Galiano Island Visit

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Galiano Island is part of Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, and is a very fine island to visit for camping, hiking, and general exploration. A ferry from Tsawwassen Terminal in Delta or Swartz Bay Terminal in Victoria gets you and/or your vehicle to Galiano Island. For campers, the most obvious choice aside from some B&Bs and other accommodations is Montague Bay Marine Provincial Park, located about 8 kilometers from the ferry terminal. Despite having the word "marine" in it, this provincial park has camping for vehicles/tents as well. It features very fine views from the day use parking lot, a short scenic trail, a boat launch, and potable water. A nearby Montague Bay Marina has a restaurant and a very handy small general store, with groceries, ice, and many other useful items. As well, you may rent a scooter at the marina, and, should you miss the Lower Mainland sooner than you anticipated, a regular floatplane flight will take you from that marina straight to YVR water aerodrome.

Since it's only home to under 2,000 people, Galiano Island has very limited services. It does have a gas station (right by the Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal) with an attached small grocery store, a bakery (just down the road), a bookstore (adjacent to the bakery) and a few other small stores. The islanders would certainly welcome you spending your money at their businesses.

For those of us with limited phone data plans, Galiano Library has password-free 24/7/365 Wi-Fi available. Just park outside, if the library is closed (it has very short hours of operation). There is even a gym in an office trailer-like building next to the library, but we are not sure how one gets to use it. There is certainly no receptionist there, and it appears each user has their own key and comes whenever they want.

As far as what to see on Galiano Island, there is a lot. The two most impressive hikes are Bodega Ridge Trail, and Mount Galiano Trail. Another very cool thing to do is visiting shore access points, of which there are 31 throughout the island. Pick up a map at the information kiosk to your right just after you exit Sturdies Bay Ferry Terminal, where all of the shore access points are listed.

The only more-or-less serious issue which bugged us during our stay at Galiano Island was the noise from single engine aircraft and ferry horns, especially in the southern part of the island. Those ferries work like alarm clocks when they blow their super loud horns while leaving the terminal and also when going around a blind corner further away. The sound carries very well, and the first ferries leave shortly after 6 AM, so get ready to be woken up, unless you are a really good sleeper. And the seaplanes taking off or flying by are also quite noisy. The noise from the ferries is less and less obvious the further North up the island you go.

Overall, it's been a very pleasant visit to Galiano Island. This trip report contains random photos we took here and there, as well as the photos from four short hikes/visits: The Bluffs, Matthews Point Regional Park, Bellhouse Provincial Park, and Collinson Point Provincial Park. Bodega Ridge Trail, Mount Galiano Trail, Montague Bay Marine Provincial Park (Gray Point Trail), Retreat Cove Cave, and Galiano Island Shore Access Points have their own trip reports.

All trail distances in this trip report are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.

34. Next is a trip to a tiny Bellhouse Provincial Park. You can get here from the ferry terminal via Sturdies Bay Road - Burrill Road - Jack Road - Bellhouse Road. The parking lot would be too small for anything larger than a full-size pickup truck.

Bellhouse Provincial Park Entrance

35. Bellhouse Provincial Park rules.

Bellhouse Provincial Park Rules

36. A short path to the shore.

Bellhouse Provincial Park - Galiano Island BC Canada

37. A picnic table, a toilet, and a good view can all be found at Bellhouse Provincial Park on Galiano Island.

Galiano Island Bellhouse Provincial Park

38-39. The views, left to right.

View from Bellhouse Provincial Park British Columbia

Bellhouse Provincial Park - Galiano Island

40. And now we are on Sturdies Bay Road turning right onto Burrill Road, from where it is 2.6 km to Matthews Point Regional Park.

Sturdies Bay Road at Burrill Road Galiano Island BC

41-42. This is Bluff Road now, and Matthews Point Regional Park (Ridge Trail) starts behind the gate on the left side. Coordinates: N 48°52.011’ W 123°19.731’ Elevation 81 meters. A pullout long enough for two vehicles is just past the gate. Hiking and horse riding is allowed here, cycling is not.

