Sechelt
Sechelt is a coastal community of 10,200 (2016) on the lower Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada.
Understand
Sechelt is a seaside community with approx. 35 km of Pacific Ocean shoreline that extends primarily along the coastline of the Sunshine Coast, and is bounded to the west and east by the unincorporated communities of Halfmoon Bay and Roberts Creek, respectively.
Sechelt has several distinct neighbourhoods; from east to west they are Wilson Creek, Davis Bay, Selma Park, the original Village of Sechelt, and West Sechelt. Several neighbourhoods around Sechelt Inlet were also included in its district limits; these include West Porpoise Bay, East Porpoise Bay, Sandy Hook, Tillicum Bay and Tuwanek. The municipal government of the Shishalh First Nation, which contains a substantial commercial district, is immediately east of Sechelt's "downtown" village.
The name Sechelt is derived from the Sechelt language word, shishalh, the name of the First Nations people who first settled the area thousands of years ago.
Get in
By car
Sechelt is approximately 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry trip between Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) ferry terminal and in West Vancouver and Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal near Gibsons, and a 25-minute drive from Langdale along Highway 101 (Sunshine Coast Highway). For more information about the traveling by the ferry, see Gibsons.
By bus
- Sunshine Coast Connector, toll-free: +1-844-613-8222, coastconnector@gmail.com. Bus service between Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal and Sunshine Coast (Earls Cove) ferry terminal (1.5 hours) with stops in Gibsons, Sechelt, Madeira Park, and Egmont. Travelers to and from Powell River can ride the ferry at Earls Cove and BC Transit (Powell River Transit System) bus route 12 that connects with Powell River (Saltery Bay) ferry terminal.
By plane
Airport
- 1 Sechelt Aerodrome (YHS IATA) (located at the top of Field Road in Wilson Creek), ☏ +1 604-741-1930. Private aircraft only.
Seaplanes
- Harbour Air, ☏ +1-604-274-1277, toll-free: +1-800-665-0212. Operates seaplane flights mostly to coastal communities in southwestern British Columbia.
Flights to Sechelt from Nanaimo (20 minutes) and Vancouver (20 minutes).
Get around
By public transit
- BC Transit (Sunshine Coast Transit System), ☏ +1 604 885 6899. Operates bus routes within Sechelt and connecting with Gibsons and Langdale ferry terminal. Buses from Sechelt travel as far north as Halfmoon Bay.
- Route 1 operates multiple times daily between Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal and Sechelt with stops in Gibsons and Roberts Creek. Travel time between the Sechelt and the ferry terminal is 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes, and between Sechelt and Gibson's Sunnycrest Mall is 45 to 50 minutes.
- Route 90 operates multiple times daily between Sunshine Coast (Langdale) ferry terminal and Sechelt with stops in Gibsons and Roberts Creek. Travel time between the Sechelt and the ferry terminal is 40 to 45 minutes, and between Sechelt and Gibson's Sunnycrest Mall is 30 minutes. Some trips travel and stop near Lower Gibsons (harbour area).
Sechelt Inlet
By taxi
- Coast Taxi, ☏ +1 604-989-8294.
- Sunshine Coast Taxi, ☏ +1 604-885-3666.
By ride hailing
- Coastal Rides, toll-free: +1-855-921-2226, info@coastalrides.ca.
See
Events
- Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts, ☏ +1 604-885-9631, toll-free: +1-800-565-9631, info@writersfestival.ca. August. Canada’s longest running summer gathering of Canadian writers and readers, featuring established literary stars.
- Rogue Arts Festival, info@roguefest.ca. August. Three day outdoor, multidisciplinary arts festival.
- Sleepy Hollow Rod Run and Show 'n Shine, phdd@telus.net. August. Auto enthusiasts come from around the Pacific Northwest for Sechelt's annual Sleepy Hollow Rod Run, and the "Show and Shine" held in conjunction with the August drag races at Sechelt Airport.
- Sechelt Arts Festival. October. The Sunshine’s Coast’s leading multi-disciplinary arts and cultural festival; features 15 events and over 85 artists including four professionally produced main stage performance events.
Do
Sechelt is known for its natural beauty, and is a popular destination for outdoor activities that include kayaking, diving, snowshoeing and skiing, hiking and backpacking, camping and mountain biking. There is an 18-hole public golf course, and a number of small marinas are available around Sechelt Inlet. Sechelt has several municipal parks, and larger provincial parks are nearby. Scuba diving at Skookumchuck Narrows, at the entrance of Sechelt Inlet, are highly rated by diving magazines and the Cousteau Society.
