Ministry of Environment - Porteau Cove Marine Provincial Park

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Attention Visitors - Important Notice!

As of May 5, 2008:

Electric Hookups - There are now 44 vehicle accessible campsites with electrical hook-ups. The charge is an extra $5/night.
Please note: The public pay phones are no longer available as they have been removed. This service was interrupted due to the adjacent highway construction and there is no information available as to when this service will be reinstated.

Park Info:

Situated on the most southerly fjord in North America, the park features waterfront campsites with a view over Howe Sound to the mountains beyond. An old ship has been sunk to provide interest for Scuba divers and to attract marine life. There are special facilities for divers. Adjacent train tracks are active and occasional noise disturbance may occur.

Park Size: 50 hectares

Special Notes:

Exploring the rocky beach at Porteau Cove can be an exciting and rewarding experience. Please minimize your disturbance by leaving everything as you find it.
No fishing, shellfish harvesting or removal of other marine life.
Please ensure children are supervised while on the emergency ferry pier.
Scuba divers are not permitted to use the boat launch.
The BC Rail train track skirts the boundary of the park. Entering the park requires crossing the train track. This is a controlled train crossing - use caution and obey all signs.
Tide, wind and weather conditions can change suddenly in Howe Sound. Use caution while swimming and boating in this area.
This park is open year-round and is usually full during good weather. It is recommended that you make a reservation to stay at this park during the months of June, July, August and September. The park is usually full, even on weekdays, with little turnover of campsites in the morning.
Dock Facilities Use Fee: $2.00 per metre / night
Mooring (to buoy) Fee: $10.00 per vessel / night

Management Planning:

Management Planning Information

The approved management plan for Porteau Cove Provincial Park is available in PDF format.

Location:

Location Map

38 km north of Vancouver on Hwy 99, 20 km south of Squamish, 8.5 km south of Britannia Beach. Other nearby communities include Brackendale and Lions Bay.

Map/Brochure:

Any maps listed are for information only - they may not represent legal boundaries and should not be used for navigation.

Location Map
Park Map (67 kb pdf)
Diving Map (74 kb pdf)

Nature & Culture:

History - When "Porteau" (porte d’eau) is translated from French into English it means "Water’s Gate." This name dates from 1908 when John F. Deeks began mining the extensive sand and gravel deposits here to supply Vancouver. A small community of employees lived here until the beginning of the Depression, enjoying good housing, a schoolhouse, tennis courts, and daily ferry service from the Union Steamship Company. These ferries, Lady Cynthia and Lady Cecilia, operated between Vancouver and Squamish until the railway (then the Pacific Great Eastern) was extended from Squamish into North Vancouver.
Conservation - You are visiting the intertidal home of hundreds of living plants and animals. Please protect your marine resources by leaving them as you find them.

Visitor Safety:

Please ensure children are supervised while on the emergency ferry pier.
Scuba divers are not permitted to use the boat launch.
The BC Rail train track skirts the boundary of the park. Entering the park requires crossing the train track. This is a controlled train crossing, use caution and obey all signs.

Visitor Safety Information (park safety, hazards, wildlife safety information, health risks)

Reservations:For parks that accept reservations, all vehicle accessible campsites (with the exception of
group sites) must be reserved through Discover Camping.

Campsite Reservations:
Campsite reservations are accepted and first-come, first-served sites are also available.

Explore Parks: Fees, park listings, what you should know before you go and other useful links.

Contact Information:

Sea to Sky Park Services Ltd
Email address: info@seatoskyparks.com
Phone: (604) 986-9371
Click here to view a non-government web link, for additional information.

This park offers vehicle accessible campsites, five (5) of which are double sites and two (2) are pull-through sites. There are also walk-in campsites. There is extra parking in the day-use lot available for a fee. The closest store is in Britannia Beach, approximately 10 minutes north by car. This park offers vehicle accessible campsites. Campsite reservations are accepted and first-come, first-serve sites are also available.
Please note: This park is extremely popular and busy during peak-season months (beginning the May long weekend through to Thanksgiving weekend). Reservations are highly recommended as there are a limited number of first-come first-serve campsites available and they are usually difficult to acquire.

Vehicle Accessible Camping Fee: $24.00 per party /night
BC Senior's Rate (Shoulder Season only): $12.00 per senior's couple/night
Winter Vehicle Accessible Camping Fee: $15.00 per party / night
Electrification: $5 extra/night

Campground Hours of Operation All dates are subject to change without notice
Opening and Closing Campground Dates: (campground is accessible but may not offer full services such as water, security, etc.)	Year round (gate is open during off-season)
Campground Dates with Full Services and Fees:	March 1 - October 31 Winter fee from November 1 to February 28; reduced services.
Campground Reservable Dates:	April 6 - September 15
Total Number of Vehicle Accessible Campsites:	44 vehicle accessible sites 16 park/walk-in sites
Number of Reservable Campsites, if applicable: (all remaining sites are first-come, first-served)	30 vehicle accessible sites 12 park/walk-in sites
Note: The above information is for the campground only. Park users can still walk into the park if conditions such as weather permit. Check the "Attention Visitor Notice" above for park alerts.

There are sixteen (16) walk-in campsites are available. There is a flat path to the camping area, approximately 5 minutes from the parking lot. The majority of these campsites are small, ocean front sites. There are no picnic tables at these campsites, only sitting benches. There are communal fire rings. These sites are located adjacent to a popular grassy, marine cove day-use area and to the amphitheatre, which is not is use at this time. Garbage bins are provided. There are no flush toilets located within this campground area, however there are two pit toilets.
Walk/Cycle-in Frontcountry Camping Fee: $10.00 per party / night

No group campsites.

