Hiking Mount Gardner on Bowen Island
Contents
Mount Gardner Hike Information
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 9.70Km
Elevation Gain: 685m
Highest Elevation: 719m
Average Gradient: 14.12%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 4 – 5 Hours
– Moderate: 3 – 4 Hours
– Fast: 2.5 – 3 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Gardner Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°23’25.8″N 123°21’53.7″W
Mount Gardner Overview
Mount Gardner is a mostly forested peak, and the highest point on Bowen Island. Easily accessible via a 20 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay, Mount Gardner is one of the more popular day hikes requiring a ferry from the mainland.
Hikers can choose to either take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay as a foot passenger, and walk to the trailhead from the Snug Cove Ferry Terminal (4km, ~1 hour each way) which will save on the cost of taking a car over, or they can drive onto the ferry and begin the hike from the trailhead itself. This obviously incurs a higher cost of taking a car onto the ferry.
There are several routes to the summit of Mount Gardner, with most people beginning from a gravel road off of Mt. Gardner Road near Killarney Lake. From here hikers have a couple of options, following a direct and less scenic route via the Hikers Trail, or a more scenic looped route as described here. Another, less popular option, is to follow the SW ridge trail from Laura Road.
There are two summits of Mount Gardner, north and south, though the north summit is the only one that offers any views. This hike will pass through both summits nonetheless. There are also a couple of viewpoints along the loop. The views from the summit primarily look over the Strait of Georgia, with some familiar North Shore peaks visible on a clear day, namely Brunswick Mountain, Mount Harvey and the West Lion. You’ll also be able to see the Lower Mainland including downtown Vancouver and Stanley Park.
Thanks to its relatively low elevation Mount Gardner is a suitable hike for the majority of the year. There will be snow/ice at higher elevations in the middle of winter and early spring, but otherwise the hike is typically snow free. Mount Gardner is both 2WD accessible and pet friendly.
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Is Mount Gardner worthwhile?
Mount Gardner is a tricky one to judge as this hike either comes with a fairly high cost of taking a vehicle on the ferry (over $40 at the time of writing) or with a fairly dull 4km (each way) walk from Snug Cove to the trailhead as a walk on passenger, adding 2 hours to the hike. Neither option is ideal and has to be somewhat taken into account when considering the worthiness of a hike.
Taking access out of the equation, Mount Gardner is a pleasant forest stroll for the majority of the hike, with one nice viewpoint halfway around the loop, and the summit view itself. The views from the hike are nice, but nothing that you couldn’t see from many hikes on the mainland itself. The trail is pleasant and not particularly challenging for the most part.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Gardner?
Physically speaking Mount Gardner is a moderately difficult hike, despite the somewhat high average gradient of 14.12%. Most of the hike is a moderate climb with plenty of flat parts throughout. There is one steep section on the loop that will get the heart pumping, but for the most part it’s a very manageable hike and a good option for beginner hikers.
Technically this is very straightforward. Most of the hike is a forest stroll but there is one very steep section and a short scramble with a rope to aid hikers climb up. It’s very straightforward though and the rope isn’t really necessary.
Mount Gardner Route Information
The trailhead for Mount Gardner is from the end of a small gravel road off of Mt. Gardner Road (see coordinates). This gravel road is short, somewhat steep and has some potholes, but 2WD’s should be able to drive up just fine. If you are walking on the ferry you will have to walk to the trailhead, which is around 4km (1 hour) and typically goes via the trail network in Crippen Regional Park.
From the parking lot you’ll hike past a gate and continue up the Hikers trail. Regardless of the route you take, all hikers will initially follow this trail. After a couple of hundred meters you’ll reach a fork in the trail where going left will follow the Skid trail and going right will continue along the Hikers trail. Most hikers complete this loop counter clockwise, so continue along the Hikers trail.
The trail will climb at a gradual grade on a wide gravel trail, which makes for relatively easy elevation gain. After another half a kilometer or so the trail loops around and traverses across the slope, now becoming entirely flat for the next 500m or so. The trail once again loops back on itself after passing by a junction that you can ignore. Shortly ahead you’ll reach another junction where the Hikers trail now diverts into the forest. This would be the direct route to the summit if you wanted to keep this as short as possible, but the looped trail will ignore this junction and keep right. This will now put you on the Handloggers trail.
