Montague Harbour Provincial Park

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I consider myself very lucky, 16 years ago my parents started their dream by selling their home and moving aboard a 52 foot cabin cruiser. We spent many great summer holidays on the boat, but as the kids got older there just was not enough room for all of us to sleep. That is where the camping came in. We would head over to Montague Harbour Provincial Campground and set up our sleeping spots. The trip to Montague starts with a short ferry ride from Tsawwassen to Galiano Island. This camping trip was a bit different because we were tenting. The cost of taking the trailer on the ferry was just too high, and because we planned to spend most of our time on the boat it was not necessary to bring it over. With only 28 sites in the park reservation are recommended during peak season and it does fill up early. There is an overflow field for tenting and this area does have a couple of hidden gem. The park does not have hook ups, it only offers pit toilets and half the sites are walk ins but if you make the trip you will not be disappointed.

Our first trip was August 2012 and we were in site 5, which is half of a double site, but it was all we could get. The site was big so sharing it with a stranger was not that bad, but we were far from the beach and the wharf. The second trip was in August 2013 when we booked walk in site 40. We had a view of the ocean, but the site was not very level and we felt like we were on display to all other campers. This is where the hidden gem comes in. We moved to the over flow area and found a site down at the water, in the very far corner, behind a tree and off on its own. It had beach access and complete privacy. We spent the rest of the trip at this site.

The campground offers a lot to do. There is a shell beach good for hours of beachcombing as well as plenty of walking trails. If you have kayaks it is a great harbour to paddle around and you will often see seals, otters and other sea life. Fishing off the dock is a very popular activity. Galiano Island is known for its artists and there are many small galleries and artisan shops to poke around. We also visited the local pub on the island and what is neat is you can catch the complimentary pub bus right from the campground gate and it will take to you to the Hummingbird Pub. The food and service at the pub wasn’t great but the bus ride made the entire experience worth it.

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Here is my advise for this campground.

• Recommended Sites:
  1. Vehicle access sites: if you are wanting a double site try to get 22/23. It is close to the beach, large in size and private, as it backs onto green space.
  2. If you can’t get that site the second choice should be 24/25 followed by 5/6.
  3. If you only want a single site try to get 21 followed by 17. They are closest to the beach and 21 is very private.
  4. Walk In Sites: For those of you willing to walk into a site your efforts will be rewarded.
  5. For double sites try  37/38, it has a great view, close to the outhouse, near the wharf access and is a good size. It is also the closest site to the parking lot for when you are packing things in and out.
  6. If you want a single site try 34,35 or 36. Although they are not that private you will be rewarded with the amazing views.
  7. The view sites go first so if you can’t get one of those 26,39 and 31 are all good options.
  8. If you can’t get a site you are happy with, check out the over flow site I mentioned in the intro. There is no number on the site but take a walk because it has a picnic table and fire pit so you will know there is a site there.

• Campground Highlights
  1. Views from walk in sites
  2. Beach – great  for  beachcombing and walking
  3. Hiking trails
  4. Harbour – great  for kayaking or canoeing
  5. Group  campground – its an amazing site but you would need a group willing to tent and walk in.
• Campground Lowlights
  1. Pit toilets
  2. No showers
  3. Ferry costs and restrictions
• Things to do:
  1. Beachcombing
  2. Hiking
  3. Shopping
  4. Fishing
  5. Kayaking/canoeing – can  be rented at the Marina
• Links
  1. Hummingbird Pub – http://www.hummingbirdpub.com/
  2. BC Ferry’s – www.bcferries.com
  3. Montague Harbour Marina – http://www.montagueharbour.com/