mansons landing provincial park

Quite possibly one of the most beautiful places on the face of the planet. A long white sand beach that extends out to a point where the water flows in and out of a lagoon with the tide. It is fantastic for sunsets and nature watching. Many species of birds can be observed up close! You must not miss this spot if you are on the island.

A great place to walk around and explore when the tide is out. We spent about an hour in the bay checking all the little creatures about. Then a walk over to the dock to see the fishing boats and pleasure crafts.

Not everyone loves shellfish but if you do Mansons Landing Provincial Park is the best place you can go to find fresh clams for the taking. Check local tides and arrive at some suitable time when the tide is going out, slack or just returning. Enter the park by its access road and drive to the round-about where you'll find parking. Look east to a lagoon that drains a tidal flat and anywhere inside the lagoon head off with bucket and dig for clams. You find them easy to dig, they lie 5-6 cm below the surface in a sandy substrate. A shovel will help start the search, but you can use anything to start the dig - a stick, spoon, a plastic cup. After that just hands work fine. They are so abundant you'll have enough for a family chowder or plate of clam fritters in 10-15 minutes. You'll find several species of BC clams. The ones with coloured shells are Manila Clams those with white shells are Little Neck Clams. BC clams do not taste as well as those say from eastern Canada or the eastern US. Some might say that is a "matter-of-taste" (they would be correct), but anyone from those areas will understand - the Atlantic ocean is saltier and has a much different taste than Pacific waters. Clams there are richer tasting. It is due to the water. Pacific water has a taste of its own. Compounding that is the inside coast of BC is virtually a large estuary where fresh and salt water are mixed. Having said that - you'll love forageing on Cortez and will enjoy the clams.

If you come to Cortes, you have to plan a day to experience this amazing place!! This is where the sand dollars grow in abundance (the black sand dollars are alive - be gentle), there are clams and oysters galore and tons of sea life! My daughter and her cousin were occupied for hours just sitting in waist high water and exploring...they found sea urchins, starfish, all different kinds of crabs including hermit crabs, etc. Bring a few beach chairs, a cooler, maybe some floats and stay for the day. The best part of the experience is standing (or floating) where the tide rolls in.....such a great experience!!! My daughter has talked about this since her first visit when she was two. ;-)

Mansons Landing Provincial Park is a fantastic lagoon that empties out with the tides (we get 18ft tides up here).If you have a fishing license you can dig for clams here and you can get a few hundred in not time at all. Please check for closures before going out. See http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/index-eng.htmlPack a picnic enjoy nature and let the kids run around. Just wonderful. Hope that helps.