Pender Island

We're just back from a great long weekend on Pender.  We've been to Pender a number of times in our boat but never stayed there before, so it was great to explore more of the islands. 

About Pender Island

Pender Island actually consists of two islands; North Pender and South Pender separated by the Pender Canal.  This narrow channel was dredged in 1903, and a single lane trestle bridge was built over the canal in 1957.  Originally home to the Coast Salish peoples, there are now around 2,250 permanent residents. 

Getting to Pender

We had planned to boat over to Pender, but we had some issues with the fuel system on our outboard, so decided to take the ferry over instead.  Normally we launch at the Tulista boat ramp in Sidney and land at the Port Browning Marina in North Pender.

The ferry service goes to Otter Bay on North Pender with BC Ferries from either Swartz Bay (Sidney) on Vancouver Island, or from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) on the mainland. There are multiple sailings per day, and most ferries are direct to Pender, but some stop in either Galiano, Mayne, Salt Spring or Saturna.  

The ferry from Swartz Bay is not bookable, you just buy a ticket at the terminal, ticket sales for vehicles close 3 minutes before departure and 5 minutes for foot passengers.  The ticket is a return, so no need to buy another ticket on the way back.

There is no public transport on Pender, but there is a semi-formalised system of hitch-hiking.  Multiple 'Car Stops' are located around the island, often with a handy chair! 

Where to Stay on Pender

We stayed at the brilliant Woods on Pender, and would highly recommend it.  Sarah and I rented a small airstream trailer called The Nest, while Sarah's parents took a nearby cabin with the boys!  

The Nest has a beautiful deck with sea views and an outdoor shower, while Cabin 2 down the hill has a hot tub. 

 'Coffee+Kitchen' on site serves great coffee and pastries in the morning and is open for dinner reservations on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Gulf Islands National Park has two campgrounds on Pender; front country (drive-in) camping at Prior Centennial and back-country (walk or boat-in) at Shingle Bay.  The campground at Beaumont on South Pender is closed until further notice.

Port Browning Marina has glamping tents, a rental RV and camping spots on the large grassy field in front of the pub.  There's even an outdoor swimming pool and kayak/SUP rentals on site.

Top Things to Do on Pender

1. Visit the Farmers Market - held at the Pender Islands Community Hall on Saturdays at 0930-1300 from the May Long Weekend to Labour Day Weekend.  There's a great variety of local artists and food producers.

2. Take a hike to the viewpoint at Oak Bluffs Park and look for whales.  This is a short but steep trail through the woods and up onto the bluffs looking back towards Vancouver Island.  Viewpoint No2 has more open views and a picnic table.  We've often seen Humpback and Orca in this area from our boat, but didn't have any luck from shore this time.

3. Skip some stones at Mortimer Spit Park while admiring the view of the Pender Canal Bridge.

4. Wine tasting at Sea Star Vineyards and Winery.  Choose a flight of wine, and find your favourite while enjoying the gardens.  There is a food truck on site serving some very good looking seafood inspired meals.  Unfortunately for us they had sold out on our visit, so we didn't get to taste it!

4. Cider Tasting at Twin Island Cider.  We actually tried the ciders at the Farmers Market, but the cider house is open for tastings Thursday - Sunday. 

5. Lunch at the HUB at Hope Bay. This stylish Mediterranean restaurant overlooking the ocean serves great food (and cider from Twin Island!).

6. Port Browning Marina - no trip to Pender would be complete without a visit to 'The Pub'.  Enjoy a drink or some food on the deck, while admiring the views over the bay.

While you're here, check out some of our other favourite spots in the Southern Gulf Islands.  What's your favourite island?

Galiano Island

Last weekend we camped at Montague Harbour Marine Park on Galiano, and I think it probably deserves to be added to our Top Gulf Island Campsites list!  

Getting to Galiano

Galiano is one of the largest of the Southern Gulf Islands at about 27km long, it's also one of the furthest offshore from the coast of Vancouver Island.

We decided it was probably a bit too far for our little boat, so took the BC Ferries service over to Galiano and towed the boat with us.  There are various routes and multiple sailings per day to Sturdies Bay on Galiano from Swartz Bay (Victoria) or Tsawwassen (Vancouver), with stops on Mayne Island and / or North Pender Island.  The route is non-reservable, so just buy tickets at the terminal.

Montague Harbour is about a ten minute drive from the Sturdies Bay terminal.

Galiano Campsites

The park has 16 vehicle accessible pitches, 28 walk-in sites and a group camping area.  We had a great pitch (38) on the bluff overlooking Montague Harbour. 