Bluff Road Galiano Island British Columbia Canada

Matthews Point Regional Park Entrance off Bluff Road on Galiano Island

43. Go up a somewhat steep gravel road for 90 meters, and be surprised to see a very modern pit toilet on a rarely used trail. A much more popular nearby Bluffs Trail Viewpoint has no toilet, so head here, if needed.

Matthews Point Regional Park Pit Toilet Galiano Island BC

44. At 165 meters past the gate, make a left turn. Straight ahead is a Bluffs Trail connector.

Galiano Island Matthews Point Regional Park

45. Proceed through a pleasant forest for several hundred meters. At 375 meters here.

Ridge Trail in Matthews Point Regional Park on Galiano Island BC

46. At 480 meters, arrive at a decent, if rather overgrown, first viewpoint. We visited in the afternoon, and the sun glare was substantial.

View from Matthews Point Regional Park on Galiano Island British Columbia

47. At 550 meters, the second viewpoint is as partially overgrown as the first one. You can then head back, or proceed further down the path which ends at another point (non-marked) of Bluff Road less than a kilometer later.

Matthews Point Regional Park Viewpoint - Galiano Island BC Canada

48. Collinson Point Provincial Park is our next trip. The path to the park is shared with Mount Galiano trailhead. Here we are on Active Pass Drive, ready to turn right onto the parking lot.

Active Pass Drive Galiano Island BC

49. And here is the parking lot for Collinson Point Provincial Park and Mount Galiano Trail. Coordinates: N 48°51.902’ W 123°21.187’. Elevation 31 meters. There are no facilities here.

Mount Galiano Parking Lot

50. The trail starts at the end of the parking lot, on the right side.

A Path to Collinson Point Provincial Park British Columbia

51. Only 20 meters later, a sharp right turn is for Mount Galiano Trail, and we need to head left to Collinson Point Provincial Park.

Trail Split - Mount Galiano Trail and Collinson Point Provincial Park access trail

52. It's basically a short pleasant walk in a forest to a decent viewpoint. At 285 meters here.

Collinson Point Provincial Park access path

53. At 410 meters, cross the road and keep heading straight.

Galiano Island BC

54. At 460 meters from the parking lot, enter Collinson Point Provincial Park.

Collinson Point Provincial Park - Galiano Island BC

55. A pleasant walk in the park continues.

Galiano Island Collinson Point Provincial Park

56. At 1.1 km, the one and only viewpoint is on the left side. The trail then continues for a few hundred meters until the park ends, and joins with some forest service road.

View from Collinson Point Provincial Park on Galiano Island BC

57. Finally, The Bluffs Trail, with the most impressive view of all the short trips on Galiano Island. Here we are on Georgeson Bay Road, heading towards Bluff Road.

Georgeson Bay Road Galiano Island BC

58. Making a left turn from Georgeson Bay Road onto Bluff Road.

Georgeson Bay Road at Bluff Road on Galiano Island BC Canada

59. 300 meters later, Bluff Road becomes quite narrow and rather rough, but nothing a regular vehicle can't handle.

Bluff Road Galiano Island BC

60. Here is that narrow and rather rough road. There are several pullouts to let wide vehicles pass each other safely, but it's not a busy road.

Galiano Island Bluff Road

61-62. 1.35 km after Georgeson Bay Road, here is a turnoff to The Bluffs parking lot access road.

Bluff Road at The Bluffs turnoff

The Bluffs Entrance on Galiano Island British Columbia

63. The road after the gate is fairly steep and rough.

Access Road to The Bluffs on Galiano Island

64. 150 meters after the gate, here is a parking lot.

The Bluffs Parking Lot

65. A map of The Bluffs park. There are a lot of trails, most on the other side of Bluff Road, but only one viewpoint, right by the parking lot, indicated by a red arrow in the photo below.

The Bluffs Park Map Galiano Island BC

66. Go to the right from the parking lot, and the viewpoint would be less than 300 meters later. Watch for steep unbarricaded drop-offs.

The Bluffs Viewpoint Galiano Island British Columbia

67. You can watch ferries go by. Here is Spirit of Vancouver with some zoom.

The Spirit of Vancouver BC Ferry Observed from Galiano Island

Short Galiano Island trips are pleasant enough, but the main attractions are longer trips covered in the next trip reports.