Pender Island offers several distinct highlights: challenging hiking trails, an undeveloped coastline with seasonal blooms, insights into the island’s history, and tastings and tours. When planning a stay, you can tailor your choices to whether views and hiking, coastal scenery, or culture and food and drink are your priorities. The island is accessible by several modes of transport; check ferry connections and seasonal offerings in advance.
Getting Here and Getting Around
The Otter Bay ferry terminal is on the northwest side of Pender Island. Ferries run from there to Galiano, Mayne, Salt Spring and Saturna, as well as to Vancouver via Tsawwassen and Victoria via Swartz Bay. Pender Island is also accessible by BC Ferries, private boats, water taxis and seaplanes. Routes and schedules may change, so check your connection before departure.
Hiking: Two Challenging Trails
The Mt. Norman Trail is a challenging 1.5-kilometre route. You can access it from Canal Road or Ainslie Point Road; from either trailhead, it takes about 60 minutes. Parking is available only at Canal Road. Mt. Norman offers panoramic views; there is a boardwalk and a viewing platform at the summit. When planning, take access and parking rules into account, and check current trail information before your visit.
The Beaumont Trail is also challenging and 1.5 kilometres long. It winds through dense forest and scree fields to the campground. Both trails have the same stated length and difficulty, but differ in their routes: forest, scree and switchbacks define the Beaumont, while access points, approximate duration and parking rules are important when planning for Mt. Norman. This can help you decide which trail better suits your desired route and schedule.
Coast and Water
Brooks Point Regional Park on South Pender Island includes an undeveloped coastline with rocky cliffs, forest and grassland. Native chocolate lilies bloom there in spring. The park combines coastal scenery with a seasonal natural feature, making the bloom a particularly interesting reason to visit in spring.
At Roesland, free moorage for dinghies is available for day use. Check availability and fees before your trip. Boat or kayak tours are another way to explore the surrounding waters; availability may vary by season. If you’d like to plan a tour, check what’s offered for your travel dates.
History, Food and Drink, and Other Activities
At the Pender Islands Museum, you can learn more about Indigenous history and the history of settlers on Pender Island. Check visitor guidelines before your visit. This makes it easy to include a museum visit as a distinct cultural highlight in your trip.
Visitors can go to a winery, cidery or distillery for tastings and tours. Participating businesses and schedules may vary by season, so check what’s offered for your travel dates. Golf is another possible activity: golfers can play a round at the island’s golf course on Pender Island. The coastline, hiking trails, museum and tastings offer different ways to tailor your stay to your interests.
Discover more destinations: Sidney, North Saanich, Mayne, Colwood, Victoria, Port Renfrew, Saanich, Sooke.
See the broader travel overview: Capital Regional District.
