Remote
Triangle Island, British Columbia
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Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park encompasses Lanz Island, Cox
Island and the three ecological reserves of Triangle Island, Beresford
Island and Sartine Island. Lanz and Cox Islands are part of the Scott
Islands chain, however the outer three islands are provincial ecological
reserves and public access is prohibited.
Formerly known as Scott Islands Provincial Park, this group of
islands is located off the extreme northern tip of Vancouver Island,
northwest of Cape Scott Provincial Park.
The Scott Island chain lies in the traditional territory of the
Yutlinuk First Nation. These people died out in the early 1800s
for a number of reasons, including the introduction of European
diseases. Few signs of their existence remain today.
The 5,514-hectare park (1,992 hectares upland and 3,522 hectares
of foreshore) contains remote rocky islands that protect colonies
of breeding seabirds, including Cassin's auklet, tufted puffins,
common murres, pelagic and Brant's cormorants and glaucous-winged
gulls. The park also protects one of four Steller's sea lion breeding
rookeries in British Columbia. These islands also contain numerous Bald eagle nests. In recent years there has been a reestablishment of a sea otter population in the kelp beds surrounding this area.
Triangle
Island, Scott Islands, BC
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Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park is one of the wildest, windiest,
most woebegone locales in the province for human habitation. Journeying
to either Brooks Peninsula or Cape Scott is only for those whose mettle
has been tested by repeated exposure to the bellows and blast-furnace
of nature in the raw. Going the extra distance to get to Lanz and
Cox Islands requires even more determination - and a helicopter or
boat.
Lanz and Cox Islands are undeveloped, with no facilities available.
Lanz and Cox Islands Provincial Park can be accessed by boat from
Winter Harbour on Quatsino Sound on Northern Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. Cox Island lies approximately 6 nautical miles off the
tip of Cape Scott on the northwest tip of Vancouver Island. Lanz
Island sits less than half a nautical mile further west.
Due to the extreme weather conditions and sea states that these
islands can experience at any time of the year, this park receives
very few visitors. The rugged, rocky coastline of these islands
provides poor access for boaters and the steep slopes of the islands
makes travel onshore near impossible. Only extremely experienced
boaters should consider visiting these islands, as they experience
open Pacific Ocean weather conditions.
Recreational boaters wishing to observe the wildlife should respect
the ecological reserves and observe the wildlife colonies from an
appropriate distance offshore. Boaters can reference marine chart
#3625 (Scott Islands) for more information on this area.