Canadian Gulf Islands
Our travel took place on the ancenstral lands of the Stz’uminus, Quw’utsun, Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ), Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Snuneymuxw, S’Klallam, Te’mexw Treaty Association, and Sc’ianew peoples who have stewarded those lands since time immemorial.
Bisque had the great idea to go to the Canadian gulf islands for a bike trip over the July 4th weekend and I was so in. I had two other friends that had gone the last year and had all come back sunkissed and blissed out from hanging out on beaches and eating pastries. I was so excited! The Canadian gulf islands are a series of islands off the north coast of Vancouver Island which are connected by a network of ferries. The islands are pretty rural and still agricultural which made cycling pretty chill because there just aren’t a lot of people or cars. However, that also means you should be prepared and self-sufficient since there aren’t a lot of services or bike shops. I was told by a few people that the ferries were very unpredictable and never came on time, but fortunately that was not the case for our trip. The challenge for us came in reading the ferry schedules correctly since the schedules are a lot more complex than we are used to in Seattle and the names of destinations use the name of the harbor rather than the name of the island.
Our journey started in Seattle at 7am where we loaded up the cars and drove to Edmonds for our first ferry of our three-ferry day. After landing in Kingston we drove to Port Angeles, parked our cars at a friend’s house, and got on our second ferry of the day, the Black Ball Ferry to Victoria. From there we took the Galloping Goose Regional Trail north out of the city until it connected with the Lochside Regional Trail in Saanich. The trails are both former rail lines that are now multi-use paved and gravel trails that connect Victoria to the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, going through several neighborhoods and towns along the way. It was so easy to navigate and truly a joy to ride with rest stops and shelters along the way where there were no services. We stopped in Sidney for food and tequila and I learned what a mickey is and came to resent the imperial system more and more. It’s worth noting that alcohol in Canada is heavily regulated by the state and so you need to plan ahead if you want booze!
The third, and last, ferry of the day took us to Pender Island where we enjoyed the beautiful Shingle Bay Campground and got to cook dinner and enjoy the sunset overlooking the water while a harbor seal poked its head up to investigate us. The campsite has a pit toilet, but no potable water. There are about 10 sites that were all occupied when we arrived, so we stayed in ‘overflow area’ in the abandoned apple tree orchard. I was really surprised at how many families were there because there was no potable water and there is a fairly road down from the parking area. We had to walk our bikes some of the time to get in and out of the site. I slept like a baby since the only sounds were the waves lightly lapping against the shore about 50 feet away, it always feels so good to be under the cover of giant trees.
The next morning we made coffee and oatmeal by the water and tried to pack up in time to make it to a 9:30am ferry. However, when we got there we realized we had misread the ferry schedule and would need to wait for the next ferry to Mayne Island at 3pm. We were really disappointed and the ferry booth worker seemed a little offended that we didn’t want to hang out on Pender Island any longer. She recommended a museum and other things to explore, but we are lazy bikers and didn’t want to bike around with fully loaded bikes. So instead, we hung out at the Otter Bay Marina which had some nice picnic tables in the shade and a coffee shop and cafe where we got to hang out, play card games, and relax until the next ferry.
After hanging out all day, we got on our ferry to Mayne Island where we had the most beautiful campsite at Mayne Island Camping. The site says that they require a three-night minimum on spring and summer long weekends (Canada has a three-day weekend every month), but we emailed and let them know we only needed one night and it was fine! Very grateful for their flexibility. The campsite is spread out over this large waterfront property with 15 campsites across three distinct camping areas. There is a large flat area close to the main house and then two camping areas to the north and south. We stayed in the campsite to the north and it was HILLY, we had to drag our bikes across a trail with a lot of roots and up and over lots of rocks. If you have limited mobility or a lot of stuff, I would recommend you choose the campsites in the flat area or to the south of the main house. There is potable water, an outdoor shower, and pit toilets, but you have to pack out all of your waste. The campsite was really close to town where there is a grocery store, liquor store, coffee shop and some restaurants. The liquor store was closed when we got to town, so biked an extra 2 miles to Mayne Island Brewing which was in a really cute converted house with a patio outside.
