Hiking Destinations and Places to Explore on Hornby Island

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

We recently traveled to Hornby Island to sea kayak in 2 of our favourite places on the Island (http://keithnicol.blogspot.com/2022/09/sea-kayaking-destinations-and-tips-for.html) and also got a chance to do some exploring on foot as well. We find that hiking nicely compliments sea kayaking since one tends to use the torso and upper body while hiking is mainly exercise for the legs.  We love the hike around Helliwell Park and it is must do if you visit the Island. The full circuit is 5 km and you should allow about 60 to 90 minutes to do the loop depending on how long you spend taking photos! You can also get great views of the garry oak meadows and elevated cliffs if you simply walk out to end of trail which is just under a 1 km one way so this is an option for people that might not be able to walk the 5 km loop. 

 

                      Walking along the cliffs of the Helliwell Trail

We also love exploring the shoreline and find the beach and adjacent sloping bedrock intertidal zone at Sandpiper Beach Park an interesting place to explore. This is best seen on a lower tide. We also head to Grassy Point Park on the north end of the Island to see the sunset and on Sept 26 when we were there we were joined by several other groups with the same idea in mind. Part of the Island is underlain by sandstone and it has been carved into some interesting wave cut formations which can be seen at Ford Cove just along the shore from the Store and Restaurant there. We also make sure that we drive up Mount Rd to walk along the middle beach trail which provides great vistas of Lambert Channel between Denman and Hornby Island . This trail is a real gem is one we always check out when we visit Hornby Island. If readers have other suggestions of hikes to check out on Hornby , let us know.  See you on the trail.  

 

     Walking along the Upper Beach Trail with Lambert Channel below