Prideaux Haven, the Heart of Desolation Sound

Looking back toward the entrance to Tenedos Bay

Departing the large bay of Tenedos, we circled around the peninsula and cruised past Otter, Morgan, and Melville Islands, which lie along Homfray Channel.

Cruising through the islands of Homfray Channel

All of the iconic mountain peaks of Desolation Sound are clearly seen from Homfray Channel, weather permitting.

There are many nooks and crannies to explore in the Prideaux Haven area of Desolation Sound

Continuing northeastward, next in line is Prideaux Haven, a collection of coves with hidden anchorages and many stern-tie installations for visiting boaters. When Desolation Sound is the topic of discussion, Prideaux Haven is the first destination people think of; and it’s no wonder, the beautiful clear water and the numerous nooks and crannies are a delight to explore by kayak or dinghy. The main anchorage coves include Laura Cove, Melanie Cove, and the main basin of Prideaux Haven. The coves are well protected and the views are varied and enchanting.

Look for the cairns at the head of Melanie Cove for the trail to Laura Cove

Most boaters spend their time exploring the smaller hidden nooks by kayak and dinghy, or taking in the beautiful scenery while relaxing on a sunny afternoon. The trails in the area, however, aren’t as well known and can be difficult to find without some clues.

Our dinghy anchored near the head of Melanie Cove

At the head of Melanie Cove, a half-mile trail leads to nearby Laura Cove. We took the dinghy to the head of the Cove and spotted two sets of cairns on a large flat rock, a clue as to where the trail might start and where to tie the dinghy. Sure enough, after scrambling up the rocks and through the bushes, we found the trail that headed off in the direction of Laura Cove.

We found a number of fallen trees over the trail to Laura Cove

The trail is well-worn so you can’t get lost, but there are numerous trees that have fallen across the trail, requiring going under, over, or around them – one needs to be a bit flexible at times.

When the trail started heading back down a valley, we knew Laura Cove was not much farther. After achieving our goal, it was a hike back up the hill again and back down to Melanie Cove. It was good exercise, but I couldn't resist making the comment to Leonard, “you know, we could have just gone by dinghy around the corner, which would have taken only a few minutes!” At least we now know that there’s a trail here and where it goes.

Look for the trail sign along the south shore of Melanie Cove for the trail to Tenedos

Our next goal was to find the trail at Melanie Cove that leads to Unwin Lake near Tenedos Bay, a one-two hour hike (4 hours round-trip). A few days earlier, we had hiked the trail from Tenedos Bay to beautiful Unwin Lake and saw that the trail continued on. We learned from our research that the trail went all the way to Melanie Cove. With our dinghy, we motored along the south shore of Melanie Cove and spotted a trail sign just above a rock outcropping. We tied the dinghy off to some rocks and began our exploration. The trail starts out steep and then becomes a reasonably moderate climb.

Signage points the way to a small lake overview and the trail to Tenedos

About a half-mile in, we came upon a fork in the trail with signage confirming that the trail goes all the way to Tenedos Bay via Unwin Lake. Success, we confirmed where the trail begins in Melanie Cove.

The small lake overview, a side trail on the way to Tenedos Bay

We took the left fork, which leads to a small lake overview instead of taking the longer journey to Unwin Lake; after all, we had already seen this beautiful lake from the other side. It was getting late and time to return back home to Got d' Fever for some well-earned rest and a hot-cooked meal. Java, our mini-dachshund, was happy to see and gave us a warm welcome home.