When we got back from the brewery our friends were chatting with some other folks from the campground that they knew from Seattle. They had recently moved to Victoria and so we were asking them about adjusting to Canadian life and what poutine we should get on the way back. They recommended L’Authentique Poutine and Burgers as well as La Belle Patate. We spent the afternoon having a picnic by the water and then after dinner we watched the ferries come in and out and watched a log bob from the middle of the inlet to the shore and somehow it was more captivating than a lot of reality TV.
The next morning we got coffee in the very funky Shavasana Art Gallery & Cafe which is effectively someone’s home. They make coffee and bake cookies in the kitchen and use the kitchen island as the cash register. They have a great area in the back with tables and chairs where you can take in the view of the water. We saw some other bike campers from Vancouver that were also there for the long weekend and were amazed that we had come so far and were island hopping.
We boarded our ferry to Saltspring Island and had a little more time to kill than on other ferries. We played multiple rounds of Split! and ate (what I think is pretty decent) ferry poutine. The cafeterias on the ferries are amazing! Everything seems really fresh and they have lots of healthy options which is nice when you’ve been eating bikepacking food for several days. Saltspring Island is the biggest, most populous, and most touristy of the gulf islands. It has two harbors — Long Harbor in the north and Fulford Harbor in the south. When we landed in Long Harbor there was a huge crowd waiting and I heard at least five languages in less than five minutes. It was a very hot day so the relatively easy ride to town felt neverending. Once we got to the little Ganges downtown we surveyed the options but opted to ride a little further out to Salt Spring Wild Cider House which is very popular and was very busy.
The cider and food was all delicious but I have to say the vibes were not appropriate for four disgusting and smelly bikepackers. The host looked us up and down and offered us a table on the outdoor patio, then when I requested to be seated in the indoor patio where it was cooler and they were offering table service they kind of rolled their eyes and seated us. My friends told me that a lot of the patrons were staring at me — I am big and covered in tattoos — but it wasn’t as casual of a place as we had expected, I suppose. In most breweries and cideries in Seattle folks would not blink an eye if you showed up from a hike or a long bike ride.
After lunch we rode to Ruckle Provincial Park and encountered a lot of road rage until we were like 20 kilometers outside Ganges. I’m not sure if it was because it was around 5pm (rush hour) or if people on Saltspring Island just hate cyclists that much. All of the gulf islands are a lot like the San Juan islands and have lots of rolling hills, the rollers on this ride definitely kicked my butt after four days of loaded cycling and only having cider in my stomach.
Ruckle Provincial Park was gorgeous and gigantic, it’s on an old homestead that now has lots of day use areas and more than 80 walk-in campsites arranged along the waterfront and in the forest. There are pit toilets, water, and trash receptacles. We got to see lots of boats and ferries roll by and try and guess which islands we were looking at in the distance. If I had a swimsuit (or skinnydipping was more acceptable) I think this would have been a great place for an open water swim.
The logistics of our last day were a little stressful — we had to get up at 5am to be ready to leave at 6am and bike to catch the 7am ferry. Luckily we can all pack up really fast when we need to and made it to the ferry terminal with more than 20 minutes to spare. It was a quick ride to Swartz Bay where we did our ride back to Victoria all over again; it’s wild how much faster a route goes when you know where you’re going. It felt like it took us 4 or 5 hours to get to Swartz Bay the first time, and it felt so much faster on the way back.
I talked everyone into a little detour for poutine before the ferry and I’m glad I pushed for it! L’Authentique was closed because it was a Tuesday, but La Belle Patate was open. We ordered burgers, corn dogs, Quebecois Red soda, and of course POUTINE. It was super salty and greasy, the perfect treat after biking for hours in 85 degree weather.
This was a really awesome trip and I am so grateful to my buddies that made this such a memorable and cathartic experience. I was also reminded how much I love Canada and how mellow and beautiful it is up there.