It was a sunny weekend morning and my friend Matt and I were trying to decide what to do to make the most of the day. The criteria: it had to be something new and we had to be able to take Avy along. Matt suggested a trip to the Sunshine Coast but while checking the BC Ferries listings to get there we saw the Bowen Island schedule and thought “hey, why not??”.

Bowen Island is 3 nautical miles from Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver, and just a 20 minute ferry ride! BC Ferries runs hourly, with one exception over the lunch hour. A round trip for a vehicle and 2 passengers is $59.50 plus tax, the walk-on rate is $12.35 per person and dogs are free. If you decide you want to walk-on, there is plenty to do within walking distance of the ferry terminal at Snug Cove, including restaurants, shops and some hiking trails within Crippen Regional Park. If you drive over you can get virtually anywhere on the island for a day trip and will have access to lots of great little beaches, coves and hiking trails!

Since we decided to go to Bowen Island on a whim and didn’t really have a plan, we picked up an island map from the tourist pamphlets on the ferry and decided to explore the west side of the island. But first, we needed to get Avy into the water as soon as possible to cool off. So, after driving off the ferry we followed the map north to our first stop at Millers Landing Beach. The views were spectacular and the small, rocky beach was perfect for Avy to take a dip and ease the anxiety of her water obsession – which was maxed out from the ferry ride.

From here we carried on to the west side of the island and stopped at several beaches including

Note: some beaches on Bowen Island restrict the time of year when dogs are allowed – be sure to check the signage posted at the entrance to all beaches.

After poking around several beaches and doing some exploring, we decided it was time to get a bit of exercise and check out the trails at Bowen Island’s Crippen Regional Park. It is about a 5 minute drive from Snug Cove and once there we walked an easy 9km on the Killarney Lake Loop Trail. It has very little elevation change and more amazing scenery.