I misspent my youth on Vancouver Island.  In the late 1970’s and early 1980s, I was an undergraduate student at SFU.  In my spare time, I’d jump on my bike and explore Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands with different groups of friends.  Eager to share my bicycle touring discoveries with others, I wrote a first guidebook to the region (published by Douglas & McIntyre, while I was away at grad school).

Now that I’m retired on the big island, I’ve enjoyed revisiting several little islands up and down the coast.  I was pleased to see the ongoing development of new multi-use trails and greenways for active transportation on Salt Spring, Galiano, Mayne, Pender, and Saturna.  I remember the days when hoards of cyclists would disembark BC Ferries and unfortunately not wait for traffic to unload.  Instead, novices would clog the roads in an excited rush to investigate, thereby slowing the passage of arriving vehicles.  Here is a quick update on five new routes that should solve this problem of popularity and provide safer routes for the growing numbers of residents who are forced to walk along increasingly busy road edges.

Salt Spring Island

Salt Spring Island is working on a proposed 21-kilometre connector trail from Vesuvius Bay (Crofton Ferry) through Ganges to Fulford Harbour (Swartz Bay Ferry).  This is the route that is most trafficked on the island and has become the missing link in a 186-kilometre loop on mostly rail trails from Swartz Bay Ferry into Victoria, up island past Shawnigan and Cowichan Lakes, and through Duncan to the Crofton Ferry.  While the start of Salt Spring construction is delayed to 2029, hopefully, the powers that be will link a similar trail between Ganges and Long Harbour with ferries to other Gulf Islands and Tsawwassen.

Galiano Island

Galiano Island has a 2-kilometre multi-use trail north of the ferry landing at Sturdies Bay and plans to add two phases from Sturdies Bay south to Bluff Park, with views over Active Passage, and then further to camping at Montague Harbour.  Their current plan also shows the intent for future trails to the northern tip of the island and several short connectors on the island’s southern portion.

Mayne Island

Mayne Island opened its 2.3-kilometre multi-use trail from the Village Bay ferry to Miners Bay village in late 2024.  This 2-metre wide gravel path beside the main road is the first phase that took two years to complete.  The second phase intends to connect a short side trail to Mount Parke.  Hopefully they will also add future multi-use trails joining road dead ends together at Henderson Hill and Paddon Point.

Pender Island

Pender Island has recently finished a 1.8-kilometre multi-use trail in only a year, providing safety for kids going to Pender Island School from Danny Martin Ballpark.  Patterned after Mayne’s effort, the trail beside Schooner Way will someday connect near camping at Prior Centennial Park to a multi-use trail from Otter Bay ferry landing to the South Pender Island in two phases joining at the Driftwood Centre.

Saturna Island

Saturna Island plans a multi-use path from Lyall Harbour ferry landing to Lyall Harbour village centre on the quietest of islands.  In the future, this will extend past Lyall Falls to camping at Narvaez Bay Park.  No plans yet exist for a multi-use trail beside East Point Road along the north coast to the scenic lighthouse.

These projects are locally inspired and overseen by the Capital Regional District.  Most are funded by regional and provincial organizations with donations from community residents.  While these routes in each case do not encompass the entire island, they are built to provide safety in critically crowded areas.  The quiet rural roads of island life remain for walking and bicycling once you are way from the ferries.  For information about these future trails, check out the maps in the Gulf Islands Regional Trails Plan.

Blog post written by Dr. Simon Priest, a retired professor of outdoor recreation and on the FMCBC as well as the FORT-VI Board of Directors.