- 1 Hidden Groves, 7000 Sechelt Inlet Road (6 km from downtown Sechelt and 2 km from Porpoise Bay Provincial Park), ☏ +1 604-885-3797. The Hidden Groves area of old growth forest adjoins the Sandy Hook neighbourhood. It has trails for walkers and hikers of various abilities, from easy walks of around 15 minutes to more strenuous treks of 3 or 4 kilometres. A wheelchair-accessible trail of 480 metres into the Ancient Grove area is also suitable for people with walkers, mothers with strollers, and those not so fit. A second 400-metre accessibility trail loops from the entrance kiosk through pristine forest and back.
- 2 Porpoise Bay Provincial Park (4 km north of downtown Sechelt). Daily 11AM-2PM (lunch), 5-9PM (dinner). Located on the east side of Sechelt Inlet. It is characterized by second-growth forest, open grassy areas and sandy beaches.
Buy
Cowrie Street in Sechelt's downtown hub has multiple locally owned shops, boutiques, and galleries, is the perfect place to shop for local art & handcrafted goods, books, beads, sporting goods, and clothing.
Eat
- 1 Basted Baker, #1 5685 Cowrie Street, ☏ +1 604-885-1368, hello@bastedbaker.com. Th-Mo 9AM-3PM; Tu-We closed. Offers delicious sandwiches and a small selection of sweet baked goods.
- 2 Daphne's Mediterranean Grill, 5530 Wharf Avenue, ☏ +1 604-885-2008. Daily 11:30AM-9:30PM.
- 3 Lucky's Smokehouse, 5645 Wharf Avenue, ☏ +1 604-885-8846. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Southern BBQ.
- 4 The Old Boot Eatery, 5531 Wharf Street, ☏ +1 604-885-2727. Tu-Sa 11AM-9PM. Italian cuisine.
- 5 PKLS Burgers, 5666 Cowrie Street, ☏ +1 604-741-0463, hello@pklsburgers.com. M-Sa 11AM-8PM, Su 12-6PM.
- 6 Shift Kitchen (Tapas Bar), #103 5760 Teredo Street, ☏ +1 778-458-3372. Daily 10AM-9:30PM.
Drink
- 1 The Lighthouse Pub, 5764 Wharf Avenue, ☏ +1 604-885-9494, info@lighthousepub.ca. M-Sa 11AM-1PM, Su 11AM-midnight. Full menu available.
- 2 Wobbly Canoe, 4774 Sunshine Coast Hwy, Davis Bay, ☏ +1 604-885-4444. Daily 12-9PM.
Sleep
- 1 Beachside by the Bay Waterfront Suites & Cottage, 5005 Sunshine Coast Highway, ☏ +1 604-741-0771, stay@beachsidebythebay.com.
- 2 Bella Beach Inn, 4748 Sunshine Coast Highway, ☏ +1 604-885-7191.
- 3 Blue Sky Motel, 4726 Sunshine Coast Highway, ☏ +1 604-885-9987.
- 4 Cozy Court Motel, 5528 Inlet Avenue, ☏ +1 604-885-9314.
- 5 The Driftwood Inn, 5454 Trail Avenue, ☏ +1 604-885-5811.
- 6 Royal Reach Motel, 5758 Wharf Road, ☏ +1 604-885-7844.
Connect
- 1 Sechelt Visitor Information Centre, 5790 Teredo Street, ☏ +1 604-885-1036, toll-free: +1-877-885-1036, secheltvic@sunshinecoastcanada.com. May-Sept 2019: Daily 9AM-5PM; Oct-Dec 2019: W-Su 10AM-4PM. The Sechelt Visitor Centre is operated by Sunshine Coast Tourism via the District of Sechelt. Drop by or call ahead and our travel counsellors will give you personal attention and up-to-the-minute tips to make your trip to Sechelt and the Sunshine Coast the best we can be. Here you’ll find maps, trail & beach access guides, brochures for local accommodations, activities, tours, restaurants, artists, museums, and more.
Cope
- 2 Sechelt Hospital, 5544 Sunshine Coast Hwy, ☏ +1 604-885-2224. This is the only hospital on the lower Sunshine Coast. It has an emergency department that operates 24/7.
Go next
| Routes through Sechelt |
| Powell River ← Pender Harbour and Egmont ← | N  S |
→ Gibsons → West Vancouver |