Trip 248 - May of 2022

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

Gray Point Trail Hike

Galiano Island, British Columbia

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Location: At the end of Montague Park Road on Galiano Island, approximately 8 kilometers from Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal.

Liked: Very fine views from day use area and Gray Point Trail. Available potable water.

Of Note: The park is popular. Camping in a vehicle is subject to the same fee as using a camping spot.

Vancouver Island, Victoria & Gulf Islands Backroad Mapbook (9th edition) Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Coordinates: Page 20 (Galiano Island) E3.

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Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park is the only vehicle-accessible provincial park on Galiano Island, and is quite popular. This park is located about 8 kilometers from Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal, served by BC Ferries from Tsawassen and Swartz Bay. This park has 16 campsites, and also a large parking lot dedicated to camping in vehicles. Curiously, whether you have a nicely treed (though not terribly private or scenic) and personal picnic table-equipped spot, or are squeezed between the vehicles of fellow car campers at the parking lot, the cost per night is the same - $25.

Boaters can also use the park by docking or using buoys for a fee.

There is drinking water from ground-based taps available at several spots, a boat launch, a very picturesque day use area with a beach overlooking the harbour, and a fine Gray Point Trail with many good views and several beaches. The beaches are all a mix of stones/crushed shells/and some sand. There are also numerous arbutus trees giving the trail a particular charm.

A small grocery store, a restaurant, and a kayak/scooter rental is located about 1.5 km away from the park at the Montague Harbour Marina.

1. Here is a Google map of Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park.

Here is our video of driving from Sturdies Bay Terminal to Montague Harbour Park.

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2. We are on Montague Park Road, approximately 7 kilometers from Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal.

Montague Park Road - Galiano Island BC

3-4. Now making a right turn to stay on Montague Park Road. Montague Road is on the left, and it leads to Montague Harbour Marina with its store/restaurant/rentals in several hundred meters. It's pretty tight road-wise by the marina, and anything larger than a full size pickup truck might have a very interesting time turning around.

Galiano Island, BC - Montague Park Road

5. About a kilometer later, just over 8 kilometers from Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal, we are entering Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park. The gate is closed from 11 PM to 7 AM. Keep that in mind, if you have a vehicle and need to catch a ferry which leaves early in the morning.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Entrance

6. The rules of the place.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Rules

7. The road past the gate. It's a very pleasant park, with lots of vegetation.

Montague Harbour Provincial Park

8. A few hundred meters past the gate, there is a sign indicating what's where. Day use area is straight ahead, and vehicle camping lot is to the left.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park - Galiano Island - British Columbia - Canada

9. Here is that vehicle camping lot. Literally, cars and vans are parked next to each other and pay the same daily fee as folks who are staying in one of the campsites.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Vehicle Camping Lot

10. Here is an area just to the left of the above parking lot, where tents can be pitched and picnics can be had.

Montague Harbour Provincial Park Picnic Area

11. Now moving straight past the directional sign seen in photo #8.

Galiano Island, BC - Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

12. One of the Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park's campsites. Again, not terribly private, as these trees do not make for much of a fence, and there are no scenic views, but an own campsite is good to have.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Campsite

13. Just past the campsites, there is a very popular day use parking lot. One of the potable water ground taps is located just in front of the information board to the right of where we are standing while taking this photograph. There are no public shower facilities that we know of anywhere on Galiano Island.

Montague Harbour Provincial Park Day Use Parking Lot

14. A fine grassy area by the parking lot. A small beach then follows. A longer beach is located several hundred meters up Gray Point Trail, which begins at the end of the day use parking lot.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

15. A few picnic tables on the right side.

Picnic Tables in Montague Harbour Provincial Park on Galiano Island, BC

16. Here is that beach in front of Montague Harbour. Quite busy on a sunny weekend.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Beach

17. A boat launch on the left side.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park Boat Launch

18. Yet more to the left there are three garbage cans, one recycling bin, two pit toilets, and the trailhead for a scenic Gray Point Trail. Coordinates: N 48°53.995’ W 123°24.408’ Elevation: 12 meters.

Pit Toilets at Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

19. Gray Point Trail is, mostly, a loop of just under 2.2 kilometers. It's an easy trail leading to several beaches and a few fine views. Here we are at 50 meters of the trail (all distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate).

Gray Point Trail in Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

20. At 75 meters, there is a long staircase leading to the first and by far the most popular beach.

Marine Harbour Provincial Park Gray Point Trail

21. At 100 meters is the beginning of the first and by far the most popular beach. It is composed largely of finely crushed shells, with some sand and stones. A separate path leads to this beach from the vehicle camping area / tenting area of Montague Bay Marine Provincial Park.

Gray Point Trail Beach in Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

22. Looking left at 120 meters, with by far the most popular beach to our right. A picturesque lagoon hosts the yachts and boats docked at the park. One buoy per boat or yacht.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park

23. The path re-enters the forest at 265 meters.

Gray Point Trail Hike on Galiano Island, BC

24. And the loop trail begins just 15 meters later, at 280 meters from the day use parking lot. It doesn't matter which way to go, except the other two beaches (not as good, but not as crowded on a busy day either) are closer if you take the path on the right, which is what we did on this hike.