Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park
Markus enjoying the view at the top of Smuggler Cove hike in British Columbia
About Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park
On a recent trip to Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, we stopped by the Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park to do a hike with our dog Markus. The hike was fairly easy and it took about 2 hours to do with the dog, but you will likely spend more time because of the views along the way, which is the best part about this hike. Because of these beautiful views, Smuggler Cove can get very busy, so we recommend doing it earlier in the day.
Parking
If you're coming on the weekend, parking can be hard to find. When you arrive, you'll be on Brooks Rd. and a lot of people end up parking here. I've seen it get so busy that people are parked all the way down Brooks Rd, around the mini cul-de-sac and then back up the other side of Brooks Rd. This was over a long weekend, so it was especially busy.
The Hike
Type: Trail
Length: 3.5 km
Traffic: Moderate to Heavy
Route Type: Out & Back (with a small loop)
Markus walking along the man-made bridge on the Smuggler Cove hike in British Columbia
The hike itself is well-maintained and isn't too difficult. There are short areas where you'll have to go up and down, but it's a great place to bring your dog. You'll want to dress comfortably especially on a nice day as it can get hot during the hike and again when you get to the end. It is a little bit of a workout, so be prepared for it.
Along the hike, we came across a beaver dam and a few man-made bridges to get over some swampy areas. On one of the man-made bridges, we did see a dog that had fallen over into the swamp and the owner had to go in to get him back. That said, the bridges are pretty wide so I'm not exactly sure how the dog fell over.
We also came across some Garter snakes, which are generally harmless. Since they're more in the bushes and lower to the ground, they're not something that we notice right away and your dog will likely notice it before you do. That was certainly the case for us as Markus was barking and growling at the snake long before we noticed it. Again, these snakes are generally harmless, but there's just something about seeing snakes that's startling to most people.
Somewhere towards the middle of the hike, you'll come across a nice lookout of Smuggler Cove. There's also a different trail that'll lead you to campsites, so make sure you don't accidentally take that path. You basically want to follow the path along the water. You can take some time here to enjoy the view, but the greater view is yet to come.
The Amazing View
Markus taking the time to pause at the top of the the Smuggler Cove hike to enjoy the view
There's a lot I can say to try to describe the view at the end of the hike, but you really just need to see it for yourself. Towards the end, there are a few areas you can stop and you can probably spend quite some time at each one of these. The first stop will be on your left over some rocks. The view here overlooks Halfmoon Bay with trees on both sides and it is stunning. When we were there, we had the sun dancing off the waters as well. Truly, British Columbia.
When you're ready to keep going, you can head back on the path and it'll take you upwards and around the corner a little bit. This path will take you towards the top of the cove where you'll get a great view overlooking Smuggler Cove on one side and outwards towards the Straight of Georgia on the other.
When you've had the chance to soak everything in, you can keep following this path and it eventually meets up with the path that you came up from. From here, you'll head back on the path that you took on the way up until you're back at the beginning and that's the hike.
A shot from the viewpoint a little higher up that overlooks Smuggler Cove
We absolutely loved this hike and we have actually been back for a second time since. If you had to decide between this hike and the Skookumchuck Narrows hike, we would recommend this one, but that's our personal preference. That said, Skookumchuck Narrows was a lot quieter, so if your dog is very reactive, you might want to consider that one instead.
What we liked
The view is breathtaking and you can spend quite a bit of time just soaking it in.
The trail is easy, though there is a little bit of up and down.
What we didn’t like
Snakes!
Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs
We found this hike to be enjoyable and the view at the made it worth it. It's an on-leash hike and I don't recall coming across any dogs that were off-leash and we certainly never came across another dog that we had issues with. While I’m sure there will always be some, I personally don’t think it’s completely safe for dogs to be fully off-leash because of the snakes. The paths are fairly wide for dogs to pass each other and the tightest spots were probably the man-made bridges (perhaps this is how that one dog fell over), so keep that in mind.
