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	The magazine of outdoor recreation and adventure on Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia

Select another region to explore:

Sunset at
Cabbage Island,
looking towards
Mayne Island.

Features on the pop-up map are covered in detail in The Wild Coast, Volume 3.

The Gulf Islands:

This is the most popular day-trip destination for kayakers in British Columbia, with a multitude of accessible options. With frequent ferry service from Vancouver and Washington state, southeastern Vancouver Island makes a wonderful staging ground for trips to island clusters made beautiful from etched sandstone cliffs and draping arbutus and Garry oak trees. A downside is the growing residential nature of many of the islands, particularly Saltspring, the Penders, Mayne, Galiano and Gabriola. But the more isolated smaller islands compensate, many of which are either provincial parks or within the new Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

Paddle is the ideal way to explore the islands, but cyclists and hikers also have much to see and do here, with the proviso that many of the most wild islands and best to explore do not have ferry service. Galiano and Saturna are the wildest of the islands served by BC Ferries,with the incredible peaks of south Saltspring a worthy place to hike. A great day or weekend trip is the foot passenger ferry from Sidney to Sidney Spit, where trails and sand beaches beckon.

The boundary of the Gulf Islands National Park stretches throughout the southern Gulf Islands, most notably Saturna Island, which includes about half the land mass of the national park created in 2003. Many of the former provincial marine parks in that area have been folded into the national park reserve, putting popular camping areas such as D'Arcy Island, Sidney Spit, Rum Island, Portland Island and Cabbage Island under federal jurisdiction.

The national park protects much of the best scenery in the Gulf Islands, particularly along southern Saturna Island with attractions such as the cliffs at Monarch Head, Taylor Point and Narvaez Bay. On the north side of Saturna Island Tumbo and Cabbage islands are now part of the federal reserve, with camping possible on the sandy shores of Cabbage Island. Many smaller islands and islets have been added to the national park. Many were formerly used as wilderness camping areas, but that is no longer allowed, reducing the camping options in the southern Gulf Islands by banning camping at places like Red Islets, Hawkins Island, Dock Island, Reay Island and the Belle Chain Islets.

Parks within the northern Gulf Islands remain in provincial hands, with popular kayaking destinations including Wallace Island and Pirates Cove on De Courcy Island. Another option is Tent Island off Kuper Island, a Penelakut reserve open for use as a camping area. Payment is by donation to the First Nation band.

Recent additions to parkland in the Gulf Islands include Burgoyne Bay on east Saltspring Island and Wakes Cove on northern Valdes Island facing Gabriola Passage. Gabriola Passage is one among many tidal rapids in the region, making for challenging kayaking in places like Active Pass and Porlier Pass. While many of the inner channels are among the most serene on the Pacific coast, strong currents and frequent boat traffic, including large ferries, can make it a potentially hazardous area. But by keeping to the more protected shoreline areas, the Gulf Islands make probably the best exploring for novice kayakers anywhere.

The complete history, ecology and attractions including travel, launch and camping locations for this region can be found in The Wild Coast, Volume 3, chapter 1-4.