sections of boardwalks and bridges that passes through a few bogs. Then the trail narrows and weaves through the forest until it reaches a clearing where it boasts beautiful views of the Straight of Georgia.
Beginning of the trail that is wide and flat.
Bog. I believe there is a beaver dam far in the background.
Bridge going over bog.
This might or might not be Smuggler Cove.
Straight of Georgia.
More Straight of Georgia.
This should be Smuggler Cove.
Check out my previous hikes:
  1. The Panoramic Views of Panorama Ridge
  2. The Golden Larches of Frosty Mountain
  3. The Winter Snow of Pump Peak at Mount Seymour
  4. Sapphire Waters and Azure Skies of Battle Bluff
  5. It Isn't Always Sunshine and Blue Skies
  6. The Frozen River and Waterfalls of Maligne Canyon
  7. The Amazing Arches of Arches National Park
  8. The Bizarre Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park
  9. The Magnificent Stones of Zion National Park
  10. The Flowing Walls of Lower Antelope Canyon
  11. A Glimpse of Hope at the Hope Lookout Trail
  12. Turquoise Waters viewed from Sea to Summit Trail
  13. The Three Peaks of Mount Seymour
  14. The Serene Winter Scene at Dog Mountain
  15. Murrin Loop and Jurassic Ridge
  16. Yosemite National Park
  17. The Bear's Hump at Waterton National Park
  18. Views of Okanagan from Pincushion Mountain Trail
  19. The Half Frozen Waterfalls at Franklin Falls
  20. Hole in the Wall of Vancouver Island
  21. Sometimes You Just Get Lucky
  22. Winter Wonderland at Alexander Falls
  23. Eagle Bluffs
Beautiful. Love the name Smuggler’s Cove.
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Got the name from smuggler activities in the 1800s.
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The downside of living in the middle part of America is that there aren't many interesting and beautiful places to explore.
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Which middle part? You mind doxxing the surrounding states?
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We can get to the Ozarks pretty easily for a weekend trip, but the Smoky Mountains would be a full day’s drive.
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Ah, so Missouri/Tennessee/Kentucky etc. I've never been to that part of the US. I have seen the Netflix show Ozark though, and that place seem hella cool. I have no idea what Smoky Mountains look like.
The bitcoin scene in Nashville seems pretty cool thanks to Odell and friends. I might take a trip over there with my IRL bitcoin friends one day, but we have El Salvador higher on the list now. But still all talk and no action.
The US is so big and filled with so many differently beautiful landscapes. The name of their national parks annual pass do not lie: America the Beautiful. So many places you can explore and see, if you're willing to travel.
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I'm fairly new to this part of the country. Broadly speaking, I'm from the western US and am used to abundantly beautiful landscapes.
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If you're talking about the coastal states, I strongly agree. My family went on a 13 day 6500km road trip last March, from BC to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California, then back through Oregon, and Washington. So many beautiful places along the way. We also went down Hwy 101 along the Oregon coast into California this March, it was also amazingly beautiful.
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We needed more of that: seeing people smile, seeing people's faces, especially during that time back in July 2020.
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