It's a short walk to the pitches from the car parking area, but is up a short but fairly steep hill.  There are wheelbarrows available to help carry your kit in, and we took our little folding trolley which was really useful, the boys also loved using it to collect water and fire wood over the weekend.

Most pitches have a fire ring and food cache, there is a covered picnic / BBQ area, and pit toilet facilities.  Potable drinking water is available throughout the campground. Booking is highly recommended through the BC Parks website.

Why we love it

The great views over Montague Harbour from the camp sites, and the sandy beach on the other side really make this campground special.  As usual we loved exploring in our Stryker, finding deserted beaches, and the whales didn't disappoint - with our first humpback of the season. 

What to do on Galiano

1. Take a drive or cycle up to the north end of the island and check out the many arts and craft galleries along the way.

2. Visit one (or more) of the 3 Provincial Parks.  As well as Montague Harbour, there is Dionisio Point (boat access only) in North Galiano and Bellhouse near the ferry terminal.

3. Take a stroll around the Saturday Farmers Market at Lions Park in Sturdies Bay.  There are lots of local artists and craftspeople, as well as some tasty looking food!

4. The Crane and Robin at Montague Harbour is a great spot to watch the boats go by while sipping on some excellent margaritas.

5. The Humming Bird Pub really lives up to its name; watch out for the hummingbirds buzzing around the deck while enjoying a delicious lunch.  They even have a shuttle bus in the evenings from the campground or marina.

6. Sturdies Bay Bakery serves great coffee and some amazing baked goods.  Well worth a visit!

Backcountry Camping Gear

Check out the Gear Page for more details on the gear we use and recommend for backcountry camping, including our Stryker inflatable boat. 

Denman and Hornby Islands

 Last weekend was Sarah's birthday so we decided to take a trip over to Denman Island.

About Denman and Hornby Islands

Denman and Hornby are the two most northerly Gulf Islands, just off the coast of Vancouver Island, originally inhabited by the Pentlatch and Sliammon peoples.  Denman Island is now home to around 1400 permanent residents, and neighbouring Hornby Island around 1000.  Despite being smaller and an additional ferry ride away, Hornby has more facilities for visitors than Denman, probably due to the number of tourists who are drawn to the beautiful beaches at Tribune Bay Provincial Park and Whaling Station Bay.

Getting to Denman and Hornby

The islands are reached via a regular Chain Ferry service from Buckley Bay on Vancouver Island to the terminal on Denman's west coast.  A short drive over to Gravelly Bay on Denman's east coast takes you to the Hornby Ferry.  The ferries are not bookable, and can be extremely busy in the summer.  Tickets can be purchased with card or cash at the terminals, and check-in closes three minutes before departure.  The latest ferry timetables can be found on the BC Ferries site for Denman and Hornby.

There is no public transport on Denman, so a car or bike is recommended, but the locals are known to offer rides.  There is a small community bus on Hornby, but it only runs in July and August.

Where to Stay

We camped at Fillongley Provincial Park, which is the only campsite on Denman Island.  It's a beautiful small campground with only 10 pitches right on the shore.  There are pit toilets and a fresh water supply, and each site has a fire ring and picnic table, but there are no hook ups or dump station. 

There are two private campgrounds on Hornby Island - Bradsdadsland and Tribune Bay.

There are numerous guesthouses and bed and breakfasts, as well as cabins and cottages across the two islands, but accommodation tends to get booked up early and can be full during the summer.  Take a look at the Visit Denman and Hornby Island websites for more accommodation options.

Top Things to Do

1. Tribune Bay Beach (Hornby)

This beautiful sandy beach is known as "Little Hawaii" due to its white sand and crystal clear waters, it is one of the main draws of Hornby Island.  It's a very short stroll to the beach from the Provincial Park parking area.  One of the locals had created a beautiful labyrinth in sand, which the boys loved exploring, especially when they found some Easter eggs at the finish!  It was pretty quiet when we visited in April, but we can imagine it is extremely busy during the summer. 

2. Boyle Point and Chrome Island Lookout (Denman)

We enjoyed this 15-20 minute woodland walk through Boyle Point Provincial Park to the lookout over Chrome Island.  The park contains some of Denman's oldest and largest fir, hemlock and cedars.  The island is home to a scenic light house station protecting shipping in Baynes Sound.  Take the minor diversion to Eagle Rock on the way back and keep an eye out for Bald Eagles and Osprey.

