Looking for a family day trip from the city that combines natural beauty with touches of modern civilization? You can't do better than a visit to Bowen Island, just a twenty-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, northwest of Vancouver, and now, also a 25-minute, 'express' water taxi ride from Granville Island (pedestrian-only).
Bowen Island has long been a weekend playground for Vancouver residents and visitors, going back nearly one hundred years to the days of the Union Steamship Company's trips to the Island in the early part of the 20th century. It remains a popular place to visit, particularly during the summer months. Then the local population of 3,500 can easily swell by several thousand and the village centre of Snug Cove becomes abuzz with tourists and day-trippers.
What to do?
There is no shortage of great, family-friendly activities to do on the Island, and for some of them you won't even need your car.
Crippen Regional Park is within walking distance of the ferry terminal, and its walk around Killarney Lake (the Loop Trail) is a wonderful, 4 km forest and marshland walking trail that is immensely popular with residents and visitors.
Depending on your walking pace, the loop walk can take over one hour, and while some portions are level and stroller friendly, most of it is hilly forest trail and wee ones would be better off in a snugli or backpack for the hike. At the far end of the loop trail, near the picnic tables, is the Bowen Island Bike Park, where the kids can try their hand at the mountain bike terrain park. They don't even need bikes to enjoy the ladders and teeter-totters!
Snug Cove Boardwalk
Just off the ferry terminal lies the Snug Cove Marina and village shopping district. There is a boardwalk that circles the cove and ends at a section of Crippen Park with picnic tables and green space. The kids will have fun throwing rocks into the water and watching the ducks and geese along the beach. Several restaurants are nearby, including Doc Morgan's Pub, the Tuscany Pizza restaurant, the Paradise Grill hot dog & hamburger stand, and the pier-side Nancy's Taco Stand. For a fine dining experience (perhaps on a special trip sans enfants), Blue Eyed Mary's offers a romantic and delicious locavore menu.
An uphill hike from the ferry, or an easy 5 minute drive, this cute village complex of artisan shops, galleries and food purveyors offers two very family-friendly destinations worth noting. The first is Artisan Eats, an off-shoot of the Tuscany restaurant with options to eat-in or choose some delicious picnic options for your day trip; such as paninis, antipasti, local cheeses and tasty baked treats. For the perfect ending to your Bowen day trip, Cocoa West will tempt the family with house-made, organic chocolate and ice cream offerings.
Bowen Island School
On the way to Artisan Square, you'll pass by the Bowen Island Community School, with its extensive playground, tennis courts and artificial turf soccer field. A great pit-stop should the kids want some traditional playground time after visiting nature trails and beaches.
Speaking of beaches, there are several wonderful Island beaches to choose from. Some of them are not well labelled or that easily found, but our personal favorites include; September Morn, Bowen Bay, Sandy (closest to Snug Cove), and Tunstall Bay beach.
[travellingmom tip: Pick up a Bowen Island brochure or an Undercurrent newspaper on the ferry to ready about the latest news and events and to find a good map of the Island for planning your Island adventures.]