Ep. 24 Adventures in Gibsons, 'the Sunshine Coast' British Columbia
Travel guide?
In honor of the upcoming Canadian holiday, Canada Day I’m going to time travel back to March of 2025. Which given this year, feels like eons ago. Back when we were still in Whistler, BC - we weren’t ready to leave Canada yet so we woke up on a Thursday morning & started looking at AirBnb’s for that night on an island off the coast.
In the Howe Sound just north of Vancouver, there a a number of islands. We took the ferry out of Horseshoe Bay and made our way over to the port of Langdale on what is also known as ‘the sunshine coast’. Typically, this area of Howe Sound gets more sun than the rainy Pacific Northwest rest. 1+1 = 2.
I didn’t grow up getting on ferry boats, driving onto ferry boats, using a ferry boat as a regular mode of transportation and the whole thing makes me giddy. Also, as my husband will a test to, each time driving onto the ferry makes me quite nervous. But still giddy.
I made it almost 2 months on this trip without taking out my camera once. Better late than never.
Where We Stayed
We truly booked our AirBnb that morning around 10:00am and arrived on the 3:30pm ferry. Again, off season, but heck did we ever get so lucky. We stayed in the town of Gibsons. Our AirBnb was walking distance to small beach (Franklin Beach), walking distance to town (highly recommend if staying in the peak season due to small town/parking, etc), fenced in private yard (perfect for the dog) and just the sweetest lil cottage you ever did see.
Shop windows Downtown Gibsons
Really sweet downtown main street & shops. I personally loved being there in the off season when it was a bit quieter, less people to contend with. You could easily just take 1/2 day afternoon and enjoy if you make it part of your agenda.
Beautiful Outdoors
We grabbed some breakfast to go and eat by the water at Smuggler’s Cove (yes a real place) & fought off Maggie (the pup) trying to eat it. We walked along a jetty and enjoyed some really great bird watching.
Cliff Gilker Park
Great trails, great trail system. Super clear, easy to navigate and easy to get to and park.
I truly had no expectations and had no idea this place even existed prior to arriving off the ferry,
But holy moly was it ever so special. It was like being transported into a Dr. Seuss rainforest. I’m not sure how different it is in summer, given it rains constantly in the winter/spring while we were there. It was magical.
Where We Ate & Drank on Gibsons
Over the 3 days we were on the island, we went here twice. Beer is excellent, vibes are great. It was lovely in late February and enjoyed having most of the place to ourselves, but I can imagine in the peak of summer how busy it must be. Right on the water with great brews n’ a great view of the harbor. Food looked good, swag looked good - but we didn’t grab any.
We got breakfast to go & went out to the water and ate at picnic tables while trying to fight off our puppy (see above outdoor photos). Inside is super fun. Was busy & there was a wait, but looked totally worth it for the vibes. They had a little counter top bar area that looked super fun. Food was delish, potatoes were stellar. I got a veggie breakfast burrito & had half I was able to save for later. Oh, the homemade hot sauce is bomb. I think Ryan got a breakfast sando of some kind.
During the off season they had a ‘happy hour all day’ on Monday so of course, I was adamant about eating here on a Monday. We sat at the bar. Food was delish, margarita was on point & staff was super friendly. Would recommend for any group/families/casual/celebrations, etc.
We ate here on our last night as kind of a ‘treat to a nice meal’ moment, as it was our last night in Canada. The setting is absolutely lovely, right on the water. We split a pizza & a pasta (cacio e peppe) and ordered a side of the oven roasted vegetables ←theseeee were excellent. Just thinking about them makes me want to make something similar for supper tonight.
And just like that, we were back at the ferry terminal waiting for our boat back to mainland Canada.
xo Justine
