The tiny rural backwater of Egmont is an ideally situated jumping off point for a variety of prime kayaking areas including Nelson and Hardy Islands, Hotham Sound, Jervis Inlet in its entirety as well as the jewel at the end, Princess Louisa Inlet. All of Sechelt Inlet is likewise accessible from Egmont though a formidable barrier must first be circumvented. Since the raging rapids of Skookumchuck Narrows stand in the way it is the recommendation of this book that kayakers access Sechelt Inlet from its lower end only. That route is described here.

Skookumchuck Narrows is a must-see phenomenon however and is best viewed from the safety of solid ground. An easy 4 km hike provides access to viewpoints overlooking the Narrows. The trailhead can be reached from Egmont by walking back towards Highway 101 for 20 minutes or so. Time your visit to coincide with a particularly extreme tidal mood swing to see the rapids in all their fury. The worst time to see this natural wonder is of course when the tide is slack. On a typical three-metre tide as much as 9 trillion litres of seawater is flushed through the narrows at speeds up to 26 km/h, spawning cascades as high as 5 metres; giant, basketball court-sized whirlpools; standing waves as big as a bus and a multitude of mixed metaphors.