Run to Galiano Island

The Galiano Trails Society is creating a trail running paradise

Galiano Island is a Southern Gulf Island in British Columbia, Canada. It’s home to just over 1,000 full-time residents (as of 2016) and is roughly 27km in length. It’s not a very wide island either, and it’s the first stop the BC Ferries “Southern Gulf Islands” route makes from one of the main Vancouver terminals (Tsawwassen). Make your reservations early!

Galiano Island also has a special place in my heart. My wife Sheena and I have been visiting for several years after our good friends Ken and Cat invited us. We’ve been fortunate and thrilled to continue visiting and discovering more and more of the island. From the Saturday Market, to the great galleries, shops, restaurants, and one of my favourite bakeries ever, Sturdies Bay Bakery, Galiano also offers one more really awesome thing in abundance.

Trails.

For a little island, there is a lot of singletrack! So much so, that long-time residents like Jesse Keefer, constantly discover new ones. I was Zooming with Jesse, the owner of Bodega Ridge Resort and a Galiano Trails Society board member, about trail running on Galiano when the conversation changed to finding new trails like the ones on the Millard Learning Centre property.

“I've lived here a long time and I just hiked that trail for the first time in the winter with my family. I didn't even know there were so many trails in there. I've been here a long time! Galiano always surprises. You always find another little area.”

Bodega Ridge

Jesse’s resort is towards the north end of the island where Bodega Ridge Provincial Park is also located. For a trail runner looking to stay on Galiano, this might be the best location you could ask for. You can run out your door and onto the trails, which are some of the best the island offers. Vilupti Corlis, the President of the Galiano Trails Society loves to “get lost” in these trails.

“There's just an amazing network of trails, some of my most favorite trails, and they're great because they intersect. So you can really get lost in a lovely way. Sort of, “oh, I'm going to go down this trail, and then I'm going to go down that trail and I'm going to go up this trail.” You can find maps of all those trails on the Galiano Trails Society website.”

Check out the website and the maps posted, and all the great work the society does. Vilupti has been around for quite a bit of that great work, as she has been on the island since 2000 and recently became the president of the society. As president, she keeps the Galiano Trails Society marching toward its ultimate goal of an island-long trail. In the meantime, they continue to build new trails and maintain their growing network, like the trails throughout Tapovan Park.

“We all have our own little dreams, right? And from the time I was a very small child, I always wanted to have a park and dedicate it to peace. In 2013, I was just driving home one day and I saw a sign on the side of the road that said, “For sale by owner, 50 acres plus.” So that was the first part of Tapovan that I bought.”

Tapovan Park

Yes, Vilupti loves trails and parks so much, that she bought the land for that specific use. She actually re-mortgaged her house to buy additional property when it was rumoured that logging interests were going to buy it. So after another land purchase (200 acres this time), she didn’t know what to do, or who to turn to. That’s when her relationship with the Galiano Trails Society formally started.

“I saw some article in our little community paper and reached out to them and said, “I just bought 200 acres. You want to make trails on it?” And they said, “oh yeah!” They were so excited. They couldn't believe that somebody bought this land and wanted to make trails on it.”

Vilupti dedicated the park to her meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy who passed away in 2007. In a nod to the peace theme of the park, every trail is named “peace” in a different language. All the trails in the park are beautiful, and indeed, peaceful. The park also has a feature that Jesse, and anyone else who has got to check it out, mention right away, the stone staircase.

“That staircase is amazing.”

“There's a master trail builder on our island. He's not building anymore. His name's Rene. I had Rene build a stone staircase up the side of Tapovan. Rene built this amazing stone staircase that goes up the side of the mountain, and it's just so magical, I love it so much.” - Vilupti on the creation of the staircase.

Galiano Trails Society

The Galiano Trails Society continues to work with land owners all over the island as the network of trails is ever-growing. The society is run by volunteers and by donations. Annual memberships are $10 for an individual and $20 for a family. The society works with private land owners who are interested in allowing the public to use trails that go on their land. Galiano Trails Society does all the work creating and maintaining the trail and insures it, so the land owner doesn’t need to worry about carrying the risk. Want to share your land for trails? Easy. I love it!

They do trail days on the last Sunday of every month, where people get together and build/maintain the trail network. Jesse’s father is a big presence during these trail-building days and collectively the society has built and maintained over 100km of trails! If you’re on the island on the last Sunday of a month, head on out with them and help grow the network!

Because of this growing network, linking together trails has been getting easier. I was able to take a couple of my friends, Jeff and Chris, to Galiano and show off some trails that we accessed very easily. We ran to a few spots, including a loop of Pebble Beach and Cable Bay, which Vilupti mentioned as one of her favourite loops on the island as well. Both Chris and Jeff were thoroughly impressed with what the island had to offer.

“There’s infinite trails, lookout points and coastlines to hang out and spend time at. It’s really something special.” Jeff Radomsky.

“It’s like all the best bits of island running. Coastline and being right up against the beach while you’re running the trails.” Chris Shier.

Dionisio Point Provincial Park

The Pebble Beach and Cable Bay loop offer up the amazing coastline to run along, and so does Dionisio Point Provincial Park. The issue with the park is access. It is currently marine access only.

Once you figure out the right way into the park, it’s an amazing place to run. There is a ridge you can run up that has a nice climb and a beautiful fern gully. But the beaches and bays of the park are the real attractions. Gorgeous sandstone and tidal pools await and Dionisio Point itself is incredible.

“You’re right along the beach and the ocean.” Chris on his favourite part about the trails at Dionisio.

It’s amazing to run beside the ocean and feel it in the air. You can taste it, smell it, feel it on your skin. It’s a bit of a cerebral experience running along the trails of Dionisio. It’s truly an awesome place.

