Camping on Galiano Island
A couple of weekends ago, I went on my first camping trip of the year. We had booked into Montague Harbour Provincial Park on Galiano Island. It had been about 8 years since I had been to Galiano and that last time I had stayed at an AirBnB at the very north end of the island. On that trip, we had stopped on the way back to the ferry at Montague Harbour and had a very memorable lunch on the white shell beach there. I was definitely looking forward to going back.
I didn’t have a memory of it being difficult to get to Galiano on that last trip, and perhaps the ferry sailings have changed over the last few years. When I looked at the schedule, I was surprised to find out how few trips actually went to Galiano and there were almost no direct trips. Wanting to make the most of the trip we decided to leave on a 1030 sailing from Swartz Bay on a Friday. This sailing actually required us to change ferries on Mayne Island which seemed odd. The sailing to Mayne Island on the Queen of Cumberland was great and took about 35 minutes. We hopped back in the car and drove off and were directed right back onto the second ferry, the Mayne Queen, immediately for the next 30 minute trip. That trip was also great with perhaps the best view of humpback whales I have ever had. Unfortunately, we had to wait for the ferry coming from Tsawwassen to go into Galiano, unload, load and leave before we could dock. This added an extra 30 minutes onto the trip.
Once we were finally off the ferry, we decided to head straight to the campground. It is a pretty straight 15 minute drive from Sturdies Bay. Just past the Hummingbird Pub, you need to make sure to keep left and go along Georgeson Bay Road to avoid heading up the island. Once you get to Montague Harbour, the signage is pretty good on guiding you into the provincial park.
Driving into the park you are struck by the amazing rock formations that are so common on the Gulf Islands, with a huge wall of rock on the right side of the road. Our site was one of the drive-in sites as it needed fit our pop-up camper. There are actually a pretty limited amount of drive in sites, maybe only 20. The majority of the sites seemed to be walk-in and are located in the southwest portion of the campground close to the park’s wharf. I expect the campground is pretty popular for those that arrive by boat. Those sites would also be great for anyone that was doing a bike camping trip. One thing that seemed a little different than the other islands I have visited is the proportion of people from the mainland vs the island. I expect because when you take the Gulf Islands ferry from Tsawwassen, Galiano is the first stop and that makes it uniquely accessible for those from Vancouver. Also the fact that with the exception of Saturna, it is also the hardest to access from Victoria would likely mean that Islanders would choose one of the other islands. To likely emphasize the point, many of the other campers seemed to be tourists on a side trip from Vancouver.
The biggest draw at Montague Harbour Provincial Park is the amazing crescent of white shell sand along the northern portion of the park and the adjacent glacial rock tracks that head out into the water. On our first day there, it is was a bright sunny day and I had arrived without sunglasses which made spending time in the glare of the white sand challenging. Luckily, I was able to get a pair at the Montague Harbour marina a little later on.
Apart from the provincial park there is a lot to do on Galiano. If you are staying in the campground, a walk down to the marina is an easy choice. They have ice cream and there is a beautiful eatery, The Crane and the Robin, with a deck looking out over the marina.
For our full day on the island, we managed to do quite a bit of sightseeing. In the morning, we stopped for coffee at the Solomon Rose cafe. The coffee was excellent. With our coffees in hand, we went to check out the Saturday Market at the Lions Park. It was quite an eclectic selection of wares from art to falafel, and also quite a decent crowd of almost all locals it seemed. At the other end of the field from the market is an beautiful community garden, which is definitely worth a wander.
After leaving there, we stopped at Bellhouse Provincial Park and had a picnic as the ferries passed in front of us through Active Pass.
After eating, we popped into Sturdies Bay and checked out the Sturdies Bay Bakery and picked up a couple of other items we needed for dinner. With the shopping done, we decided to go for a hike to burn off some calories and hopefully tire out our 2 year old. A little more than halfway up the island is a trailhead for Cable Bay and Pebble Beach. There is a loop trail here that you can do from the parking lot that takes about 45 minutes. It is a great hike, with stops at two truly beautiful beaches with views of the mainland in the background.
We also made a stop into the relatively new Galiano Island Museum. It is a pretty eclectic collection, but that might make it even more worth the stop. There are a lot of other places to visit on the island and apparently some great eateries like Pilgrimme, but we figured that they would be best enjoyed without a toddler.
After some more beach sitting and playing we went to bed and left the next morning. The ferry back didn’t require a transfer, but did make stops at both Mayne and Pender Island, still it was a nice trip in great weather.
If you have done the other islands and have yet to check out Galiano, I would definitely recommend a visit!
