There are few places on Vancouver Island as remote as this area. There is no land access into the Brooks, you arrive by water or air and you must leave the same way. The coast is open, exposed directly to the winds and surf pounding from the North and West. Calm days are rare, wind and waves are the norm.

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People die out here, in 1993 I almost died out here. The area is wonderfully invigorating in good weather, treacherous the rest of the time but feeling remote all of the time. Plan buffer days into any trip and bring a satellite communication device (findmespot.com) so that you are able to hang out during poor weather and still let everyone at home know not to worry.

Few trips paddle round round Cape Cook to connect the two halves of the Peninsula, it can happen but is weather dependant. Stay too long and you could be faced with a long trip back to your vehicle if you have to end your trip on the opposite side from where you started.

This guide focuses on the Northern trip. For best results, download the Google Earth .KMZ file from the DOWNLOADS section on the right to match the descriptions with a map reference. Alternatively, scoll to the very bottom of this page and view our custom map within a Google Earth plug-in. Firefox seems to have trouble with the plug in but Chrome and Safari seem to work fine.

Heater Point to Cape Cook Lagoon. 11 km. Head out past Heater Point and turn South East. Follow the coast generally South as you paddle towards the Brooks. There are a number of pocket beaches along the coast here, they can offer camping and shelter in calm conditions but are susceptible to winds from the South. Poor conditions can drive open swell onto these beaches creating 10' breakers crashing through the rock gardens before hitting the beach that could create interesting launch or landing conditions with a fully loaded sea kayak. 

• Bonner Beach. At the outer edge of the Klaskino Inlet, just past Sapir Point, Bonner Beach offers a relatively protected landing area when the wind is from the North and might be acceptable in Southern blows as well. There is a good stream just East of the beach, look for an overland trail (unconfirmed).
  
  
•  Klaskish Beach. 2km East of Bonner Beach and a bit more sheltered is Klaskish Beach, another decent looking camping area with what appears to be a steady water supply.
  
  
•  East Creek Camp. This is a very sheltered camp tucked within the trees on the small beach South of the East Creek tidal flats. *The entire drainage area of East Creek is exposed at low tide, if you bring a kayak all the way up to East Creek itself on the high tide it will be a long walk back to the waters edge at low tide. This is a nice camp location for anyone coming in from the Klaskish River via inflatable or folding kayaks. 

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Drift Whale Bay. Wind and surf from the North West pound Drift Whale Beach and Cape Cook Lagoon relentlessly. Surf landings might be necessary but check out the sand spit at Cape Cook Lagoon before you commit. The beach is broad and gloriously sandy, it is heaven to sit out here on a warm summer day. There is a trickle of freshwater at the North end of the beach in the summer, nothing significant but enough to get you by. If you find this dry head to the Lagoon. 

• Cape Cook Lagoon. A windswept, sandy spit nearly chokes off Kingfisher Creek creating the huge lagoon. At low tide most of the area is exposed with only a channel down the middle. You can camp on the beach amid the driftwood or, if you want a break from the blowing sand, look into the trees just beyond the salal and you will discover an entirely sheltered camping experience. 
  
  At low tide a small stream provides convenient fresh water close to camp however it may run dry in summer. Look for 'Lagoon Creek' on the Google Earth map.
   
• Kingfisher Creek. The creek is brackish until you reach the junction with Mark's Creek, about 1/2 km inland but is a steady year round water source and offers a nice day hike excursion for groups land locked due to weather. 

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Cape Cook. Cape Cook and nearby Solander Island are noted as some of the windiest areas anywhere along BC's Pacific Coast. Loggers in the region tell stories of satellite dishes being ripped free of their tethers and flung into the air like a giant frisbee. It is about 15km between Guillames Beach and Nordstom Beach requiring 3 to 4 hours of paddling on average. The weather is typically calmest in the morning and evening. 

The South side of the Brooks Peninsula will be covered in a different guide.

• Wild and unpopulated coast. Lots of it. 
• There are marine mammals including whales and porpoise in the area, sea otters, bears, wolves, deer and hordes of eagles, ravens and seagulls. 
• At the East Creek tidal delta there were many eagles in the area. At low tide they would swoop down into the shallow water to grab critters that did not retreat with the tide as quickly as they should have.
• Kingfisher Creek lives up to its name as the raucous cries of the annoyed birds would ring out whenever another bird dared venture into an already claimed territory.
• I have not tested the theory but expect crab and shellfish to be abundant in the region. East Creek at low tide would seem a natural location for clam digging.

• Wind and Surf. Depending on the direction it is blowing from it will generate surf on many of the beaches you are trying to land on. Study the map, look for alternatives if the weather is blowing onto the beach you want to hit or be comfortable with surf landings and exits. If it really picks up and you are about to head home but are not comfortable with the conditions... sit tight. Better to wait it out and arrive home safe than to push off into conditions you are not prepared for.
• Hypothermia. The water is cold, you won't last long swimming and the shores are rocky in many areas making an easy exit from the water challenging at the very least. PFD's and wetsuits or dry suits are recommended as are gloves and footwear.

Do you have cool pics from this area you would like to share with us? Mail them to adventure (at) ecospirit.ca!