Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.
If you ever get to the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, there are two unique attractions in Powell River you might easily miss:
- Powell River Giant Hulks breakwater
- Willingdon Beach Trail
First, Willingdon.
Though it’s an easy, flat 1.2km stroll one way, I still rank Willingdon one of the best hikes in North America because it’s so unique. Historical.
Started 1910 as a logging railway along the coast, today it’s an outdoor museum of forestry technology, gradually being consumed by temperate rainforest.
Start at the main coastal park in downtown Powell River and walk towards Willingdon Beach Campsite (excellent, by the way).
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
After you finish the trail, if you continue walking towards the Pulp Mill — staying as close to the water as you can — you’ll get some distant views of the largest floating Hulk breakwater in the world. Very cool.
It’s used to protect the Pulp Mill’s log storage pond.
While nine of these ten ships were built during the Second World War, the tenth ship, the S. S. Peralta, is the last remaining WWI concrete ship afloat.
Click PLAY or see them on YouTube.
related – trip report – Adventure Awaits – Willingdon Beach Trail
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