Deep Cove by boat: ice cream, doughnuts and a slow lap of the cove

Deep Cove sits at the mouth of Indian Arm on the North Vancouver side. On a summer afternoon the cove fills with kayaks, paddleboards and swimmers, and the village behind the beach runs on ice cream and doughnuts.

Coming in by boat

Come in at idle. Half the people on the water in Deep Cove are standing on a board or sitting in a kayak, and your wake reaches them before you notice it. We show your skipper where to tie up for a village stop at checkout.

Ice cream and doughnuts

Gallant Avenue runs up from the waterfront with ice cream shops and Honey Doughnuts, the North Shore’s best-known doughnut stop. Send a shore party up with the boat’s order and keep the skipper with the boat if the dock is busy. A dozen doughnuts disappears fast on a pontoon with twelve people.

The village also has washrooms, which matters on a boat without one.

A slow lap

Before you leave, idle along the shore past Panorama Park and the waterfront homes. The view up Indian Arm from the middle of the cove, with the mountains stacking behind each other, is the photo people frame.

Fit it into a half day

Deep Cove and Twin Islands make the best four-hour trip we know: swim first while the water is calm, then ice cream on the way home. If you book an afternoon block, reverse it and finish with a swim in the evening light.

Busy days

Summer weekends from noon onward get crowded. Come in early, or pick a weekday, and you’ll find the cove quieter and the line-ups shorter.

Check dates for a Deep Cove day.