Gulf Islands

Scattered off the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Southern and Northern Gulf Islands offer all kinds of outdoor recreation. If you arrive on Vancouver Island at Swartz Bay, you will pass among a number of the Southern Gulf Islands, including Mayne and Galiano. Other Southern Gulf Islands are: Saltspring, Pender and Saturna. If you arrive on Vancouver Island at Nanaimo, you will pass by Gabriola and Newcastle islands. Off the central coast, are Denman and Hornby islands, while a little further north there's Quadra and Cortes islands, the two most populated of the Discovery Islands. Even further north is Malcolm and Cormorant islands. All the major islands off Vancouver Island are accessed by ferry. So, when you come to Vancouver Island, why not do a little island-hopping.

Outer Island Ferry Schedules - Northern Routes, Southern Routes

ISLAND	POPULATION	FERRY CONNECTION + Outer Island Websites
Malcolm Island - Sointula	1,000	Port McNeill or Alert Bay to Sointula
Cormorant Island - Alert Bay	1,800	Port McNeill to Alert Bay Seasmoke Whale Watching
Quadra	3,200	Campbell River to Quathiaski Cove CV Kayaks
Cortes	800	Heriot Bay (Quadra Is.) to Whaletown
Denman	1,200	Buckley Bay (20 kms south of Courtenay)
Hornby	1,300	Denman Island to Hornby Island Outerisland B&B
Gabriola	4,000	Nanaimo to Gabriola Island
Saltspring - Ganges	10,000	Crofton to Vesuvius; Swartz Bay (Sidney) to Fulford Harbor; Tsawwassen to Long Harbor
Galiano	1,000	Swartz Bay (Sidney) to Sturdies Bay; Tsawwassen to Sturdies Bay
Pender	2,000	Swartz Bay (Sidney) to Otter Bay
Mayne	350	Swartz Bay (Sidney) to Village Bay
Saturna	350	Swartz Bay (Sidney) to Lyall Harbor