The stunning view from Mount Galiano
Galiano island is as rich in history as it is in beauty. Long before Dionisio Galiano came here from Spain in 1792, aboriginal people made their homes here and gathered a rich variety of foods from its forests and shores. Montague Harbour is now a provincial park but for thousands of years it was a major centre of aboriginal life. People of the Coast Salish nation watched eagles ride updrafts from Active Pass, saw otters swimming off the shores, shared their fishing grounds with great blue herons and watched sea lions and killer whales play in Trincomali Channel. As a visitor to Galiano, you can walk the same white-shell beaches and enjoy the same sights and sounds.
Galiano is glorious in spring, especially for naturalists and bird watchers. Wild flowers flourish in the forests and above the shores, and migrating birds visit on their way to summer nesting grounds.
Fall is a time of golden light, ripe berries and the northern birds returning south. The days are still warm, the air is fragrant and rain is rare before November.
Women with Nettle Harvest
Hike to high points on the island, where you can see the Coast Mountain Range, Mount Baker, the Gulf and San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island and even the Olympic Peninsula 100 kilometers away. Or hike the length of the eastern coast (about 25 kilometers). Galiano beaches are clean and safe. The water is cool but can be quite pleasant on a late incoming tide.
Active Pass and Porlier Pass offer excellent scuba diving and sports fishing. Galiano’s protected western shoreline has numerous islands, beaches and small coves below high cliffs. Explore these in a kayak, canoe, rental boat or on a sailing cruise. Visitors are welcome at the Golf & Country Club’s well-maintained course.
Galiano has a variety of accommodations, including resorts, inn, cottages, bed & breakfasts, and a Provincial Park campsite. There are places to eat, grocery stores, a pub, and a gas station. Many artists live on the island and their works can be bought in island galleries and craft shops.
Sunset at Montague Provincial Park
Galiano has more than its share of sand, white-shell and pebble beaches. There are seven parks. A new 141-acre park has been created at Dionisio Point Provincial Park (accessible by water only). It includes spectacular mature forests, rocky points, sandy beaches and a tidal lagoon. The community and its supporters have purchased several areas as ecological reserves: first, Mt. Galiano and Mt. Sutil and, more recently, Bodega Ridge, whose rocky bluff is unique in Western Canada. These eco-sensitive areas will be kept as forests in perpetuity by the Galiano community for the enjoyment of all.
More information on Galiano Island is available on the following community websites:
Galiano Island Chamber of Commerce – www.galianoisland.com
ActiveGaliano.org – www.activegaliano.org
Food Program: www.galianofoodprogram.ca