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10 Must-Instagram Spots on the Gorgeous Sunshine Coast

Fill your feed with these 10 breathtaking spots on the Sunshine Coast

Credit: @lori_lees

Looking for a memorable getaway with stunning views? Just hop on a ferry or a floatplane and before you know it you’ll be enveloped in a Pacific tableau of sea and sky on the picturesque Sunshine Coast. So grab your friends and family—and most importantly your your smartphone—and fill your Instragram feed with these 10 instagram-worthy spots. And don’t forget hashtag #SunshineCoastBC and #exploreBC along the way.

Credit: @schipalong

This is a classic Sunshine Coast viewpoint – with ocean, islands and evergreen-fringed hills as far as the eye can see. Hike the 434 steps to this summit for shots from three main lookouts: southeast toward Keats and Bowen Islands, northeast toward Gambier Island and southwest toward Gibsons.

Credit: Barett Soroka; @sunny.side.up.life

This pebbly beach south of Sechelt stretches for kilometres, with views across the Georgia Strait to Vancouver Island. Stroll the paved walkway watching for windsurfers and scavenge for seashells in the tidal pools. Then pause to photograph the striking wooden wharf, where fishermen cast their lines and local kids cannonball into the water on balmy afternoons.

The view at the top of this steep, 1.5 km trek above Pender Harbour will make the sweating worthwhile – promise. Take a hard-earned breather among moss-covered rocks, juniper bushes and arbutus trees, gazing out over deep-blue water and thick forest. Keep your eyes peeled (and smartphone ready) for bald eagles, and local wildflowers, like Indian paintbrush.

Credit: @repjames

Just east of Egmont, you’ll find the trailhead to a gentle, forested 4 km hike. Your destination – and ultimate photo opp – is the Narrows, a whitewater wonder where extreme kayakers and paddleboarders battle whirlpools created by changing tides, and 760 billion litres of rushing water. Get an action shot, then scout for close-ups with sea stars, urchins and crabs along the beach.

This is the heritage heart of Powell River, built in 1910. Today, more than 400 of the town’s original – and highly photogenic – arts-and-crafts-style buildings remain, as does the Spanish-revival-style Patricia Theatre, built in 1928. Take a photo-walking tour, then recharge with pint of Suncoast Pale Ale at Townsite Brewing, located in the town’s former post office.

Credit: @lori_lees

Beachcombers made this quaint waterfront famous in the ’70s and ’80s – so get your iconic images of Molly’s Reach café (where the series often filmed) and the Persephone, the tugboat owned by the cranky character of Relic. From there, wander among adorable shops, galleries and restaurants, ending at Winegarden Waterfront Park for a panorama of harbour and mountains.

Bring a picnic lunch, and climb the kilometre-long trail, with 100 rock and wooden stairs, to this lookout with views of Powell Lake, historic Townsite, Texada Island, Harwood Island and the Salish Sea. After snapping to your heart’s content, spread out and chill on the mossy rocks.

This is the longest “hut to hut” hike in Canada, running 180 km from Sarah Point, north of Lund, to Saltery Bay (with plenty of day-hike entries between). Tin Hat Mountain, the 1,200-metre-high halfway point, offers incredible views of mountain peaks, glinting lakes and valleys carpeted with green. Compose your photo with the tiny alpine hut in the foreground – or yourself, posing like a triumphant mountaineer. 

This tiny small-craft harbour, home to many a summer cabin, is the gateway to Desolation Sound – and the water-taxi stop for departures to the white-sand paradise of Savary Island. Snap a selfie on the boardwalk, devour fish and chips at The Boardwalk Restaurant and order a blackberry-cinnamon roll at Nancy’s Bakery.

Heart-rendingly beautiful Desolation Sound, north of Lund, is the largest marine park in Western Canada. To capture it at its wildest and most blindingly blue, get out on the water in a kayak or pleasure boat. Explore the rocky shores, gape at the fjords and cross your fingers for photobombs by sea lions, dolphins – and maybe even orcas. #speechless

Presented by Sunshine Coast Tourism