Squrriel Cove Salmon Creek Cortes Island British Columbia. Canada. BCX 0207.
Nestled at the entrance to enchanting Desolation Sound, tranquil and friendly Cortes Island is one of the most impressive of the Discovery Islands, with its placid lakes, beaches, and rugged gorges. Located between Campbell River on central Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, the Discovery Islands dot the intricate waterways in some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. There are three settlements on Cortes: Whaletown at the ferry dock, Manson's Landing with its sandy beaches, and Squirrel Cove, an anchorage facing Desolation Sound. The moment you step onto a ferry heading for the islands, the pace relaxes and the smiles break out. Cortes Island is about 16 miles (25 km) long, 8 miles (13 km) wide and 13,000 hectares in area. The southern half of Cortes lies in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island, creating a drier climate than the northern half of the island. Most of the island's population lives on the southern end, along with Arbutus and Manzanita trees that cling to the bleached granite bluffs. Native to this part of British Columbia is the Klahoose First Nation, a northern Coast Salish tribe who maintained seasonal and permanent villages from Toba Inlet south to Cortes Island. When the main villages in Toba Inlet were flooded in the 1800s, the Klahoose Band selected their traditional winter settlement at Squirrel Cove as their permanent site. Cortes Island (pronounced Cortez) and nearby Hernando Island were named after the Spanish conqueror of Mexico, Hernando Cortes. This unlikely link was established by the Spanish cartographer, Valdez, who charted these waters in 1793. The Spanish never settled the area, but Cortes and other Spanish names remained. The main islands in the Discovery Islands group are Quadra Island, Cortes Island and the Outer Islands, the largest of which include East and West Thurlow Islands, Sonora Island, Stuart Island, Maurelle Island, Read Island, Raza Island, and East and West Redonda Is.
Size: 5620px × 3733px
Location: Squrriel Cove, Salmon Creek, Cortes Island, Vancouver, BC, British Columbia. Canada.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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