View breathtaking scenery and get a good workout at the same time. There are countless places to hike and bike in the surrounding area.
The Sun Coaster Trail is a series of trails linking the length of the Sunshine Coast, with routes ranging from easy to challenging.
Bird watching is one of the most popular year round past times. Our centrepiece Bird Sanctuary at Ruby Lake Resort boasts one of the largest concentration of wood ducks on the Sunshine Coast.
Additionally, we have over 120 species of birds, which over the four seasons call Ruby Lake their home, and one of the largest concentrations of congregated nest sites in the area.
There are 3 different species of swallows nesting in the Sanctuary - Barn, Tree, and Violet-Green. Their nest sites can be seen all over the Cottage area, which looks over the Sanctuary. In Spring flocks of up to 5000 swallows can be seen over Ruby Lake.
Other regular ornithological visitors to Ruby Lake include blue herons, bald eagles, kingfishers, hawks, ospreys, turkey vultures, hummingbirds and, of course, the main attraction, wood ducks.
The spectacular wood ducks have been the focal point for the resort's conservation efforts. The male wood duck is the best-dressed bird on the pond, resplendent in purple and green. The birds normally nest in tree cavities, but they've taken readily to nest boxes installed by Aldo. Every summer we see between 16 to 30 ducklings. After the ducklings hatch, the mother calls to them from beyond the nest, and the day-old birds climb up the inside of the box, using a claw on their tiny webbed feet, and jump from the opening, often fluttering 10 meters or more.
Located 5 minutes from the Resort is the family-run Malaspina Ranch. Enjoy full and half-day trips through splendid mountain trails.
Malaspina Ranch 604 883 1126
Pender Harbour Golf Club Society was established in 1986 as a 9-hole course open to the public. Pender Harbour is carved from dense Sunshine Coast forest, providing a unique and challenging blend of gently rolling and hilly freeways.
Sechelt Golf and Country Club is located on a plateau above the small oceanside town of Sechelt.
Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club is a stunning 18-hole layout of scenic and challenging golf - the rolling fairways are well-groomed and cut through a forest of towering evergreens.
Pender Harbour Golf Club Society 604 883 9541
Sechelt Golf and Country Club 604 885 4653
Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club 604 885 9212
For an artsy twist to your journey, enjoy an ‘Arts in the Wilderness Cruise’ to either Princess Louisa Inlet or Hotham Sound. The cruises are accompanied by local writers, photographers, creative guides and naturalists. Gourmet lunch is included.
Artesia Tours and Retreats 1 800 690 7887
The Sunshine Coast is home to one of the highest per-capita ratio of artists, crafters and talented artisans in Canada. The Coast Cultural Alliance (CCA) is an organization of artists and supporters dedicated to ‘a celebration for the arts’, of which Ruby Lake Resort is a proud member. Please contact the CCA for a full list of galleries, events, workshops and art tours on the Sunshine Coast.
Coast Cultural Alliance: 1 604 886 2278 www.suncoastarts.com
The Coast is famous for its talented writers. Enjoy Fishing With John, by Garden Bay's Edith Iglauer Daly or Raincoast Chronicles by our own Harbour Publishing for some local coastal lore. Learn some of Pender Harbour's fascinating history in The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchette. Alternatively, read an L.R. Wright Sunshine Coast murder-mystery, Bertrand Russell: Pender Harbour Cowboy by Betty Keller or a perfectly trashy, best-selling romance novel by Judy Gill, from Egmont.
The 20th Annual Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts takes place August 8-11 at the Rockwood Centre in Sechelt. For more information, please contact:
1-800-565-9631 info@writersfestival.ca www.writersfestival.ca
The Sunshine Coast’s mild temperature has attracted gardeners from everywhere. Where else in Canada can you break soil and toil in your garden in January, see semi-tropical plants (even banana trees!) and enjoy color 12 months a year? For more information regarding tours, please contact:
Dahlia’s Galore Perennial Garden Tours 1 604 885 4841
For at least 3000 years, aboriginal people have lived in the Sechelt area. Certain areas are deemed highly spiritual, including the still visible ‘rock rings’ on Mount Daniel near Garden Bay. Pictographs depicting historical events can be seen along some waterfront rock faces. The Sechelt Band was the first in Canada to achieve self-government status.
House of Hewhiwus, Sechelt
Tem-Swiya Museum, Sechelt 604 885 8991
Raven’s Cry Theatre, Sechelt 604 885 9631
Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives 604 886 8232
Gibson’s Landing Heritage Society 604 886 7573
Maritime Museum & Maritime History Society 604 886 4114
Mountain High Cycle 604 885 0600
On The Edge Bike Shop 604 883 2995
Suncoast Trails Society 604 883 9043
Malaspina Ranch 604 883 1126
Trail Bay Sports 604 885 2512
Mountain Bikers can enjoy a ‘ferry to ferry’ bike route from Langdale to Earl’s Cove. This route allows cyclists easy access to a multitude of different areas and cycling loops.
Adjacent to Ruby Lake Resort lies the Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretive Centre.
The Cogrossi family granted the Lagoon Society occupancy rights to 20 acres of their marsh and wetland, on which a $1,000,000 log home was constructed.
This structure houses displays, workshops, aquariums and an ongoing project to build 5 ponds on the marshy areas with intricate cedar walkways and an observatory.
This part of the world is considered to have one of the darkest parts of sky in the world, therefore plans are in place for a powerful telescope to allow viewing of the magnificent starry sky.
To learn more about the wood duck and other wildlife, come join us in our Annual Wood Duck Wilderness Festival. Real enthusiasts can come take part in the annual Pender Harbour bird count with the Pender Harbour Wildlife Society in December. For more information contact:
Tony Greenfield 604-885-5539.