This park has a day-use/picnic area. There is a beach that is mostly pebbled and rocky with large driftwood. There are several picnic tables located along the ocean front of Howe Sound. There can be quite strong in and out flow winds along the Howe Sound. Garbage bins are provided. There are no covered shelters or change houses in the day-use area. Flush toilets are available. There are no fire pits. Some picnic tables have barbeque attachments. Pets must be on a leash at all times. The gate is locked between the hours of 11pm and 7 am.
Day-use Area Vehicle Parking Fee: $1.00 per vehicle / hour to a maximum of $3.00 per vehicle per/day. For information about yearly parking passes, or further information about parking fees, click here.

There are both flush and pit toilets for disabled visitors. No sites are designated specifically for the disabled, however, most sites are comprised of small crushed gravel which does allow for wheelchair mobility. The BC Ferries Emergency Ferry Pier located within the main day-use area provides a paved walkway to provide viewing opportunities of Howe Sound. There are disabled parking stalls. A few of the picnic tables are on paved table pads.

Cold water taps are located in both the day-use and campground areas. Park visitors are requested not to wash dishes at the water taps. Taps are shut off during the low season.

There are pit and flush toilets located in the campground, and only flush toilets in the day-use area. During Low-Season, only pit toilets are available for use in the campground. The Diver’s Building is open year round which has flush toilets available which is located in the small upper parking located adjacent to Highway 99.

There is a shower building located in the campground that provides hot water and electrical outlets for hair dryers, razors etc.

A sani-station/dump is available in this park all year, although, due to freezing, the water may be shut off during low season. It is located just past the gatehouse at the entrance to the campground. There are also sani-stations located in Squamish and Brackendale area.
Sani-station Use Fee: $2.00 per discharge

Campfires are permitted in designated fire rings only. Firewood is available for sale, or park visitors may opt to bring their own. Collection and burning of driftwood is prohibited. Beach wood is an essential component of the inter-tidal zone. Collection and burning of woody debris such as leaves, branches etc. is also prohibited. Trees and woody debris provide critical habitat for wildlife and put important nutrients back into the soil. Winds off the ocean blow campfire smoke into adjacent campsites, so please respect your neighbours and their air quality.

Porteau Cove Provincial Park offers electrical hook-ups at 44 vehicle accessible sites. Serviced campsites cost an additional $5/night.

The Sea to Sky Interpretive Programs are available for groups and designed to showcase the natural habitat and geography of the parks within the Sea to Sky corridor. A very unique program titled “Bear Habitat” which utilizes a variety of props and games that focus on the habitat and characteristics of the black bear is offered at this park as well as Alice Lake and Mount Seymour provincial parks. For details or to book a group, please contact: Ellen Fulton, Sea to Sky Parks; Ph: 604-986-9371 or email: info@seatoskyparks.com

There is an easy walking trail to a lookout that overlooks Porteau Cove and Howe Sound. There is a slight elevation gain with a series of rock and wooden steps. The walk to the lookout is approximately 300 metres. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

This park does not have a playground.

The park has a rock and pebble beach for ocean swimming; sneakers or beach shoes are recommended. A series of man-made reefs and two sunken vessels provide excellent scuba diving opportunities. There are no lifeguards on duty at provincial parks.

Canoeing and kayaking in ocean area; know the ocean currents. The nearest kayak/canoe rentals are in Squamish.

There are two (2) paved double-wide boat launches. It may not be possible to launch during low tide. It may be difficult to launch during the winter months due to the high volumes of driftwood that accumulate on the boat launches. There is parking available for vehicles and trailers in the day-use area. Boats are prohibited in the Dive Area. There is also one mooring buoy and a float available for moorage in the small cove.
Mooring (to buoy) Fee: $10.00 per vessel / night
Dock Facilities Use Fee: $2.00 per metre / night

Outside the park boundary, fish for salmon and bottom feeders such as cod in the ocean area. No harvesting or collection of marine life within the park foreshore boundary. Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.

Bicycles must keep to roadways and trails. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.

No horseback riding.

Pets/domestic animals must be on a leash at all times. 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.

A short walking trail leads to a lookout which provides a spectacular view of Howe Sound and Porteau Cove. There are also good views of marine waterfowl and the occasional seal.

Day use is open with limited facilities. Winter camping is permitted, but services are limited. Only portions of the campground may be vehicle accessible; access may be restricted due to snow fall.

A series of man-made reefs and two sunken vessels provide excellent scuba diving opportunities. Depths vary from 6m to 18m (20' to 60'). Be cautious of changing tides and strong in and outflow winds. Penetration of vessels is not recommended. The diving area is marked by a series of marker buoys. Various fascinating marine life has established itself throughout the dive area. Harvesting or harassment of marine life is prohibited within the park’s marine foreshore. Diving from a boat is prohibited within the park boundary. There is a diver’s building located within the park which provides cold showers and a change area. These showers are turned off during the summer months because two outdoor showers are provided for the same purpose. There are steps that lead down to the water’s edge that are located in the main parking lot. Please use proper etiquette when changing into and out dive gear in the parking lots, and avoid gear sprawl that inhibits vehicular traffic. Commercial diving such as providing instruction and guiding is prohibited unless authorized by a Park Use Permit.

The strong winds of Howe Sound can create excellent windsurfing opportunities. A very popular windsurfing area known as the "Spit" is located in Squamish at the confluence of the Squamish River and Howe Sound.

No waterskiing opportunities.

No hunting in the park.

The closest climbing opportunities are at Murrin Provincial and Stawamus Chief Provincial park.

No spelunking or caving opportunities.

No cabins, yurts or lodges for public use.