A campfire ban is currently in effect for this park. For more information about campfire bans and about provincial parks with park closures and campfire bans in effect, visit the BC Parks campfire ban webpage.
This Park is used by the Owikeeno First Nations for traditional shellfish gathering. Mariners must use their own holding tanks while visiting the park.
Park Info
This park's land includes an attractive archipelago of small coves and narrow channels, excellent for kayak and dinghy exploration. The excellent anchorages and interesting beaches provide ideal conditions for nature viewing, diving and fishing. There is a network of narrow channels and sand and white shell beaches along the southwest shoreline. Scuba diving, kayaking, and fishing are popular pursuits.
Park Size: 1,079 hectares of marine area and 934 hectares of land area.
General Visitor Information
Parts of this park are relatively exposed to the winds and weather
of the Pacific Ocean, especially when the wind is blowing from the southwest.
Listen to broadcasts of marine weather forecasts and warnings, and do
not venture onto the outer coast in small boats, dinghies or kayaks during
stormy weather or after storms when swells can remain high for days.
Do
not harvest clams or other bivalves. The entire coastal area including
this park is closed to harvest of bivalves due to the presence of
red tide, which can lead to paralytic shellfish poisoning.
The use
of holding tanks on boats is highly recommended as the area around
Penrose Island is an important shellfish harvesting site for the Oweekeno
First Nations.
Penrose Island Marine Provincial Park is 86 km north of Park Hardy at the entrance to Rivers Inlet and the south end of Fitz Hugh Sound. Refer to Canadian Hydrographic Chart 3921. Enter from Klaquek Channel into sheltered anchorages on the east side of the island. Access is by boat only. Rivers Inlet is the nearest supply centre. There you can purchase gas, diesel and supplies.
Nature & Culture
History - This park was designated in 1982.
Cultural Heritage - The park is in the traditional territory of Oweekeno First Nation.
Wildlife - As you cruise through the waters near the park, watch for orcas, humpback whales, Pacific white sided dolphins, sea lions and other marine mammals.
Enjoy identifying the weird and wonderful creatures of the intertidal zone when the tide is low - sea cucumbers, nudibranchs, chitons, sea stars, molluscs, urchins and multicoloured algae. Please look, but do not disturb them or move rocks.
On shore, watch for Columbia black-tailed deer, mink and wolves. The beaches and rocky shores offer excellent bird watching opportunities - oyster catchers, sandpipers, pigeon guillemots, scoters and of course bald eagles.
There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking in this park.
Fishing
This area is prized by sports fishermen for salmon and rockfish. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. The entire coast is closed to bivalve (i.e. mussel and clam) harvest due to the risk of red tide, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Pets/domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement.
Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Swimming
Penrose Island Marine Provincial Park is ideal for exploration by experienced sea kayakers.
Facilities Available At This Park
Campfires
Campfires are allowed but firewood is not provided. Be prepared to bring a portable stove for cooking. If you must have a fire, please burn only dead and down wood, and be sure to extinguish the fire fully. Dead wood is an important habitat element for many plants and animals and it adds organic matter to the soil so please use it conservatively, if at all. You can conserve firewood and air quality by keeping your campfire small.
Walk-In/Wilderness Camping
Wilderness, backcountry or walk-in camping is allowed, but no facilities are provided Camping is permitted, but it is preferable to sleep aboard your boat if possible, as this has less impact on the environment. Suitable sites above the high tide line can be difficult to find because of the thick undergrowth of the coastal forest and rocky shore. If people camp, they usually tent on the beach at Clam Bay.
