CHAPTER 133

First written (Published in Evergreen News): 2012-09-05

Rewritten: 2026-02-28

An ordinary little island that is, in fact, anything but ordinary.

For those who enjoy hiking and quiet retreat, Bowen Island is ideal - beautiful, safe, peaceful, and close at hand. From the municipal hall of West Vancouver, drive west-northwest for about twelve minutes and you will arrive at the ferry terminal at Horseshoe Bay. A twenty-minute ferry ride westward brings you to the island. There is one sailing every hour.

The best arrangement is to enjoy some dim sum before boarding. The ferry ticket includes a round trip, which is very convenient. For two people with a private car, the fare was exactly CAD $52 (as of 2012), relatively inexpensive.

Bowen Island remains quiet because it never quite becomes bustling. Its total population is just over 3,600. With many mountains and limited flat land for development, most residents live along the main road and near the wharf. The entire island has only seven “major” roads, which together do not exceed 30 kilometres in length.

The ferry dock is located at Snug Cove. Looking east, one sees the entrance to Horseshoe Bay. After disembarking, a five-to ten-minute walk along the road from the pier allows one to take in the island’s only “downtown”: the visitor information centre, the library, souvenir stalls, small shops, Western restaurants (mainly fish and chips), and a grocery store.

Further ahead is a fork in the road leading north and southwest. A community hall stands on the right, serving as a landmark. A small path to the left leads uphill to Artisan Square, the highlight of the visit. Beyond it, the scenery is nothing but deep green forests.

Later, at Artisan Square, I found a souvenir I truly liked—a framed quotation that still hangs on my living room wall today (2026). It reads:

“To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world.”

These two clauses, placed together, succinctly capture the essence of human affection.

The island is safe. From a law-and-order perspective, with so few residents who see each other morning and evening, wrongdoing would be difficult. It is also hard to imagine thieves from the mainland spending dozens of dollars to cross the sea to commit robbery. Once discovered, there would be nowhere to escape.

In terms of traffic safety, the maximum speed limit is 40 km/h. Islanders are accustomed to a leisurely pace of life; cars do not speed. The longest stretch of road, from the northeast to the southwest, is only eleven kilometres. The roads are narrow and winding, with single lanes in each direction - hardly suitable for racing.

From a hiking perspective, apart from the tranquil scenery and distance from urban noise, most forest trails are short and remain close to the road. If one gets lost, simply staying on the path and walking slowly will eventually lead to an exit. Or one may wait in place - before long, another hiker will appear as a rescuer.

Of course, there are more challenging trails that extend from the coast in all directions toward the island’s centre, leading up to the 2,400-foot Mount Gardner. For amateur hikers like us who prefer not to push our limits, the solution is simple: do not challenge ourselves.

Another thing that most attracts me is that while hiking, there is no need to worry about becoming prey to wild beasts. It is said that because the island is small and surrounded by sea - with limited prey - animals such as bears and cougars do not risk crossing the water for the sake of “five pecks of rice.”(a verse from a classical Chinese poem.)

On the last long weekend of the summer holiday, together with a group of old friends, we brought enough barbecue food and seafood (including sashimi) for three days and two nights and revisited Bowen Island, staying at a bed-and-breakfast.

During the day we hiked and explored lakes, taking photographs. In the evening we returned to the B&B and barbecued until late at night. With full stomachs and contented hearts, we turned off the lights to gaze at the stars and admire the moon. Islanders retire early; the night was ink-dark, dotted with sparse stars. The full moon shone like a celestial lantern. We could hardly look at it for long; lowering our heads, we saw our own shadows cast upon the frost-covered ground.

An ordinary little island that is, in fact, anything but ordinary.