Quadra Island is a vibrant community, with many locals and visitors taking advantage of all the location has to offer. Hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, rock climbing—there’s no shortage of outdoor adventures in this small island paradise.
But what Quadra Island was lacking was an organization that made it easy for people to link up with others for outings.
Enter: The Quadra Island Outdoor Club.
Founded in 2013, the Quadra Island Outdoor Club is one of our most newly formed clubs. It’s a small and personal club with 30 to 40 members (Quadra Island only has about 2700 full-time residents), but they’re incredibly active. There’s normally an outing a week throughout the year, and they diligently head online and post a trip report and photos after every excursion. Members love being reminded about how enjoyable and beautiful the trip was, and it also encourages others who are not active to come out and appreciate what Quadra and nearby destinations have to offer.
The QIOC focuses on hiking and kayaking, with some snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter. Most trips are day trips, but there are also a few multi-day hikes and kayaking outings. They also offer regular kayak safety courses to keep their members in top paddling shape.
And while the QIOC isn’t the group responsible for building and maintaining the island’s vast network of hiking trails (the long-standing Quadra Island Trail Committee is in charge of that), members frequently volunteer to lend a hand and support the island’s most valuable economic and recreational assets.
(All photos taken by Norris Weimer)