Bowen Island is a jewel of nature." Off the Beaten Track". The island is well known by Vancouver,B.C.and lower mainland residents, many who have made day trips, weekend jaunts or who have spent their Summers on the island. Tourists to Vancouver, for the most part, do not know of it's existence.
Bowen offers, natural beauty, boasts ocean vistas, 13,000 acres of treed hills with, Cedar, Douglas fir and Hemlock being the main variety,along with Maples, Arbutus and the odd Dogwood and Pine tree. In Spring and Summer wild flowers bloom. Trillium, tiger lilly, Indian Paintbrush, Wild Currant a wide variety of succulents and rockery plants,wild rose,salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape, salmonberry, blackberry, wild strawberry and thimbleberry grow throughout. Ivy, Foxgloves,daisy, honeysuckle and mint, brought by early settlers, now grow wild. My grandfather, Jacob Dorman, used to walk the island with a bag of Foxglove seeds, sprinkling them as he continued on his way. In late spring, the island is alive with them.
Wildlife abounds on Bowen's shoreline, inland and in the sea. It is a birdwatchers dream, with bird varieties that include, bald eagles, kingfishers, herons, ravens, crows, a large variety of ducks and gulls, Canadian geese, hummingbirds, stellar jays, grouse, robins, piliated woodpeckers and flickers, to name just a few.
Deer families run freely throughout the island and mink, otter and harbor seals may be seen on the seashore. Garter snakes, lizards, frogs and a large population of slugs, also inhabit these 20,000 square acres of rock and forest soil.
Bowen is also a bedroom community, a family oriented place, with many activities for family participation. Many artisans, artists, entertainers and musicians live on the island. They instill culture and entertainment into the community. There are also many business, blue collar, professional and senior residents, who aid and support community endeavours. Many residents commute by ferry to jobs on the mainland. It is a 20-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay and another 25 minutes commute to downtown Vancouver. For those who do not wish to take their car, Busses to downtown meet the ferry in Horseshoe bay.
For day-trippers, there are large picnic grounds. Kayaks can be rented, and lessons are also available. One may take a challenging hike up Mount Gardiner, at 2480 feet, Bowen's highest Peak. The view from the top is spectacular. For a leisurely hike, one may walk the trail around Killarney Lake in the 600 acre Crippen Regional Park. In the Park there are 30 Km of scenic walking trails. Boaters can choose from two excellent marinas for long or short-term moorage.
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