(Last updated Nov 12, 2022)
Ever wonder what is on Gabriola Island? Being that it's only a short twenty minute ferry ride from Nanaimo it's doable to add for things to see in the area. Gabriola Island makes up one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia. With lush dense forests, towering sandstone bluffs and an iconic West Coast shoreline Gabriola has tons to offer for an epic day trip or stay.
Gabriola just got a brand new vessel that runs mostly every half hour, please click here for schedule. The ferry has a nice little lounge area to view sea life and passes Island's such as Protection Island. We stayed 5 nights at a cozy cottage right near Silva Bay. Click here for AirBNB recommendations that I have listed. You will find the link to where we stayed here. We really enjoyed our stay at Taylor's ocean-view cottage near Silva Bay. They had everything from an equipped kitchen, an outdoor patio with a hot tub, propane fire and tons of extras for the kids to enjoy. The fireplace in the winter was a cozy touch as well. Can't say enough about how much we enjoyed that place.
I've been to Gabriola but many years ago, being that there isn't much elevation here - there is more walks than actual hiking that requires any crazy elevation. This however was perfect for the week we had planned with having two kids with us. If you like a more quiet relaxed staycation then this will be perfect for you! This Island would be epic in the summer, we went in November. I feel as if we really did all that we could do here during the winter, summer you might have more options.
THINGS TO DO ON GABRIOLA
Check out the Gabriola Museum: This place was really cute, the kids loved it. Tons of things to see such as wildlife exhibits, interesting facts and history of the Island & more.
Ravenskill Orchards: Sit out on the cozy heated patio in fall or summer! They have an amazing selection of different ciders as well as fresh apples to pick!
Walk the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve: This one captured my eye, I love old growth forests however this is a pretty short walk being 1.6KMS in total. It loops around and you get incredible views of the forest and walk cute boardwalks that hug some really big trees!
Check out the Famous Malaspina Galleries: Alright if you go to Gabriola, you have to check this place out, it has a ton of history on how the sandstone is formed like this. It's quite the hot spot in summer with the locals as you can jump off the cliffs into the water.
Grab a Hot Beverage at Mad Rona's Coffee Bar: This is a hip little place and really the only coffee bar on the Island or the best anyway. If you know of another one let me know. We had really amazing latte's along with something to eat here and felt they had a ton of options.
Dinner at Woodfire Restaurant: Best place for pizza! They had really great service and the ambiance was perfect. It was pretty busy when we were here, I would recommend making a reservation just in case.
Walk the beaches of Brickyard Beach: This beach is super cool, this beach consists of tons of bricks that are scattered all along the shore from a former brick industry. The Brickyard took place from 1890-1951 and employed a large number of people on Gabriola. I originally wanted to find a swing here and I was not successful, I want to say maybe it's down.
Walk the shores of Twin Beaches in Gabriola Sands Provincial Park: I'm going to be corny and say it, I'm a twin so obviously I had to visit Twin Beaches - are you kidding me? Heck yes. Bonus the beaches are actually amazing and I want to come back in the summer. I mean look at this sand Hawaii is that you?
Après at the Surf Lodge & Pub: We came here on two different occasions, that's how much we liked it for a little appetizer and drink after an outing we did prior. We couldn't go into the Pub side because we had the kiddos with us but the restaurant has so much charm and we loved sitting nearby the fire. Peering out the window to see the ocean was really nice while enjoying the warmth of my Baileys & Hot Chocolate and the fire.
Check out Drumbeg Provincial Park: We had to stop here because Cera my twin sister got engaged here in 2019. This is a beautiful walk through forests and the beaches are incredible. Graeson & Harper really loved walking through here and jumped in several tidal pools.
OTHER TRAILS I WISHED WE DID:
Being that we had two kids nap schedules to follow, we didn't get to always do everything we wanted. So here's a few other trails I will add to check out:
I really enjoyed the rustic charm that Gabriola has, back in the day it was really an Island that young people came to experiment with LSD where they lived through the hippy phase in the 70s. People came here to be themselves, to be joined in something together and be free. I really like that, the little island has a ton of fun things to do and I'm sure this is just a few of them. I will miss going into this hot tub every night, I always like to stay at places where I don't have the same amenities at home. I hope this inspires you to get out to Gabriola, and thanks for always reading. See you on the trails!
