5. Recommended Routes

Gold River — Third Beach

Gold River has basic services & bank machines. Tourist information (open summer only) is friendly and helpful.

Need accommodation in Gold River?

It’s 14 km from town to the wharf where you catch either the Uchuck ferry or Air Nootka. Find some transportation rather than hike this long road.

Flying Gold River to the Louie Bay trailhead

On the Air Nootka flight out, sit on the right hand side of the plane to scope the shoreline from a birds-eye view. The pilot will have important advice for you en route. Note the intimidating rocky headlands.

Louie Lagoon is also referred to as Starfish Lagoon. Check the many colourful starfish and colourless jellyfish.

In Louie Lagoon the water is almost always calm. It’s a wet exit (wear water shoes) — you arrive near the south tip of the lagoon.

Change your footwear then plunge immediately in to a rugged rain forest path bushwhack. Big logs, big bogs, thick vegetation, & slippery uprooted trees. Fortunately, it takes less than an hour to reach Third Beach. Map.

Note: motor boats cannot get into Louie Lagoon where the plane lands. If you come in by boat you should disembark near Tongue Point on Louis Bay instead (map) at/near high tide, then walk along the north-west bay shore to to the isthmus of Louie Bay. This waterway will take you to the Pacific coast where you will easily find your way to Third Beach.

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