Friday, June 25, 2010

Lund, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada

By KC Beam

Lund is located at the north end of Highway 101, which is part of the Pan American Highway, one of the world's longest highways. The other end is 9446 miles away in the South American town of Quellon, Porto Monte, Chile.

The fishing town of Lund, a 20-minute drive north from Powell River on BC's Sunshine Coast, has maintained its magic as a serene coastal town. Lund was named by brothers Frederick and Charles Thulin when they arrived in the harbour in December 1889. The Thulins built a store and in 1892 a post office was added followed by the first licensed hotel north of Vancouver two years later. Logging and fishing were the source of income in the early years. Transportation was by water. A paved road leading south to Vancouver was completed in 1954 and coastal steamer service ended two years later.

Today, the historic Lund Hotel is at the centre of everything. The hotel has a restaurant and pub with ocean views. It is also home to a Laundromat, general store, post office, shops and other services.

The Sunshine Coast Trail which in found in this area offers great scenic hikes. It begins at Saltery Bay ferry terminal in the south to Sarah Point in the world-famous Desolation Sound in the north.

Outside the north end of the Lund Harbour, the pristine Copeland Islands hug the shoreline toward world-renowned Desolation Sound Provincial Marine Park. Another route to Desolation Sound is up Okeover Inlet past the commercial oyster farms and through Malaspina Inlet. Both extremely popular waterways are happily shared by sport and commercial fishers, pleasure boaters, kayakers and avid scuba divers who enjoy the excellent underwater visibility and abundant sea life.

British Columbia was voted the number one scuba diving destination in the world by readers of Scuba Diving Magazine and the Lund area plays a major role in that acclaim. Jacques Cousteau rated it as second best in the world for abundance of sea life. Boasting the warmest waters north of the Baja, the clarity, especially in the winter (up to 30m), and the lack of predators are only two of the reasons the area is deservedly known as one of the premier diving locales on the west coast of North America.

The town is the gateway to the world famous Desolation Sound. This Provincial Marine Park is an ocean playground for power boaters, sail boaters and especially kayakers. Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands have so many coves, inlets, and bays that they haven't all been named.

This area is often called the vacation paradise with unlimited opportunities, stunning scenery, clear warm waters and a mild, year round climate.

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