Bowen Island Day Trip
The fantastic view of the Coastal Mountains as seen from Bowen Island
Getaway From Vancouver to Bowen Island
Day Trip From Vancouver
Our son, Mik, turned 30 in June, and to celebrate we escaped the city for a one-day getaway to Bowen Island.
Depending on traffic and your location in Vancouver you can get to Bowen Island in about an hour and a half. The ferry from Horseshoe Bay leaves on the hour and it is a short 20-minute crossing.
It is a twenty-minute ferry ride to Bowen Island from Horseshoe Bay. Pictured here is the ferry bound for Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.
Bowen Island Ferry
We took our car across and prepared for a beach picnic. Many passengers left their cars on the mainland and crossed on foot or brought bicycles. During the short ferry ride, you can take in the excellent views of Howe Sound not to mention plenty of fresh air.
After four months of lockdown, we were all excited to get out of the city. The return ferry ticket, including four adults, came to CAD $70.15.
Arriving at the Snug Cove Ferry terminal on Bowen Island
Travel time to Bowen Island from Vancouver is about an hour and a half. Click to view a larger map.
Mik and Courtney had visited and stayed overnight on Bowen Island previously but it was our first visit to the Island. We started out exploring the area near the Snug Cove Ferry Terminal including the Memorial Garden, Bowfest Field, and the Marina.
We are currently in stage three after the lockdown and it seems things are slowly getting back to normal for merchants. Some but not all restaurants and artisan shops were open for business with Covid-19 modifications in place.
Bowfest Field and Bowen Island Marina
Hiking to Find the Bowen Island Mastodon
Our main activity for our day trip was a hike to find the famous Mastodon built of driftwood by Bowen Island sculpturer, Guthrie Gloag. We cannot tell you the exact location of the mastodon as this remains an island secret. We can however tell you that it is a somewhat challenging hike.
The forest was green and lush as we received a fair amount of rain in June. We stopped several times on the inclining trail to catch our breath but it was well worth the effort when we reached the Mastodon.
The famous mastodon at Bowen Island
The R & R item on our agenda was a beach picnic. We stopped at Cates Bay Beach and found a nice spot in the shade among the driftwood. This spot provided an amazing view of the Sea to Sky Highway and the Coastal Mountain Range.
Killarney Lake
We had initially planned for a hike around Killarney Lake as well but given our post-lockdown conditioning, soon realized we had not allocated enough time for two hikes during our one-day visit. However, we did manage to stop briefly to take in the view and vowed to come back at a later date to complete the 4 km loop.
Ice cream in the village was the perfect way to wrap up the day before the 5 pm ferry back to Horseshoe Bay. It is safe to say we will be back to explore more on Bowen Island.
Travel Photos From Bowen Island
The artisan shops near the Snug Cove Ferry Terminal
Uphill on our hike at Bowen to find the Mastodon
A view towards the coastal mountain range from Bowen Island in British Columbia Canada
Beach BBQ at Cates Bay Beach on Bowen Island in British Columbia Canada
A family selfie on the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Snug Cove Ferry Terminal at Bowen Island
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The photos in this post were made using a Fujifilm X-Pro2. Lenses: XF 14mm f/2.8 R - XF 23mm f/1.4 R - XF 35mm f/1.4 R - XF 90mm f/2 R LM WR (links to my camera and lens reviews). Editing was done in Capture One Express. I have used of Fujifilm film simulations for some of the photos.
