Wallace Island
Wallace Island Provincial Park is found in the Gulf Islands between the northern ends of Saltspring and Galiano Islands. It is a marine-only access park with anchorages for larger boats and landings for paddlers. Most paddlers come over from Saltsping where it is only about 2 km from launch to landing. It is possible to paddle from Vancouver Island, Galiano Island, or Gabriola Island too. We launched from Montague Harbour Park on Galaino and paddled the 14 km route up the west side of Wallace Island and landed at low tide on the north end of Wallace Island at Chivers Point.
Kayakers can also land at Conover Cove or at Cabin Bay, but the largest campsite for paddlers is at Chivers Point. It is also a good distance from the larger boats farther down the island. We hiked all the way down the island to look at the other anchorages, points, and landings.
Chivers Point has a protected cove and is a great place for landing at high tide. At low tide, the channel is farther out where it is rockier, but it still a a protected spot to land and unload a kayak.
There are 8 tent pads at Chivers Point, a composting toilet, and picnic tables for each site. No fires are allowed on Wallace Island and there is no source for fresh water.
We hiked down the island to Cabin Bay which faces east into Trincomali Channel. there are two campsing spots there.
The landing at Cabin Bay would be easy at high tide, but a bit more difficult at low tide.
Princess Cove is 3 km down the island so we hiked down the ridge to the south end of the cover to take a look. It has a long, narrow but deep channel for larger boats to anchor overnight.
We continued our hike down the island and came to an area that had formerly been cultivated and encountered an old truck in the field.
Conover Cove was once a resort and a number of building still stand, now part of the provincial park. The shelter was festooned with many handing plaques from ships and from campers.
Another rock-wall shelter stands at the edge of the grassy field overlooking the cove.
A dock and ramp at Conover Cove can be used for a small number of boats.
We hiked to the end of the island through the salal and tall trees. the hike from one end to the other takes a full hour each way.
The trail ends at the southern tip of Wallace Island at Panther Point.
On the middle day we paddled north around the Secretary Islands and among a number of smaller islands. On our last day we paddled around the north end of Wallace Island, then straight across Trincomali Channel to the bluffs of Galiano Island. This route is 15 km and best done without headwinds of currents running the wrong way. As we approached Montague Harbour, the winds and currents relented and we had calm seas and sunny weather to finish the trip.
We enjoyed Wallace Island would recommend it as a destination for paddlers or as a basecamp for exploring the Gulf Islands.