We will continue to return to Galiano Island for a late winter retreat to hike and explore, and in summer to camp and paddle.  Galiano is the first stop on the Southern Gulf Islands Ferry from Tswassen.   Once the ferry is launched, you can be offloading at Sturdies Bay in an hour.  We prefer to head inland down the long narrow island to Montague Harbor.   We find this area to be central for our explorations, hikes and paddles.   

Montague Provincial Park

Montague Provincial Park Campground is usually rated in the top 3 in the province.   The camping is in a beautiful oceanside setting with several beaches, hiking trails, and easy access to Trincomali Channel.   If you want to camp here, you will need to book this very early to get a site.   One part of the campground, though,  is for cyclists and paddlers only and it never seems to fill up.   In later winter, the 3km of hiking has a number of options include a beach walk, a reef to explore at low tide, 6 middens, a salt water marsh, and a boat harbour.   There are many fine views, so bring your camera.

Take the time to explore the shoreline around Gray Point.

In summer, it is easy to get the kayak right to the water and lauch from the beach.   We found that a morning paddle worked best because the winds come up by noon each day.   From Montague beaches and launches, you can paddle out to numerous islands.   Most are privately owned, but we found some oyster-covered coves to land on the islets (not at high tide).   We enjoyed paddling around the Ballingel Islets which is an Ecological Reserve for cormorants.   It is possible to paddle all the way to Wallace Island, but it would be easier to launch at Retreat Cove, north on the island road.  

The coastline has many sculpted features.   Taking a photo while kayaking is never easy, but in calm waters it can be done.

Montague is wonderful place to visit, but there a number of other areas that are rewarding – Bodega Ridge, Mount Galiano, Bluffs Park, Dionisio Point, and Bellhouse Park.    The next posts will feature some of these.