Cates Bay Beach — Attraction in Bowen Island Municipality

Such a beautiful beach! It’s in the middle of a residential area and the entrance is super easy to miss! Keep a lookout for a sign saying “Public Beach Access” and stairs. There’s no parking; I just parked off to the side of the road, right in front of the stairs leading down to the beach. You’ll start hearing the waves as you walk down. Off to the left there is a residential property so you have to be mindful to stay away from there but the views are stunning nonetheless. It’s quite rocky so bring proper shoes. There were only a couple people here so seems like a quiet area to relax. Lots of wood trunks to sit on. I would definitely bring my swimming stuff next time and go in the water, as it was super nice and warm. Definitely recommend! Oh and as I left the area I saw some deer, there were 4 of them (but I didn’t get pictures of all of them) and they were super cute! Be sure not to disturb them if you see them and...

Some people raving about this beach but others not so much. We have 2 kids and after spending the most of the day at Tunstall Bay Beach we were really disappointed with this beach. Because it faces the the main channel it can be loud because of all the boats and ferries, smells funny and water can be dirty and the access to it once you get down the wooden steps is a bit unsafe and difficult for small kids and older people. Nice view but that’s about it. If you are after nice, quiet and kids friendly beach, mixed stone and sand, easy access to the water then cross the island and go to Tunstall Bay. ( don’t stay on the first beach but go to the 3rd beach section on the right) gorgeous beach,...

While it was very pretty, but it was not worth the trip out without a car. It's a 20min winding walk from the closest bus stop, there are no washrooms, and once I got back to the bus route I had to choose between standing in the hot sun for 2 hours till the next bus(no seating area) or to try to walk back to Snug Cove which took over an hour on hilly, winding, concrete road. Since it was a weekday there was not much opportunity...