Galiano Hiking
We were impressed by the hikes on Galiano Island. Good trails, excellent viewpoints, and a variety of terrain.
Bodega Ridge Provincial Park
Near mid-island, park at the end of Cottage Drive and start a gentle climb up Bodega Ridge. It is a 12 km return trip along the top of the ridge featuring sandstone formations, eagles and peregrine falcons, and views in 3 directions. Gary oak and arbutus overlook the bluffs facing west.
We hiked this in March and were pleased with the open vistas along the ridge:
There are several trailheads for this area. Whichever route you take, the views from the top are superb.
We came across this tree on the way up the hill:
Hikes in this park surprised us. Forest walks led out to viewpoints. Ridge walks led to down to Georgeson Bay. Linking trails connected sideroads and routes back to roads. Side trails led over bluffs. We walked this in the rain one day, but with such a variety of routes, we found it very pleasing in spite of the weather.
A map of the trail access areas is found on www.galiander.ca:
Even in March, bluffs had wildlfowers near the water:
We also enjoyed Dionisio Point Provincial Park and Bellhouse Park, featured in the next post.