Salish Sea Islands - Canada Side 2
Part of 2024-2025 Island Trip
USA ISLANDS 1 - USA ISLANDS 2 - CANADA ISLANDS 1 - CANADA ISLANDS 2 - USA ATTRACTIONS 1 - USA ATTRACTIONS 2 - CANADA ATTRACTIONS 2
We’re starting on the U.S.A. side, which has much nicer paved Islands than Canada’s crappier infrastructure and gravel roads I got a whole new bike for.
Malcolm Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: “The name Sointula means "Place of Harmony" (literally 'the place of chord') in the Finnish language. A group of Finnish settlers founded the village in 1901 after rowing north from Nanaimo.”
More remote Island on the trip. Garbage roads for the most part ( hence why there’s an annual mountain bike race there. Not a tourist destination, just people living their quiet lives with lots of quirky lawn ornaments.
Quadra Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: “The island was claimed by the Peruvian Spanish navigator Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra for the Spanish Empire in the 1700s”
One of the larger islands with a nice mix of tourist activities, towns and ferry access to Cortes Island. Great place to do gravel riding in the north where there are many challenging logging roads.
Cortes Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: ”Cortes is known for the wilderness and remote nature of the community. Kayaking is a popular activity around the island”
Only accessible by ferry from Quadra Island. You have to really plan for it if you want to make a day trip like I did from the mainland. 4 boat day. I met a guy on the ferry who showed me a huge piece of jade he mined further up north, says the Chinese will give him as much as a house for it.
These are the kinds of people you meet traveling the world. Did I talk to a jade millionaire or just a dude with a big green rock he found on the beach? I will never know. Perhaps I don’t want to know!
There’s nothing very special about this Island for cycling but apparently it’s a prime destination for rich people who want to sail. So if you’re a rich person reading this and want to buy a place to park one of your multiple boats, look into Cortes Island.
Savary Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: ”Archaeological evidence documents the occupation by Coast Salish peoples in this area of the Strait of Georgia for over 4,000 years.[citation needed]”
Tiny Island only accessible through a private ferry from the Sunshine Coast. Really only for completionists ( me ). There are great beaches here ( for BC ) but most of the island is cottages and woods. There is also a large sea lion colony somewhere but I only heard them…
Texada Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: ”Texada Island is largest of the Northern Gulf Islands at some 50 kilometres (31 mi) in length and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) in width.”
The road is mostly easy gravel until you get to the tip which is just a gnarly out-and-back descent/climb to the coast. Van Anda, where the ferry lands, is a mining town with an open quarry still to this day. The rest of the ride is all just farms and forest roads that climb up and down. There’s no services of any kind outside of the little town near the ferry so plan accordingly.
Beaver Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: ”There are none. This place is nothing.
Another completionist Island. Easy to miss on the map as it is only separated from the sunshine coast by a tiny bridge. Mostly residential with a small hike you can do to Francis Point Provincial park.
No ride for me that day since it was raining so here’s pictures of the hike.
Gambier Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: ”A rugged and sparsely populated island, it is far quieter than its neighbor Bowen Island, which is popular with day-trippers and summer vacationers.”
This is not an island for cycling at all but it has a vast network of challenging hiking trails. You could definitely do a 2 day trip here. There are no services of any kind but I’ve seen some Airbnbs announced.
Keats Island
Ferry Access
Fun fact: “In 2002, the Islands Trust stated that there were 50 to 80 full-time island residents, and that the number of part-time residents was around 900”
The ferry lands on opposite sides of the Island, twice per day. The middle is a big hill. Miss the ferry at one end and you have to go back over and catch the other one. Just a small quiet residential island with lots of lucky wildlife sightings for me that day!
Bowen Island
Ferry Access
Fun Fact: ”In 1871, homesteaders began to build houses and started a brickworks, which supplied bricks to the expanding city of Vancouver. Over the years, local industry has included an explosives factory, logging, mining, and milling,”
Prime destination from North Vancouver. Get your legs ready because this one is nothing but roads going up and down from the center to the coast. There’s tons of huge cottages all over the place and a decent sized village near the ferry landing where you can spend time while waiting.
Really one of the nicer islands to visit but 1800m elevation in 60km is pretty brutal.
Sea Island
Bridge Access
Midsize island where they put the airport. There is a nice nature preserve at the end of the bike path. Supposedly.
Mitchell Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: ”The island is host to a number of auto wreckers.”
There’s nothing to see as it’s located right in the middle of the river with Vancouver to the north and Richmond to the south. It only serves as a connector and it’s a big industrial park.
Winner of the coveted of “worst island” trophy.
Annacis Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: ”On August 7, 2017, a fire broke out in a warehouse on Annacis Island.[8]”
Another industrial park island that acts mostly as a connector between the north and south. Hard pass.
Tilbury Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: This island doesn’t even have a wiki it’s so small.
You really have to look hard to find this one, only the name would clue you in as it’s only separated by a little creek. It’s mostly a quiet residential area for people with boats. People cooler than us :,(
Deas Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: “It is a habitat for many kinds of birds, and a popular bird-watching destination”.
Just a small regional park with some historical buildings and a few short hiking trails along the fraser, with some observation platforms for bird-watching.
Westham Island
Bridge Access
Fun Fact: “The island was named by Harry Trim who came from Westham, Sussex.”.
The main draw is a waterfowl conservation area at the tip of the island. You have to pay to get in and there’s some wooden paths you can walk on along artificial ponds and marshes that migrating birds stop at in the spring/fall.
That’s it for all the islands! This sure ended on an anti-climactic note with all the worst ones on the Canada side. Sorry.
Next up is a showcase of all the attractions along this huge route. There are a lot. Some would say too many for any sane person to ever be interested in. Some would say.