Mount Gardner on Bowen Island

Horseshoe Bay is only half an hour away from Vancouver. From here, several ferries sail in different directions and connect Vancouver with Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and the offshore islands. With the 257 Express bus from Granville/Georgia Street you can easily reach the ferry station. This weekend we want to discover a small (and still hidden) jewel: Bowen Island.

Just CAD 10 for the round trip and you are there. No complains here! At 10:15 a.m. we set off. The small ferry sails leisurely towards Bowen Island and reveals the panorama piece by piece. The trip takes about 15 minutes - at least it doesn't feel longer. At Snug Cove on Bowen Island, we exit the ferry via the car ramp, which is kind of cool.

We take a short stroll along the marina and inform ourselves at Bowen Island Sea Kayaking about the prices and conditions for the kayak rental. Afterwards we start hiking. Direction Killarney Lake and Mount Gardner.

The trail up Mount Gardner was highly recommended to us by Christine. But you should not walk it in the direction she did. Unfortunately, I have forgotten whether that was clockwise or counterclockwise, so we choose the difficult clockwise variant. But the climb is surprisingly pleasant, however the trails could be a little bit more clearly signposted. After just under 4 hours, the mountain panorama breaks out between the treetops and almost takes our breath away. A short breather before we continue.

Mount Gardner has two peaks. The South Peak and the North Peak. The South Peak is actually the higher of the two, but offers no view. Therefore the signposts bare corresponding indications: "North Peak = View" - "South Peak = No View". First we climb the North Peak, the one with a view:

South Peak delivers on the signposts promise. Trees! But that doesn't really matter. We follow the trail downhill. Here we realize what Christine meant. The descent is very steep and therefore very strenuous. However, the thought creeps into our minds that climbing up these steep slopes would not have been much more relaxing either. Without complaining much, we reach the lake again a few hours later and find our way back to the marina a little later. Just in time for the departure of the ferry it starts to rain. But who cares if you are protected by a small hut.