Hiking & Bicycling Trails and Galiano Parks

The Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa is the only resort in the Southern Gulf Island where guests can leave their cars behind, come by ferry as a foot passenger, walk to the Inn….and walk to many of the best parts of the island.

Starting from the gates of the Inn, guests can access a wonderful trail system and enjoy quiet country roads, parks, trails and beaches. With a little more time and effort (a bicycle or moped may assist), guests can also explore a little further: the beaches of Montague Provincial Park, Dionisio and Pebble Beach, among many. Click here for a short guide to the routes.

Best Bicycle Routes from the Inn

Guests can easily walk to Galiano Bicycle (539-9906) to rent bicycles and venture further afield on Galiano. At the end of Madrona Drive, turn left and walk about 10 minutes to Burrill Road: the Rental shop is just to the left. It is best to call ahead and determine availability of the type of bicycle you are looking for: they have everything from mountain bikes to tandem bicycles.

All routes begin and end at the Inn:

Bluffs Park Loop
Montague Park
Dionisio Park

Short hikes from the Inn:

Bellhouse Park
Bluffs Park
Matthew Point Beach
Sturdies Bay Trail

Longer Hikes from the Inn

Mount Galiano
Gray Peninsula Trail
Bodega Ridge
Pebble Beach Trail

Galiano Island's many parks beckon.....

Bellhouse Park is just 1 km from the Galiano Oceanfront Inn and Spa and offers a beautiful short hike. The park features unique rock formations, excellent picnic spots quite literally “on” the Strait of Georgia, with views of passing boats. You may spot eagles nesting in the trees of the park.

Montague Harbour is just 8 km from the Inn. Home to a 3000 year old Indian midden, its lovely shell beach gives evidence to the many years that Coast Salish people made this a regular home site. Here they enjoyed the abundance of salmon in the waters surrounding Galiano, the rich harvest of oysters, clams and mussels. Now you can enjoy the white shell beaches, beautiful sunsets, tidal pools, surrounding forest and open meadows, as well as the abundant bird life in this 97 hectare forested park.

Dionisio Point is a rugged natural park at the north end of the island with beautiful beaches that the local islanders call Coon Bay. Here you will find a unique shoreline with artistically sculpted sandstone formations, a sand beach for swimming, tidal pools, and colourful wildflowers and forests that fill this beautiful provincial park.

Mount Galiano is Galiano’s highest point of land…a hike to the top will provide the intrepid hiker with rewarding views over the Gulf Islands, the U.S. San Juan Islands and the distant mainland mountains. The hike is a steady elevated climb, about 50 minutes. You will hike through a rich forest, with the canopy of trees shading you from the sun until you emerge at the summit. At 341 meters, it is Galiano's highest point of land, with views of all of the Gulf Islands: Mayne, North and South Pender, Saturna, Salt Spring, and more.

Bluffs Park is only 4 km from the Inn and one of Galiano’s most rewarding, yet easiest hikes, with options of an easy drive to the top, challenging hikes to the shores, or casual walks to spectacular viewpoints. At the Bluffs viewpont, you will have a beautiful view of Active Pass, at 180 meters high. Watch eagles soar overhead and ferry traffic pass far below you, with views of the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula beyond. Share the trails with deer and their young fawns. The park is over 130 hectares of towering cedars, gary oak and douglas fir.

Bodega Ridge Provincial Park consists of a dramatic ridge rising several hundred metres above sea level, with spectacular views over Trincomali Channel and many of the Gulf Islands' hundreds of islands and islets and beyond to the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula. High cliffs are home to raptors like peregrine falcons and bald eagles, as well as trees like towering cedars and Douglas fir, beautiful red-barked arbutus, and lush salal. One of the “must do” hikes on Galiano. It is just 25 minutes by car from the Inn, along meandering country roads, and a 30 minute hike to the top.

Pebble Beach and Cable Bay are, like many places on Galiano, ‘naturally hidden’ and difficult to find, but like all of them…definitely worth the search. With a beautiful pebble beach, rich forests, beaver ponds and trails, and views to the mainland, it is another of Galiano’s hidden gems.

Lovers’ Leap, Vineyard Way, Retreat Cove, Spanish Hills, Morning Beach … there are so many more places to discover on your own.