Mayne Island is beautiful all year-round, and our cabin is situated in the best spot for walking, hiking and swimming beaches!
Hiking
Edith Point is a beautiful hike (and our favourite) that is forested, seaside, and cliffside. It’s about 4k in total. The land is privately owned by a family, and they allow people to hike the manicured trail. To get there, you will drive for 5 minutes from our place: Aya Reach Road > Left on to Georgina Point Road > Left onto Waugh Road > Left onto Porter Road > Right onto Edith Point Road. You drive to the end of the street and park on the RHS, then continue forward to the trail.
Tips: The trail will take you in a circle, with a slight detour for the most amazing view ever. You will walk in the woods for about 15-20 minutes until you see an arrow of rocks on the ground. Keep your eyes open for this! It’s on the left hand side of the trail. It is the secret path that leads you to the water and views you will never have seen. Follow the path to the end, it’s worth it. Make sure you note the small signs that tell you how to get back to where you came from! They are nailed to trees.
Once you rejoin the trail you initially came in on (after seeing Edith Point), keep in the same direction as you would have if you missed the rock arrow. You will follow this path to walk the cliff that overlooks Campbell Bay where you are now in an arbutus tree forest. If you have small kids and/or dogs that don’t listen, consider just doubling back the way you walked in as some parts of this route are more difficult.
There are many other places to hike and walk - Check out this map and this site for more info.
Swimming
We have an awesome swimming beach a 5 minute walk from our place. It’s called Reef Bay, but there is no sign ;-) Watch the tide schedule, and you can spend the whole day there beach combing, sitting in the shade or sun, laying on the rocks, and swimming in sheltered areas and warm tide pools. It’s a major bonus with kids to be so close to the cabin - Use the wagon we have to cart down lunch and swimming toys, and don’t forget your water shoes, it’s rocky. We have extra water shoes and wet suits, and feel free to grab anything else you see (floaties and boogie boards galore!). The route: Aya Reach towards the end of the road (not the way back to town) > left on Skanna Gate Road > left on Bayview, around the curved road down the hill, and voila!
Another beach 10 minutes walk away is Oyster Bay. You can swim there, and if you are adventurous like our younger son, you can also snorkel. We don’t swim there much because it’s often shady and we have Reef Bay so close. But you should walk there nonetheless, especially at sunset, or to see the seal island - They lay in the sun in droves.
David Cove is a 5 minute drive, and is by far the best for swimming. It’s warmer than any beach, it is zero-entry, there is sand, and a cliff to jump, too. The beach area is small, so get there early. It’s the same instructions as driving to Edith Point, but just stop on Porter half way down the road and you will see it.
Campbell Bay is one of the most popular beaches on the island, and for good reason. It is stunning, zero entry, shade and sun, and large. There’s a dock and diving board to swim to as well! You should plan to go there, but be warned, the water is cold.
There are other beaches on the other side of the island where you can rent paddle boards and kayaks, so if you’re up for the drive, check out Bennett Bay and Horton Bay! Here is a PDF map that has all the beaches on it.
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Kayak Rentals
Kayaking Gulf Islands provide high quality, stable single and double kayaks, Stand Up Paddle Boards and all the necessary equipment and service. Check them out here.
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Frisbee Golf
Funded by the Mayne Island Parks and Recreation Commission and installed in November 2014. With holes added in the Winter of 2015/16 the course is now 18 holes! The disc golf course is located in Dinner Bay Park on Mayne Island. We have complete sets of discs for you to use in the garage.
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Cycling + eBikes
The Gulf Islands provide a perfect destination for cyclists with the winding roads and lush forests. You can tour the whole island in a day, with stops around its perimeter at Miners Bay, the Georgina Point Lighthouse, Campbell Bay, Horton Bay, and the BC Ferries dock at Village Bay. eBikes can be rented at the Home Hardware and GoTomato (seasonal).