Sunshine and Salt Air: A Recreation Guide to the Sunshine Coast

Frank McGee was a Toronto-based freelance writer.

The Sunshine Coast, renowned for its spectacular landscapes and balmy climate, is only a 45-minute ferry ride from Vancouver. For those not familiar with Canada’s Pacific beauty, the CBC’s Beachcombers series is shot in Gibson, B.C., the town considered the gateway to this bit of Western paradise.

Sunshine and Salt Air: A Recreation Guide to the Sunshine Coast is a necessary companion for anyone intending to visit the area. The book outlines 67 hiking trails in this locale, and provides information on cycling, canoeing, diving, and cross-country skiing.

The book was put together by a team of ten contributors as an update to the Harbour Publishing Company’s successful Hiking Trails of the Sunshine Coast, a bestseller now out of print. The editors have very wisely graded each of the hikes to allow the novice or the die-hard hiker to indulge in the beauties of the Powell River and Sunshine Coast landscapes. The instructions, friendly and chatty, are concise but detailed, including hiking time, a brief description, the points of interest, and most important, easy to follow instructions on how to gain access to each of the trails. A brief mention of any possible hazards is also outlined.

The book is undoubtedly meant as a working guidebook and would frustrate anyone who only hikes from the living room to the kitchen.