Adventure & Outdoors
Walk the Sandspit at Blackie Spit
Where the Nicomekl River meets Boundary Bay and the birds arrive in the thousands, free and open from dawn to dusk.
Crescent Beach
More infoAdventure & Outdoors
Where the Nicomekl River meets Boundary Bay and the birds arrive in the thousands, free and open from dawn to dusk.
Crescent Beach
More infoBlackie Spit is a narrow sand finger poking into Boundary Bay where the Nicomekl River runs out to meet it, and it ranks among the best birdwatching spots in the country. Thousands of migratory birds treat it as a stopover, so borrow binoculars and turn the flat, breezy walk into a treasure hunt. Crescent Beach village cafes wait when you want warmth.
Park free at the McBride Avenue lot (gate closes at 10pm) and walk out along the spit itself, the narrow sand finger that reaches into the bay is the whole point, with water and mountains on both sides. Bring binoculars: this is a globally recognized Important Bird Area, so expect great blue herons stalking the shallows, bald eagles overhead, and huge rafts of waterfowl on the right tide. Don't take dogs or bikes onto the spit's environmentally sensitive tip, it's a protected dune ecosystem with rare plants, though there are two off-leash areas back near the parking lot if you've brought a pup. Don't miss timing your visit to a falling tide, when the exposed mudflats turn into a feeding frenzy and the birding is at its best. From here it's a five-minute stroll into Crescent Beach village for coffee or fish and chips to cap it off.
Been here? Share a useful detail from your visit, or ask what you want to know before going. Reader experiences are self-reported.
