Bowen Island: Journey "Off the Beaten Track"
Swimming is another popular summer pastime, at any of Bowen's Beaches: Sandy Beach, in the Cove, Pebbly Beach in Deep Bay, September Morn Beach at the end of Dorman Road, (a short hike.) Arbutus Point Beach, ( a long hike or bike rides to the other side of the island.) Mount Gardiner Park also has a pebble beach.
Scuba diving is excellent in Bowen's surrounding seas and beach-combing can also be fun and rewarding. Although somewhat depleted, compared to earlier years, fishing the waters around Bowen can yield salmon, cod, rockfish, flounder, bass and bottom fish. Bowen has a salmon hatchery, run by volunteers to enhance these fish stocks. For those who would like to drive across the island, Bowen has a taxi service and a bus that will pick you up at the Ferry Dock. No overnight camping or trailer parks are allowed anywhere on Bowen.
For people who like to shop, Snug Cove, Bowen's " Downtown", offers interesting and unique boutiques, shops, galleries and gift shops. There is a pharmacy, grocery store, whole food store, coffeehouses, bakery, pub and good restaurants.
A little farther up Trunk Road, (a short hike, or 4-minute ride by auto) is Artisan Square, with wonderful flower and gift shops, galleries, a singing academy, day care and a deli-coffeehouse-cafe. It is worth a visit. A bit further on, just past the firehall on the left side, is another deli-café that makes the best bagels, their specialty being a honey and cinnamon dipped variety.
If you wish to stay over night or for the weekend, there are many excellent *bed and breakfasts on the island.
These two Photos are from our Bowen neighbour Diana Taylor proprieter of "A little Bit of Heaven Bed & Breakfast" (No longer a bed and breakfast)
If you are a history buff, Bowen Historians have restored the Union Steamship General store on the left side of Trunk road, across from the tower and a museum and archives, half way up trunk road, across and up the hill from the Gas Station.
Bowen has an interesting history. In early times, Bowen was uninhabited. In Summer Snug Cove became a fishing Camp for the local Squamish band. The early pioneers found a smokehouse and fishing shacks there. Bowen was also used as an overnight camping place, and a neutral ground where intertribal meetings could be held. Whaling also was practiced here.
Bowen was first charted by the Spanish explorer Navarez
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