Accessed by boat or ferry, between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island are the Southern Gulf Islands of Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Salt Spring and Saturna.
You can access all of these by BC Ferries via either Tsawwassen in Metro Vancouver or from Swartz Bay near Victoria on Vancouver Island. All of these islands are reachable within half a day or so from Vancouver. You could go to some for a day trip, but that would be kind of crazy. Ideally you’ll want to stay for at least a night or two.
Other Southern Gulf Islands include Gabriola Island (which is accessed via Nanaimo) as well as Thetis and Penelakut (which are accessed by BC Ferries from Chemanius on Vancouver Island). There are a number of other islands too. You can also access Thetis Island by water taxi from Horseshoe Bay.
This article is about the Southern Gulf Islands, plus the islands of Howe Sound which include Bowen Island and Gambier Island. These last two islands are located between West Vancouver, the Sea to Sky Region and the Sunshine Coast.
See below for information about some of the main Gulf Islands that are popular to visit and accessible from Metro Vancouver, Nanaimo and/or Victoria. Also below is information about Park Canada’s Gulf Islands National Park Reserve which is an amazing region of stunning wilderness.
PARKS CANADA PARKLAND IN THE GULF ISLAND
To learn about camping, interpretive programs and places to explore, see our article about the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve or visit the Parks Canada website.
The Southern Gulf Islands
The main Southern Gulf Islands are Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Salt Spring and Saturna. Close to Victoria there is also Sidney Island. Other small islands in the region include D’Arcy, Isle-de-Lis, Portland, Cabbage, Prevost and few more.
Cabbage Island, D’Arcy Island, Isle-de-Lis, Mayne, Pender, Portland, Prevost, Saturna and Sidney are all islands in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Mayne, Pender, Saturna and Sidney are all fairly easy to get to, either by boat or ferry. The others are more remote.
The Southern Gulf Islands are accessible by BC Ferries, seaplanes, water taxis and/or private boats. There are no bridges to any of them, although there is a bridge between North Pender Island and South Pender Island.
Between the mainland of British Columbia and Vancouver Island there are also the Northern Gulf Islands which this article doesn’t cover. They include Cortes, Denman, Hornby, Quadra, Texada and a few others. For these you have to access them via ferry from communities north of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. There is a ferry to Texada Island, however, from Powell River on the Sunshine Coast.
Galiano Island
Galiano Island is one of the most popular Gulf Islands to visit. It’s a long, thin island that’s home to around 1,500 people. Most of its population is concentrated around the northern and southern tips. The island is home to Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park which is one of the largest marine parks around.
The island is accessible from both Tsawwassen in Metro Vancouver and Swartz Bay near Victoria. The ferry ride takes anywhere from an hour to nearly three hours depending on how many stops are on your particular sailing. There are also flights from Seair Seaplanes twice a day from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Richmond.
Mayne Island
Mayne Island has roughly the same number of residents as Galiano, but the island itself is only 21 square km in size (so about a third of the size of Galiano).
The biggest community area is Village Bay which is around the ferry terminal on the west side of the island. There are also a couple of resort hotels and a second built-up area on the opposite end of the island (just a ten-minute drive away).
Like Galiano, Mayne Island can be accessed by either BC Ferries or Seair Seaplanes. The ferry routes depart from Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay and take anywhere from a little over an hour to over four hours depending on what time of day it is and which terminal you start from.
The same as around fifteen other islands, parts of Mayne Island are in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
GULF ISLAND NATIONAL PARK RESERVE
The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR) includes parkland and Frontcountry Campgrounds on Pender Island as well as in North Saanich and on Sidney Island (both of which are near Victoria on Vancouver Island). There are also Parks Canada Backcountry Camping facilities and places to explore on Saturna Island, Pender Island, D’arcy Island, Cabbage Island, Isle-De-Lis (a.k.a. Rum Island), Prevost Island and Princess Margaret (a.k.a., Portland) Island.
To learn more about camping and other activities in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, see the Parks Canada website.
(NOTE: Photos in this article credited “GINPR” are courtesy of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.)
Pender Island
Pender Island is one of the most populated of the southern gulf islands with over 2,500 residents. The vast majority of them live in North Pender, which is connected to South Pender by a single-lane bridge.
One of the most popular spots to visit is Magic Lake in North Pender. The area includes places to swim, hike and whale watch. There is also a popular and very good 27-hole disc golf course that takes players on an adventure through the forest.
Pender is very close to Vancouver Island; in fact most of the BC Ferries‘ sailings there from Victoria’s Swartz Bay take just 45 minutes. Most ferry rides from Tsawwassen take two to five hours. There are also three daily flights to and from the island with Seair Seaplanes.
