Mansons Landing

Mansons Landing Provincial Park is located on Cortes Island in British Columbia's Discovery Islands, encompassing 100 hectares including both upland and foreshore areas. The park fronts both freshwater Hague Lake and saltwater Manson Bay, offering diverse recreation opportunities in a scenic island setting. Established in 1974, the park protects coastal and freshwater environments while providing public access to beaches, swimming areas, and marine wildlife viewing locations. The park serves Cortes Island residents and visitors exploring the Gulf Islands, offering a unique combination of lake and ocean environments within one protected area.

The park's dual freshwater and marine environments support diverse wildlife communities. Marine areas of Manson Bay's lagoon provide habitat for oysters, clams, crabs, moon snails, nudibranchs, and various fish including all five Pacific salmon species offshore. Harbor seals frequent the area, while river otters hunt in both freshwater and marine environments. Black-tailed deer are common in forested areas, along with red squirrels and ravens as year-round residents. Bird species include bald eagles, great blue herons, various waterfowl, shorebirds in the lagoon, and forest songbirds. Hague Lake contains cutthroat trout, attracting anglers and fish-eating birds like kingfishers and mergansers.

The park features typical Gulf Islands vegetation with Douglas-fir, western redcedar, arbutus, shore pine, red alder, and broadleaf maple creating diverse forest structure. The understory includes salal, Oregon grape, sword fern, and oceanspray, with seasonal wildflowers including camas and sea blush in open areas. Shoreline vegetation includes salt-tolerant species adapted to tidal influence and salt spray. Freshwater lake margins support sedges, rushes, and aquatic plants, while the marine lagoon features eelgrass beds important for juvenile fish and invertebrates. The Mediterranean-type climate supports distinctive vegetation including arbutus trees rare elsewhere in Canada.

Mansons Landing sits on the Wrangellia terrane, an exotic geological block that accreted to North America millions of years ago. The bedrock consists primarily of volcanic rocks from the formation of ancient island arcs, extensively modified by later geological processes. Glaciation during the ice age carved the channels between islands, deposited till and erratics, and shaped the current topography. Hague Lake occupies a glacially-modified depression, while Manson Bay represents a drowned valley flooded by post-glacial sea level rise. The tidal lagoon area demonstrates ongoing coastal processes including sediment deposition and erosion.

The park enjoys a mild maritime climate characteristic of the Gulf Islands, with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Summer temperatures typically range from 20-25°C with extended dry periods from June through August, ideal for outdoor recreation. Winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing at sea level, with most precipitation falling as rain between October and March. The area benefits from the rain shadow effect of Vancouver Island's mountains, receiving less precipitation than the nearby mainland coast. Annual precipitation averages 1,000-1,200mm. The island location provides moderating oceanic influences, preventing extreme temperatures year-round.

The Cortes Island area has been inhabited by Coast Salish peoples, particularly the Klahoose Nation, for thousands of years, who utilized the rich marine resources and sheltered waterways. The lagoon and lake would have provided abundant food resources including fish, shellfish, and waterfowl. Spanish explorers Galiano and Valdes charted these waters in 1792, naming Cortes Island after the Spanish conquistador. In 1880, Michael Manson, a Scottish immigrant, established a trading post in the present park area to trade with First Nations and supply the developing logging and fishing industries. The community that developed became known as Mansons Landing, maintaining a connection to these early settlement patterns.

Mansons Landing Provincial Park was established in 1974 to protect representative Gulf Islands ecosystems and provide public access to both freshwater and marine environments. The park's creation preserved important shoreline access as island properties became increasingly privatized. The unique combination of Hague Lake and Manson Bay's lagoon within one park provides diverse recreation and education opportunities. Management has maintained the park as a day-use area with minimal development, preserving natural character while providing basic facilities. The park serves as an important community resource for Cortes Island residents and an attraction for visitors exploring the Discovery Islands.

The park's main attractions include freshwater swimming in Hague Lake, which offers warmer temperatures than ocean swimming, and marine wildlife viewing in Manson Bay's lagoon where diverse intertidal life is accessible during low tides. A rough one-kilometer trail links the two day-use areas at the lake and lagoon, allowing visitors to experience both environments. The sandy spit at the lagoon provides beach access and kayak launching opportunities. At high tide, paddlers can explore the lagoon by kayak or canoe, while low tide reveals rich intertidal communities for observation. The combination of freshwater and marine environments within walking distance creates unique recreation and education opportunities.

The park features two separate day-use areas with basic facilities. The Hague Lake area includes two pit toilets, an information shelter, sandy beach, and small parking area, while Manson Bay's lagoon area offers picnic tables, one pit toilet, sandy spit, and parking. Both areas are accessible from Seaford Road on Cortes Island. Camping is not permitted in the park, though it is available at nearby Smelt Bay Park. Kayaking and canoeing are possible on Hague Lake or within the lagoon at high tide, with motorboats prohibited on the lake. The park is accessible via BC Ferries from Campbell River to Quadra Island, then a second ferry to Cortes Island. Visitors should bring drinking water as potable water is not available in the park.

The park protects important coastal lagoon habitat, freshwater lake ecosystem, and representative Gulf Islands forest communities. The lagoon provides critical nursery habitat for juvenile salmon and other fish species, while supporting diverse invertebrate communities. Conservation priorities include protecting the sensitive lagoon from pollution and disturbance, maintaining water quality in Hague Lake, and preserving forest habitat. The park's designation prevents development of these valuable shoreline areas, maintaining both ecological values and public access. Management challenges include balancing recreation use with habitat protection, preventing introduction of invasive species, and maintaining the natural character despite proximity to the small island community. The park contributes to the network of protected areas preserving Gulf Islands ecosystems.