3. Ringside Market (Hornby)

This eclectic market is home to a number of small independent stores and food trucks, as well as a co-operative food store and gas station (the only place we found diesel in the islands).  It makes a great lunch stop if you are visiting Tribune Bay.

4. Isla de Lerena Vineyard (Hornby)

Isla de Lerena was the name given to Hornby by Spanish explorers in 1791.  The vineyard produces some very good small batch wines, as well as hosting a restaurant (summer only), live music and glamping tents.  Be sure to pop in for a free wine tasting!

5. Ima's Kitchen (Denman)

Ima's produces some excellent organic bread and bakery items on a Friday, and then attends the local farmers market on Saturday.  Their self-serve honesty shop is open all week for home made vegan ice cream and sorbets.  The pitas are delicious!  We heard they are moving away from baking and plan to open a pita and falafel food truck in 'downtown' Denman later this year.

6. Abraxas Café (Denman)

Abraxas is more than just an excellent café, it's also a great book and gifts store.  Their coffee is lovely and they serve locally sourced produce (where possible).

Southern Gulf Islands

We spent a lot of last Summer backcountry camping in the Southern Gulf Islands, and we're hoping to do a lot more this season.  

Just a boat ride away from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, the Southern Gulf islands contain some beautiful campsites; they're managed by Parks Canada, as part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, or as Provincial Reserves by BC Parks.  Each island and campsite is very different, so we haven't ranked them in any particular order, but this is what we think are the best backcountry campgrounds (of the ones we've explored so far!) in the Southern Gulf Islands to inspire your next trip. 

Top 5 Southern Gulf Islands Backcountry Campsites

1. Sidney Island

Sidney Spit campground is technically a frontcountry campsite according to Parks Canada, however it can only be accessed by boat and has no fresh water, so it definitely feels like a backcountry site to us!

Getting There

Despite the backcountry feel, Sidney Spit is actually one of the easiest campgrounds in the Southern Gulf Islands to access.  It's only about 2.5 nautical miles from the boat launch in Sidney on Vancouver Island; so easily manageable in a small motor boat, or even by kayak.  If you don't have your own boat you can also get to the island as a foot passenger on the Sidney Spit Ferry from Port Sidney Marina (bookings are recommended).

It's about a 20 minute walk from the ferry landing / boat mooring pontoons, but there are wheelbarrows available for your kit.  If you're taking your own boat / kayak you can actually land on the beach near the campsites, just make sure you stay out of the lagoon, which is a protected nature reserve with no access (even non-motorised).

The Campsites

There are 29 individual campsites with picnic benches, and one group camping area.  There is a covered picnic / BBQ area with food caches, and two pit toilet facilities.   There is no potable water. Booking is highly recommended through the Parks Canada website.

Why we love it

Sidney Spit is a great intro to boat camping, it's so close to Sidney that if you forget something you can just nip back over!  There are two great sandy beaches, one beside the campground and the other on the spit.  It is one of the larger sites we're recommending, so doesn't have the full remote feeling, but is much quieter once the last ferry leaves.  The lagoon beside the campground is full of wildlife; we saw a huge family of otters swimming right by our campsite, as well as a group of hunting harbour seals breaching out of the water, and literally hundreds of sea birds.  From Sidney Island you can also explore some of the further away Gulf Islands.  The Penders (North and South) are some of our favourites, the pub at Port Browning Marina and travelling up the Pender Canal are definitely worth the trip.  We've seen Humpbacks or Orca from the boat every time we've been out to Pender!  

2. Saturna Island

Our favourite campsite on Saturna Island is at Narvaez Bay, it's a sheltered cove protected by the East Point peninsula on the south eastern coast of Saturna.

Getting There

Saturna was one of our longest boat trips last summer at around 15 nautical miles from our preferred boat launch at Sidney. There are no moorings or pontoon at Narvaez, but the bay is very sheltered and we just left the boat on the beach overnight, tied to a big tree!

If you don't have access to a boat, you can also get to Saturna Island with BC Ferries from Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island or Tswassen on the mainland (as well as from some of the other Gulf Islands). If you're coming this way it's 1.7km each way from the parking area.  A few other campers had hiked or biked in to the campground while we were there.

The Campsites

There are only 7 campsites at Narvaez Bay campground, so get in quick with your bookings through Parks Canada.  Nestled under the trees, most have lovely views over the bay.  There are pit toilets, but no potable water.