The trail now crosses over a creek before continuing its gradual ascent. The gravel trail you were following has now transitioned to more of a forested trail, though it’s still simple and well maintained for the most part. Some sections of the trail pass through creeks, and I’m sure after heavy rain the trail will be somewhat waterlogged, but it shouldn’t cause any issues otherwise.
After a somewhat brief climb the trail actually begins a descent, and over the next 1.5 kilometers or so you’ll actually lose elevation slightly. The forest here is quite scenic, and combined with the descending gradient this part is quite enjoyable. Shortly ahead you’ll begin traversing across a steep slope and at some point you’ll reach a junction where there should be a sign pointing towards Mount Gardner North Summit. You’ll want to take this junction, ensuring not to continue on the Handloggers trail as that does not go to the summit.
This is where the route now becomes very steep, climbing around 130m in just 300m. Thankfully there is fairly decent footing throughout this steep climb, though if it were particularly wet or icy this section could cause some issues. At the top of the climb you’ll reach another junction where you’ll want to go right to continue on the North Summit trail. Shortly ahead you will reach your first viewpoint, a pretty great viewpoint overlooking Keats Island and the Sunshine Coast. This is arguably a better view than the actual summit, so it might be worth taking a break here.
Continuing along the gradient eases off again, back to a more moderate gradient, which it remains so for most of the hike now. At one stage you’ll pass a sign indicating the route ahead is a scramble, but it’s very simple stuff. You’ll reach a steep roped section but as noted earlier the ropes aren’t that necessary and there are plenty of hand holds and good footing throughout, plus the climb is very brief. Soon enough you’ll reach the north summit as evidenced by the massive radio towers. There will also be two helicopter landing pads on the summit, both of which make for a good spot to rest and have lunch, and also offer the best views. One helipad will be looking northwest over Keats Island again, but this time the views are mostly forested. The other helipad looks southeast and offers better views, this time over the Georgia Strait and the North Shore mountains.
After finishing up at the north summit the trail continues behind the radio towers and begins a descent towards the south summit. You’ll reach a small junction where going left will follow the narrow Summit trail and keeping right will follow the Skid trail. The south summit is completely forested and offers no views at all, so keep right on the Skid trail as it loops around the south summit.
Once you’ve looped around and reached the southern side of the south summit the trail traverses above some steep terrain and becomes a little unclear in sections, so keep your eye out for markers. It drops down steeply at one point before reaching another viewpoint as indicated by a sign. This view is mostly overgrown and not really noteworthy, but it’s another good place for a break if needed.
After a brief climb the Skid trail mellows out and begins a long, gradual descent back towards the trailhead. This is a more direct route than the way you took to the summit and for the most part it’s very straightforward. You’ll pass by a few junctions on the descent and the path you want to take isn’t always super obvious or well signposted, so I suggest taking an offline map and referring to it each time you come to a junction. You essentially just want to follow the Skid trail all the way back to the trailhead, where it connects briefly with the Hikers trail that you started on.
When should I hike Mount Gardner?
Mount Gardner is a great shoulder season hike and I’d definitely recommend it in spring or fall. Summer is obviously fine as well but there are likely more worthwhile hikes than Mount Gardner on a sunny summer day. Overall the best time to go is likely April – November if you want to minimize the chance of hitting snow and ice.
Winter may also be fine for the most part, though microspikes will certainly be needed at least. The looped route may not be the ideal option in snow/ice due to the steep section and the short scramble. The Hikers trail that goes directly to the summit may be the preferred choice in winter.
Top Tip
You’ll definitely want an offline map regardless of the route you take. There are a lot of trails in the area and the signage isn’t always the best for determining which trail you want to take. Many people find it difficult to follow a specific trail without a map.
If you want the most efficient and direct route you may want to follow the Hikers trail the whole way to the summit and back. This is only 7.7km and 532m elevation, so it is both shorter and has less elevation. This also avoids the very steep section on the looped trail. That being said, it’s the less scenic of the two options.
In terms of accessing the hike the best option is to drive onto the ferry with a full car. The cost of the vehicle can then be split between the party, and you will avoid having to hike the 4km each way to reach the trailhead.
If you complete the hike and want to add to it you could always hike around Killarney Lake as well. That’s a short (~1 hour) loop and might make the trip out to Bowen Island more worthwhile as Mount Gardner isn’t that big of a hike on its own.