To learn about camping and recreational activities on Pender Island (as well as in North Saanich and on Sidney Island), see ours about Pender Island or the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, or visit the Parks Canada website.
Salt Spring Island
By far the most popular southern gulf island is Salt Spring. The island is home to over 11,000 people, which is actually more than all the other islands on this list put together!
Salt Spring has three different harbours with active ferry routes. Boats from Tsawwassen land at Long Harbour on the east coast of the island after around an hour and a half to three hours. Sailings from Swartz Bay land at Fulford Harbour in the south after just a 35 minute ride. There are also even shorter daily sailings from the town of Crofton on Vancouver Island that arrive at Vesuvius Bay in the west. Seair runs three daily flights from YVR.
One of the well-known attractions on Salt Spring is its Saturday Market which runs weekly from April to October in Centennial Park. There are also plenty of hiking trails, beaches, wineries and even a peaceful spa located in the middle of the woods.
Saturna Island
With under 500 permanent residents, Saturna Island is much quieter than Salt Spring, although it does get busier during the summer. Famous for its whale-watching, the island is nestled right up against the Canada-United States border on the southeastern tip of the Gulf Islands.
Saturna is a bit more remote when leaving from Tsawwassen and the Lower Mainland. The shortest ferry route from there is two and a half hours. The rides from Swartz Bay are about an hour or two. Seair does also fly to the island twice a day.
To learn about backcountry camping opportunities, see the Park’s Canada webpage about Saturna Island or our article about the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
Sidney Island
Speaking of remote, Sidney Island is near the top of that list, from Vancouver that is, not from Victoria, at least in the summer. The tiny island is off the coast of southern Vancouver Island, just north of Victoria. Sidney Island is accessible by a ferry from the town of Sidney from mid-May to early September. The rest of the year the only way to get to the island is by private boat or plane.
Sidney Spit is a long, narrow strip of land at the northern tip of Sidney Island. The spit is a massive beach that’s a great place to enjoy the summer sun as well as see bird migrations during other parts of the year. Much of the island is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. There is a campground on the island. After getting off the ferry you have to walk to your campsite. Fortunately, however, there are wheelbarrows you can use to carry your gear.
Parts of Sidney Island are in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve which includes parkland on around 16 different islands in the Gulf Island region.
To learn about camping and recreational activities on Sidney Island (as well as in North Saanich and on Pender Island), see the Parks Canada website.
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a national park. It includes Cabbage Island, D’Arcy Island, Isle-de-Lis, Pender Island, Portland, Prevost, Saturna and Sidney. Pender, Saturna and Sidney have all been described above.
Cabbage, D’Arcy, Isle-de-Lis, Portland, and Prevost are all smaller, more remote islands that have both Parks Canada land and private property on them. Backcountry camping exists on the various islands.
In addition to camping facilities, the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a great place to explore even if you are staying somewhere else.
To learn more about the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, visit the Parks Canada website. To learn about programs offered in the region by Parks Canada, click Gulf Islands National Park Reserve Interpretive Programs or see our article about the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.
Bowen Island
Bowen Island is one of four Howe Sound Islands accessed via BC Ferries or water taxi from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. The other islands in the area are Gambier, Anvil and Keats.
It only takes 20 minutes to ferry across to Bowen from Horseshoe Bay terminal in West Vancouver. The island is home to a fairly sizable but not overwhelming number of people at around 3,500. There is the village of Snug Cove at the ferry harbour, but much of the island is made up of parks and beaches.
There are no campgrounds on Bowen Island. For those who want to stay the night, however, the island is home to a number of bed and breakfasts.
To learn more, see our article about Bowen Island.
Gambier Island
Gambier Island is the biggest in size of the Howe Sound Islands, but it’s only home to about 150 permanent residents. The number of people on the island increases to around 800 or so in the summer, but it’s quite remote. Gambier is only accessible by taking a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale Ferry Terminal on the Sunshine Coast, and then a second ferry to the island.
The Langdale to Gambier ferry is for foot passengers only. Visitors are not allowed to bring their cars to Gambier. There is also no central road network on the island! Gambier is a good fit for hikers, cycling enthusiasts and those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Gambier is also home to Camp Fircom which is a nice residential camp operated by the United Church of Canada. The camp runs its own programs for children and families, but also rents its facilities to private groups.
Other Information
To learn more about things to see and do in Victoria, see VictoriasBestPlaces.com.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Day Trips from Vancouver
- Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
- The Sunshine Coast
- Camping in the Lower Mainland