There are trails and a road that lead into the park, but they are private property and access is not allowed. This may change in the future and the Galiano Trails Society is excited at the prospect of linking into the park someday soon.

Jesse’s resort can connect you to all of these trails mentioned so far, with just a tiny bit of road running to link it all together. The mid to north island offers up great views, climbs, and incredible oceanside singletrack. It’s a great spot to spend a weekend on the trails, and if you want some more km, there is the south island that we haven’t even discussed yet.

The South Island

The south island features Collinson Point Provincial Park and Mt. Sutil which can be accessed in the same area and they are very cool spots to check out. Collinson Point has a “top of the world” kind of viewpoint and Mt. Sutil has a huge garden that is worth the trek up for.

Mt. Galiano and The Bluffs Park are in this area as well. They offer incredible views of their own and can be linked together easily. Running along the bluff in Bluffs Park is an awesome experience that I get goosebumps on every time.

The bluff is also quite accessible, with a parking lot at the top. So you can bring anyone to check it out, which is especially great after grabbing something to eat. Grabbing something to eat on the south island is easy to do, as this is where most of the food options are.

We’re not gonna talk about trail running on this great island to trail run on, and not talk about food! For a little island, Galiano has a bunch of tasty food options.

All the food

Jesse and Vilupti both had great things to say about Pilgrimme, and Vilupti noted the charm and beauty of the location being in the woods. It’s a set menu of locally sourced dishes served up in a great environment by a team that knows what they’re doing.

“Pilgrimme is incredible. It's a real dining experience. The chef there is another Jesse, Jesse McCleery. He's one of the most talented human beings I've ever met. And his partner Melanie opened up a pizza restaurant there called Charmer, which is also really good. Those are kind of the two main ones I'd go to.” Jesse Keefer.

My favourite patio on the island is at the Crane and Robin. It’s in Montague Harbour and they serve up some lovely drinks and delicious tacos. Their patio is a place you can easily let hours drift by with no cares in the world while you watch the harbour full of activity as endless entertainment. It’s the best.

“I love Babes in the Woods, so I'm a die-hard babes in the woods fan. Their pizza is incredible. Their salads are incredible.” Vilupti Corlis

Babes in the Woods is great and located near the ferry terminal. Although I already mentioned my love of Sturdies Bay Bakery, there is another bakery on the island, called Oxeye. It’s located next door to Babes in the Woods, and was mentioned by Vilupti and highly recommended by Jeff.

“Oxeye is by far my favourite. I’ve got two close friends that are responsible for the menu, the production, and the service, and they do an incredible job. Their food is exceptional and predominately locally sourced. They only do donuts on Saturdays, it’s a special event.”

Most of the food options are around the south island. Jesse is planning on opening the Pink Geranium near his property on the north island which will be operated by the Bodega Ridge team. Jesse has a good friend and pastry chef who will be whipping up baked goods for the cafe/general store and I can’t wait to give those a go!

Accommodations

Both Jesse and Vilupti also mentioned The Woodstone Manor for food and accommodations. They have a really nice patio that sits over beautiful farmland. The farmland is also occupied by Galiano Island Soap Works, so stop in there and get something to make you smell good again after running!

Along with Woodstone Manor and Bodega Ridge offering accommodations, there are plenty of great places to stay on the island. The Galiano Inn and Spa is a classic and you can walk to it from the ferry terminal in Sturdies Bay. The spa is great and they have food on site. They even have little cars you can rent so you don’t need to bring your own and you can still explore the island. There are many vacation home properties, including “In The Bluff” which was recommended by Jesse and run by friends of his.

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park and Dionisio Point Provincial Park offer camping, with Montague having sites that you can drive into, and Dionisio sites being less accessible due to marine access only. All of the accommodations seem popular throughout the peak months, so make reservations for anything as far ahead as you can.

All the rest

Galiano Island is full of fun for the whole family. The trails are obviously great for hiking as well (there are a ton of Geocaches on the island, including one Sheena and I hid), and a whole bunch of those trails end at amazing beaches. The beaches offer all kinds of activities like swimming and SUP or beachcombing and checking out life in the tidal pools. If you’re not into exploring those tidal pools on the beach, you can always just hang out and enjoy the views while sunbathing!

Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park has brilliant beaches and is a favourite spot for the locals to watch the sunset. It’s also a great spot to see the bioluminescence. If you don’t know what bioluminescence is, it’s essentially when the ocean glows in the dark. Sheena describes it as "What Disney wants you to think water should look like”. There are local guides that offer kayak tours at night to see the bioluminescence and we’ve had a blast doing that. It’s incredible!

Another favourite spot is Retreat Cove. You can throw the crab trap from the dock and the view of Retreat Island is awesome. There are sandstone “caves” that can be accessed when the tide is out which are beautiful. Beauty is another item in abundance on the island, and there are 69 shore access points open to the public with nice views. All of these points make the island feel incredibly accessible and allow you to explore with a feeling of endlessness.

“Bring your camera.” Vilupti Corlis.

Endless adventure.

“Be prepared to see a whole bunch of beauty.” Jesse Keefer.

On a small island that is less than one hour on the ferry.

“It’s worth the journey.” Jeff Radomsky.

Make Galiano Island your next trail running vacation and getaway, an hour away.

If you’re interested in a running-specific vacation to Galiano Island, send me a message. I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can. I’ve got a few .gpx files I could always send your way from Strava if that’s something that interests you.

Photo credit to Galiano Chamber of Commerce, Woodstone Manor, Jesse Keefer, Jeff Radomsky, Vilupti Corlis, Chris Shier, Sheena Kean.

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