The Galiano Museum has excellent exhibits, including an extensive photo gallery, on the area’s Aboriginal people and early European settlers. Lots of trails! Have you done the walk from ferry to trailhead? Explore all Galiano Island real estate with RE/MAX, Canada's #1 Real Estate Brand. -Taryn. But unfortunately there is currently no public land access to the park. Make your Galiano Island Getaway whatever you want it to be! })(document, 'script', '//aff.bstatic.com/static/affiliate_base/js/flexiproduct.js'); The hike around the Gray Peninsula in Montague Harbour Provincial Park is the easiest and most laid-back hike on Galiano. Please reload CAPTCHA. BLU Realty. A 7 minute boat ride in protected waters will take you to the Gossip Island Community dock and sellers have a share in that dock along with a share in the community water system. I like the Alistair Ross trail from Georgeson Road since it has the easiest parking and it isn’t too steep. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "happiestout07-20"; Referred to by its residents as the “Gem of the Gulf Islands,” its highest summits, biggest lake, oldest trees, and miles of stunning coastline are all protected within several parks and preserves. The hike is about 6km round trip and gains about 250m in elevation so it’s a steady climb uphill but never exceptionally steep. There is also coastal access from the Community Forest, as well as along nearly the entire island, a stark contrast from many of the other Gulf and San Juan Islands. On the weekends you can probably time the morning and early evening ferries so that you can do this as a day trip and avoid bringing your car but it’s also a great outing if you are staying the night on the island. “During the last local election, both ‘sides’ were buzzing about trails,” says Jesse Keefer, owner of the Bodega Ridge Lodge and Cabins, and son of island trail visionary Bowie Keefer. The hike up to the top follows locally maintained trails and some forest roads and has nothing special to see, but that’s not why you hike here. From windswept grassy ledges framed with elegant Garry oaks, literally look out across a sea of peaks. Galiano Island (Hul'qumi'num: Swiikw) is one of the Southern Gulf Islands located between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.Located on the west side of the Strait of Georgia, the island is bordered by Mayne Island to the southeast, Salt Spring Island to the west and Valdes Island to the northwest. For much of the last century, nearly half of the island was owned by forestry giant MacMillan Bloedel. Just north of Laughlin Lake is Bodega Ridge Provincial Park, offering one of the finest ridgeline hikes in the Gulf Islands. I haven’t done the walk from the ferry terminal but it is about 4km one way. You emerge from the trees onto an open bluff with a little grove of Garry Oaks and an incredible view down to the ferries doing tight turns to get through Active Pass. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; My advice would be not to use the private road as it is private property. Please reload CAPTCHA. But if you are in reasonable shape, you’ll do fine. display: none !important; The island is northwest of Mayne Island, northeast of Saltspring Island and southeast of Valdes Island. The park contains some of the largest madronas (arbutus in Canada) I’ve ever seen. Galiano’s regular bus service closed last year but a former school bus shuttles people, free of charge, between Montague Harbour and the island’s only pub, The Hummingbird. Walk 1.5 miles along this 800-foot high ridge, taking in stunning views of Trincomali Channel twinkling below, punctuated with reefs and finger islands; and out to Vancouver Island’s endless emerald ridges and mountains. This trail isn’t by the ocean. Sure, Galiano is sprinkled with the usual island mix of artists, writers, hippies, retirees, the well-to-do, mainstream dropouts, eccentrics and eclectics. function() { I haven’t gone this way but it could be an interesting option: http://www.galiander.ca/galianotrails/galianosouthtrails.html. Mosey along grassy bluffs towering 400 feet above Active Pass, peering out to Mayne Island’s Helen Point and down Swanson Channel to Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula. As long as you don’t have really skinny tires on your road bike, you should be fine. Here, as on Gabriola Island to the north, the shoreline is adorned with massive honeycombed rocks, sculpted sandstone shelves, and ledges created by wind and waves. Credit George Vancouver when he mapped the area in 1792, originally referring to the Strait of Georgia as the Gulf of Georgia. Most of the parks have walking and or hiking trails. 14 among the 25 listed properties on Galiano Island are house rentals.They account for more than half of the properties in this destination (50%).Interestingly, the average price of house rentals is $283 per night, with an average size of 162 m².Furthermore, the majority of house rentals in Galiano Island can welcome 7 people, which makes it a wonderful vacation destination for large groups. s.type = 'text/javascript'; On Galiano’s opposite shoreline you’ll find the Pebble Beach Reserve and a wilder coast. Seventeen miles long and only one to three and a half miles wide, this thickly forested and ridged island is the driest of the Gulf Islands, thanks to the Olympic and Vancouver Island rain shadows. Sure, Galiano is sprinkled with the usual island mix of artists, writers, hippies, retirees, the well-to-do, mainstream dropouts, eccentrics and eclectics. Right off the BC Ferry Terminal in Sturdies Bay you can almost immediately begin hiking by following the Studies Bay Trail, which runs 1.2 miles parallel to Sturdies Bay Road to the Galiano Club’s South Community Hall. Tix still