High Peak Viewpoints

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.

You can reach each of these trailheads by bike or car, but you’ll have to hike the rest of the way to these stunning viewpoints. Trust us. You won’t be disappointed. The Pender Island Parks Commission has done a nice job of identifying all of the community park trails, including George Hill and Oaks Bluff, with 1.5 m high wood posts engraved with the trail’s name. They have also enhanced many of their trails with steps, boardwalks, staircases and resting benches.

Mt Norman Summit (Ainslie Pt Rd)

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Strenuous/1.2 km/30 min each way. Elevation: 234 m (Gain: 194 m). Parking lot off east side of Ainslie Pt Rd, just before the lone Arbutus tree and .4 km south of the bridge. Bike rack, outhouse, platform viewing area with benches. Best time of year: Anytime. 

The narrow trail heading west is a welcome sight - you have finished your climb through mostly Salal and second-growth forest to the top of Mt Norman. You may have been prepared for the hike, but nothing will have prepared you for what you see as the 20 m long summit trail makes its final turn, and you arrive at the Mt Norman viewing platform. The scene is truly breathtaking - a 180-degree view with the US San Juan Islands on your left and, panning right, the Inner Gulf Islands, Arbutus Ridge on Vancouver Island and, finally, Mt Maxwell on Salt Spring Island. On a clear day, the Olympic Mountain Range in Washington State provides a snow-capped backdrop. Note. On a wet day, the downhill return can be quite slippery. Remember your hiking pole.

George Hill 

Strenuous/1 km/25 min each way. Elevation: 175 m. Trailhead post on south corner of Walden and Ogden Rds. Benches. Best time of year: Anytime. 

This vertical trail requires a 140 m climb up a combination of cleverly designed natural and man-made steps through dense forest before arriving at the first of two viewpoints. The big view is still to come. Continue along a grass ridge and a steep section to the second bench at the summit. From here, the sweeping 220-degree view encompasses the city of Vancouver, the mainland mountains and, scanning counter-clockwise, Mayne Island, Galiano Island, Prevost Island, Salt Spring Island, Vancouver Island and the Olympic Mountain Range.

Oaks Bluff

Moderate/.6 km/20 min each way. Elevation: 125 m. Off Pirates Rd. Parking lot and bike stand. Benches. Best time of year: Anytime. 

This may be the very best view in the Southern Gulf Islands, and it’s definitely our favourite. A short 15 min hike up this “snakes and ladders” path brings you to a fork in the trail. Go right to the No. 2 viewpoint. We often sit and watch Turkey vultures and Bald eagles as they soar below us over Swanson Channel. If you’re really lucky, you may look down to see a pod of resident Orcas swimming by en route to Active Pass. Note. Use caution when walking near the edge of this very steep bluff.

Best Shoreline Viewpoints & Picnic Spots

Craddock Beach

Park at the end of Craddock Rd. Staircase to pebble beach. Best time of year: Any time the tide is below 1 m. 

A narrow beach and picnic spot surrounded on three sides by high conglomerate rock bluffs. At the lowest tides, you can scramble out onto the rocky islet. This is a great spot to spend several quiet hours by yourself. Your view of Boundary Pass and Stuart Island may be interrupted by resident Orcas swimming to or from the Strait of Georgia. 

Gowlland Pt  and Brooks Pt Reserve

Best time of year: Any time the sky is clear.

Access No. 1  End of Gowlland Pt Rd. Bike rack and roadside parking. Viewing platform (with bench and staircase to beach) tucked behind a large Sitka willow. 

A 5 min walk along this pebble beach leads to a short trail up to a green and white navigational beacon and a view, left, of Blunden Islet and Mt Warburton Pike on Saturna Island, and straight ahead, across Boundary Pass, to the San Juan Islands and Washington State’s Cascade mountain range, including Mt Baker. On a clear day the view of “Baker” is truly stunning. Boundary Pass is one of the busiest “ocean highways” in the world, providing freighters from around the world with access to the ports of Vancouver and Seattle. It’s also a primary travel route for our resident Orcas. A new trail, west along the bluff, takes you down to a drift log beach and Brooks Pt Reserve.

Access No. 2 A partially hidden trail access near the end of Gowlland Pt Rd, just before the mail boxes on the south side of the road. Boardwalk and earth trail opens into a large meadow, Brooks Pt Reserve. On a clear winter’s day the view of the Gowlland Pt beacon and Mt Baker to the east is spectacular, as are the sunsets to the west. The access to Higgs Beach (see Best Beachcombing) on the west side of the peninsula can be tricky on a wet day. Brooks Pt is referred to as Valley of the Dalls for the frequent sightings of Dall’s porpoise here. This particular porpoise is often mistaken for Orca because of its similar black and white markings.  

Mortimer Spit

Off Canal Rd, just south of the bridge. Pebble and driftwood beach. Parking on spit. Best time of year: Anytime, but if you’re thinking of swimming then stick to August, the only time the water temperature exceeds 13C. 

This is a very popular family picnic spot. The strong currents and boat traffic travelling under the bridge make the west end of “the spit” a dangerous place to swim. The north side is a good place to swim and launch a kayak (see Best Kayaking routes).  

Plumper Sound Lookout 

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Unmarked trailhead at the end of Hooson Rd, across from Mt Menzies trail sign. Roadside parking. Trail: 1.6 km/25 min each way, moderate effort (Gain: 128 m), picnic site elevation: 165 m. Best time of year: A warm day, with clear skies and no wind. 

This trail forks twice in the first 15 min. Go left, then right, then down a steep incline to a branch trail marked by three rocks. Turn left. The trail soon fades, but the route to several moss-covered picnic spots along the top of the bluff is clear, as are the views across Plumper Sound to Samuel Island, Saturna Island and beyond. Note. The picnic area and tasting room at neighbouring Morning Bay Vineyard are accessible on foot from this trail.