Galiano Island is one of the Gulf Islands off the southern coast between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is named after the 18th century Spanish explorer Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, who explored the west coast of Canada in 1792. It is a place rich in nature and history and before the arrival of Europeans, the island was inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the Penelakut First Nation as well as other Coast Salish nations. Today there is an Indian reservation at the northern end located at the northern end under the administration of Penelakut.

Galiano Island by bike

A bicycle ride on the nestled island in the middle of the majestic Pacific ocean, nature has generated a small and wonderful paradise that captivates the beauty of its rocky and jagged coasts, small bays, brightness of the sea, with many beaches and wonderful sandstone shelves, sculpted by the wind and sea. The main routes are along low-traffic hilly roads and is a long, narrow island, 27.5 km (17.1 mi) from tip and top.

Galiano Island is the perfect destination for a BC Gulf Islands cycling trip. It is a bike tour that can be done in a single day from Vancouver Island or lower mainland British Columbia. This was the first time I had left by car simply because I also wanted to explore by foot and therefore I took a short ferry of 55 minutes from Tsawwassen and when we arrive at Sturdies Bay. Then, we drive approximately 10 km and camped at Montague Harbor Marine Provincial Park is located on the southwest side of Galiano Island.

The adventure...

In the morning we left the campsite and went on an adventure cycling around the island. It's a beautiful place to cycle through the ups and downs but there are no shoulders on the roads.

We reach it via a secondary asphalted road outside the portion of Devina Drive which leads to some paths that end at The Dionisio Point/Provincial Park is located at the end of the Galiano Island where there is the marine campsite which in the summer period is very crowded, so booking is highly recommended. The park has a network of trails offering a wide range of views from verdant ancient forests to marine views including picturesque bays, sandy beaches, rocky coasts, several sandstone spots in Georgia or Porlier. . It is a completely unspoiled wild place and is a hidden gem of the Salish Sea! Then, we ride back to the campsite. The next day we did some hiking and then took the ferry back to Tsawwassen in Vancouver.

On the island there is Mount Galiano is Galiano's highest point of land. with a height of 314 m above sea level. It is a hike of approximately 9 kilometers out-and-back which from the top offers spectacular and breathtaking views of the Strait of Georgia and the surrounding Gulf Islands. This time I didn't hike I explore other places!

Distance: 22.36 Km