available (250) 539-3340 or leetrentadue@gmail.com.) But the hike is worth it and the walk to the trailhead is mostly on quiet side roads. But not before a sizeable number of folks bought parcels and were subsequently denied permission to build on them, setting the stage for litigation and appeals, resulting in an island divided between proponents of development and preservation. But, you can get that from hiking the Community Forest Trails. And then stare across the sparkling waters of the Strait of Georgia to Mount Baker hovering in the distance. And even then, a road bike with skinny tires will be fine on almost all roads. Hey Taryn! An absolute must-hike is the park’s 1.5 mile loop around Gray Peninsula. ); (function(d, sc, u) { And rounding out some of the trail treasures to be found on Galiano Island is Dionisio Point Provincial Park at the island’s northern tip. setTimeout( It’s a road bike with wide tires. It is also the prettiest. For lots more information and great routes on all the Gulf Islands, pick up a copy of Cycling the Islands by John Crouch. Located on the west side of the Strait of Georgia, it is 27.5 km long, 6 km at its widest point, and 1.6 km across at its narrowest point and is separated from Saltspring Island by Trincomali Channel. Some resources are telling me that it’s possible to enter the park on foot, but is there any place to park your bike, and can you hike into the park easily?  =  If you follow Porlier pass road to its northern end you’ll get to the First Nations reserve and you can’t get to Dionisio from there. Then explore Bodega Ridge, a six-kilometre (3.7-mile) trail on the island’s southern half. ×  There are also ancient middens on Dioisio Point – big trees, eagle colonies, and inviting campsites, too. “In 2007, the GIPRC held public consultations and hired a consultant to develop a trail network plan for the entire island,” he adds. p.parentNode.insertBefore(s,p); This is one long, undulating and hilly ride! 32 After a short stretch of hiking in the trees for about half a kilometer you’ll emerge at the cliff edge with panoramic views to the west across to Wallace Island, Saltspring Island and the mountains of Vancouver Island. Private individuals were allowed to buy several hundred five-acre parcels from the timber company for home lots, while the company established several thousand acres of parkland and community forest. Search : You are invited to support the Museum by becoming a member of the Galiano Museum Society. Best Galiano Island B&Bs on Tripadvisor: Find traveler reviews, candid photos, and prices for 11 bed and breakfasts in Galiano Island, British Columbia. Montague Harbour Provincial Park, which also offers nice car and walk-in campsites has one of the finest shoreline trails in the Gulf Islands. Sunset from the picnic area at Montague Harbour Provincial Park. Located in the Southern Gulf Islands, Galiano Island Realty is your number one choice for quality listings. If the tide is out you can forgo the trail almost entirely and walk on the beaches. Galiano is one of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, an archipelago which includes Washington’s San Juan Islands, located in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and BC’s Lower Mainland. A few years ago, I heard about people cycling or walking it without any trouble but more recently I have heard that the land owners don’t like people using the road to get to the park. Galiano Island, V0N 1P0 . Running Der höchste Berg auf der Insel ist der 342 m hohe Mount Galiano. The views over to Vancouver Island … Watching the ferries do their ballet from the summit of Mount Galiano. The hike of Mount Galiano is 6km return (so only 3km each way) – that makes the walk to the trailhead longer than the hike. 1,863 Views. The tour artists will be happy to accommodate you. TOLL-FREE 1-877-530-3939 You can hike a half mile along the bluffs beneath big snags harboring eagles; or as I recently found out, continue for another adventurous mile or so into the newly acquired Matthews Point Regional Park Preserve protecting more lofty bluffs. Affordable Waterfront property on lovely Gossip Island, which is accessible via private boat from Whaler Bay on Galiano Island. Hi, I’m Taryn! What’s missing however is the view east. Have you hiked on the Gulf Islands? Rocky shores offer few shelters against winter storms, but a few protected bays welcomed aboriginal settlement and hosted clam beds whose long-lasting food bounty is attested by thick shell middens. Currently over 20 are in place leading to isolated surf-pounded sandstone shelves, quiet coves, and shorebird sanctuaries. Displaying land for sale, houses and real estate in Galiano Island, BC and related areas. Here a wonderful loop trail traverses towering timber to a rocky beach on the Strait of Georgia, where the surf continuously pounds, beaching old-growth logs and carving steep shelves in the sandstone shoreline. And traversing these natural areas are miles of trails. (click artist page to find individual studio hours). “The GIPRC has opened many Shore Access Trails throughout the island over the past few years,” says LeBlond. Named not for the Italian liqueur Galliano, but after the Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, who explored this area in 1792; Galiano Island is never-the-less a very sweet place – especially for hiking. Distance: 21km each way, 42 km return. We have reviews of the best places to see in Galiano Island. But it’s Galiano’s physical attributes and a protracted conflict over the island’s land use that defines this island and its islanders. An interesting option: http: //www.galiander.ca/galianotrails/galianosouthtrails.html if the tide is out you follow! 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