Best Trail Walks

Please note: This section doesn't list all the options for each activity - just the best ones.  There's something for everyone, all ages, all physical abilities and all skill levels.

Roe Islet Trail, Roesland 

Easy/.6 km/15 min each way. Parking lot on the west side of the road, at the Roesland road sign. Map/information board. Benches. Outhouse. Best time of year: Anytime, but in the spring you’ll come across some of our prettiest wildflowers - Fairyslippers and the Western White Fawn lily.

Please stick to the trail, as these flowers are very sensitive to human contact. On the northwest side of the old Roe family house you’ll find a staircase, that acts as the trailhead for the 15 minute walk to the far end of this narrow islet, through Arbutus groves and under second-growth Douglas fir trees. Several short trails branch off to views of Otter Bay and Hayashi Cove to the north and Ella Bay to the south. The local walking club has positioned a white picket bench at the islet’s end so you can rest and enjoy the view west to Salt Spring Island, Prevost Island, and beyond. Bring along binoculars. Orcas pass by regularly from May-September. Note. The historic Roe house has been restored and is now the home of the Pender Island Museum Society. Exhibits include artifacts from now defunct Pender Island industries and photographs of pioneer homes and farms. The museum is open year-round, Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm.

Enchanted Forest Park

Easy. 20 min each way. Park along north side of Spalding Rd. Interpretive plant signs. Bike rack. Bench. Best time of year: During the rainy season,  in the winter and early spring. 

When the forest floor is wet the Goose-Necked moss, Sword fern and the other rain forest plant species glisten with life under a canopy of giant Western Red cedars. Golden-crowned kinglets are everywhere, flittering from one branch to another. Just a minute into your walk you’ll come to a fork in the trail. Go left. This route follows and crosses the creek, which in the wet season means wet feet for part of this walk (when you’re not on one of the new boardwalks). A bench is strategically placed at the far west end of the trail so that you can sit and enjoy the rain forest and seasonal waterfall.

Roe Lake Trails

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Easy (two demanding sections along south side of lake)/.8 km/20 min each way from trailhead to swim area. Park along Shingle Bay Rd. Interpretive sign. Best time of year: Anytime. 

In the spring the wildflowers along Shingle Bay Rd are magnificent. Continue 1 km past Roesland to the end of Shingle Bay Rd. A sign marks the start of the trail leading to Roe Lake - a favourite local swimming hole (sometimes au naturel). It’s a 15 min walk, through second-growth forest, to the first turn in the trail, marked by a pyramid-shaped stone on the ground. Go left and follow this trail clockwise. If you decide to continue around the lake, go right the next time the trail splits, and then left where the trail begins to climb up the hillside. This walk now becomes a hike until you reconnect with the main trail 20 minute later. Turn right. Just past here, on your left, is a short, steep trail leading to a very nice viewpoint of Shingle Bay and beyond. Once you return to the main trail you will cross a couple of creek beds before arriving back at the pyramid-shaped stone. Go left to return to the start. It’s fairly easy to get lost in Roesland, so take a compass and mark your route.

Best Trail Hikes

Mt Norman-William Walker Loop (Canal Rd)

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve/7.4 km/3 hrs round trip. Strenuous. 2.5 km from bridge along Canal Rd, follow gravel road 300 m to parking lot. Bike rack, outhouse, viewing platform at Mt Norman summit. Best time of year: When the tide is below 2 m. 

From the parking lot, follow the William Walker trail through a managed-forest woodlot until it ends at Canal Rd. Cross to the Beach Access marker where a short trail leads down to the beach. Follow the beach west for .8 km to a “walk” sign, a steep 16-step staircase and a short trail leading back to Canal Rd. Walking any further west along the beach could leave you stranded as the tide rises. Walk back along Canal Rd to the Mt Norman parking lot. Now climb Mt Norman. A few minutes in, the old skid road becomes a narrow trail and steepens. At various points along the way you’ll want to stop and take in the views of Mayne Island, the Coast Mountain range, and Mt Baker and the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. The earth trail at the top leads you to the summit platform (see best high peak viewpoints). Descend along the same trail to your starting point.

Beaumont Marine Park (from Ainslie Pt Rd)

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Strenuous. Highest elevation: 114 m. 2.1 km/45 min each way. Parking lot off east side of Ainslie Pt Rd just before the lone Arbutus tree. Parks Canada signage, bike rack, outhouses, benches, picnic tables, camping, beach. Best time of year: Anytime. 

Ten minutes past the metal gate (trailhead), interpretive sign and bike rack you’ll see a sign directing you to Beaumont Marine Park or Mt Norman. Go right. The Beaumont trail winds through thick Salal, over and around several large conglomerate boulders, and down a steep switchback trail before turning and following a trail 30 m above the shoreline to one of two camp areas. Watch for a couple of wonderful picnic benches along the shoreline trail. At the 1.8 km mark the trail forks; both options lead to the beach and the best camping. The left trail option is a more direct route to a staircase down to another beach and boat anchorage.

Brooks Pt Reserve

Easy. 10 min each way. Trailhead and parking on the south side of Gowlland Pt Rd, just before Kloshe Rd. Popular spot for dogs, so be prepared. Best time of year: Any time the sky is clear. 

It’s an easy 10 min trail walk that turns from earth to wooden boardwalk to earth again, before opening onto a grassy meadow surrounded on three sides by rocky headlands and ocean. The bushes on both sides of the trail just before the meadow are Salmonberry and Himalayan and Cutleaf blackberry. Look for tasty Salmonberries starting in May and blackberries starting in August. The recent acquisition of private land between Brooks Pt and Gowlland Pt now allows walkers to climb the bluff to the green and white Gowlland Pt beacon, the wind down to the beach before climbing up to Gowlland Pt Rd via the wooden staircase near the other end of the pebbly beach.

A little more about Brooks Pt: The Brooks Family Legacy

Both Allan and Betty Brooks were aware of the ecological significance of their property. Throughout the 90s, they tried without success to convince the government to purchase it, and ensure its protection in perpetuity. In 1996, a group of islanders formed the Friends of Brooks Point. With the help of the Pender Islands Conservancy and others in the community, they began fundraising. The success of their fundraising, coupled with the Brooks’ donation of one of three lots in the 3.9 hectare site, enabled the CRD to acquire the point from the Brooks family in January 2000. Allan Brooks died the following month, his long-time dream of protecting Brooks Point realized.