Why we love it

East Point on Saturna is a well known spot for whale watching, and last time we headed out to Narvaez Bay we were treated to an amazing display of aerial acrobatics by a large pod of Orca.  The sheltered cove is the perfect place to leave the boat overnight.  Narvaez has that great backcountry remote feel due to it's small size, but it is a longer trip in the boat to get there!

3. Princess Margaret (Portland) Island

Our preferred spot on Portland Island is the Shell Beach campground.  All of the Campsites on Portland are first come first served, so if you can't get in to Shell Beach, there are two more options around the island; Arbutus Point and Princess Bay.

Getting There

Portland Island is only accessible on your own boat / kayak or by private marine charter. Shell Beach is about 5 nautical miles from the Sidney boat launch. 

Again there are no mooring facilities, but we just beached the boat.  There can be a fair bit of swell in the bay, mostly from the passing BC Ferries, so make sure you are anchored well or firmly beached.

The Campsites

There are 6 campsites at Shell Beach, 12 at Princess Bay and 6 at Arbutus Point.  There are pit toilets, picnic benches, and food caches, but no potable water.  There are better mooring facilities at the other campgrounds, but we preferred the location of Shell Beach.

Why we love it

Shell Beach is a beautiful, quiet, spot with great views from each site, but it's relatively close to Sidney, so still pretty easy to get to.  From Portland you can easily nip over to Salt Spring Island for a day trip.  Last time we visited, we took some of our friends who free dive and they hand caught us a delicious collection of crabs, oysters and scallops which we cooked up on the beach; it doesn't get fresher than that!

4. Newcastle (Saysutshun) Island

Saysutshun Island, previously known as Newcastle Island is a BC Provincial Park just off Nanaimo.

Getting There

Saysutshun is another easily accessible Gulf Island, it's only about 1.5 nautical miles from the Brechin Boat Ramp in Nanaimo, and almost the whole trip is down the sheltered channel between Nanaimo and Saysutshun.  There is a small boat pontoon and mooring buoys in the bay.  From there it's a 5-15 minute walk to the campsites, depending which site you choose.  There are wheelbarrows available to help with your kit.  At high tide you can also get through the channel between Newcastle and Protection Islands (if you have a shallow enough draught!), and get closer to the more peaceful campsites at the far end of the campground.

There is also a foot passenger ferry service every half hour from Maffeo Sutton Park in Nanaimo. 

The Campsites

There are 18 individual campsites and 5 large group campsites.  There are pit toilets, and some flush toilets, food caches, covered BBQ / picnic areas, a small shop and even hot showers!  Reservations are through the BC Parks Camping website.

Why we love it

Saysutshun is easy access to from Nanaimo so can be fairly busy during the day, but feels completely different once the last ferry has gone.  It's a short trip from here to the stunning curved sandstone cliffs of Malaspina Galleries on Gabriola Island, or you can even nip into Nanaimo Harbour if you fancy it.  Neighbouring Protection Island is home to a floating bar and restaurant called the Dinghy Dock Pub, it's great fun to boat over there for lunch and a cold beer!

5. Discovery Island

Discovery Island Marine Park, just off Oak Bay, is managed by BC Provincial Parks.  Half of the island makes up the park, with the other half being a First Nations Reserve.

Getting There

Discovery Island is easily accessed from the Cattle Point Boat Launch in Oak Bay.  It's about a 2.5 nautical mile trip each way, but is relatively sheltered by the islands which make up the Oak Bay Islands Ecological Reserve. 

The Campsites  

There's just one camping area on Discovery, and no marked pitches, it's basically open field camping within the designated area, so you are free to choose your pitch.  There are pit toilets and food caches, but no potable water.  Camping is first come first serve, but you can purchase your permit in advance through BC Parks.

Why we love it

Discovery Island was the first place we boat camped, so holds a special place in our hearts.  When we camped there last, we were the only visitors and had the whole island to ourselves, admittedly it was only March and dropped to almost freezing over night!  Discovery Island is easy to access from Oak Bay, and the freestyle camping field means you can choose where you want to camp, having a view of the ocean from the tent door is really special.

Top Tips for the Gulf Islands

• The weather can change quickly, check the forecast and be prepared for all eventualities.
• Make sure you have the necessary safety and navigation equipment onboard.
• Take a good supply of freshwater.
• File a trip plan with a friend or relative.
• Practice leave no trace principles, pack out what you pack in.
• Keep a good look out for whales!

Backcountry Camping Gear

Check out the Gear Page for more details on the gear we use and recommend for backcountry camping, including our Stryker inflatable boat.

Other Gulf Islands

While you are here check out our posts on Galiano, Pender and Denman and Hornby.