Lady’s Guide to Visiting Salt Spring Island in British Columbia

Today I want to bring you my guide to visiting Salt Spring Island. This part of British Columbia is a great place to get outdoors and into nature in the Gulf Islands in Canada.

Visiting Salt Spring Island

I’m a city girl. I may have grown up in a town with more horses than people, but ever since I left for college I’ve been addicted to the urban lifestyle.

From Providence to Prague, San Francisco to San Diego, my city dwelling sometimes makes me forget important things like where my food comes from.

So when a good friend in London found out I was going to a wedding in Washington near her parents’ farm in British Columbia, she encouraged me to travel to Canada to visit Salt Spring Island.

How to Get to Salt Spring Island

I didn’t hesitate to take her up on it. After my stay in La Conner, I got a ride from a friend to the nearby ferry terminal in Anacortes. From there I made the two-hour crossing to Sidney, BC on Vancouver Island.

Once in Sidney, I spent time walking around the town. Most shops and restaurants were closed on account of it being Labour Day (yes, they spell it with a ‘u’ in Canada).

I still enjoyed strolling through the pretty streets and along the bright, sunny harbor, though.

From Sidney it was a quick 10-minute bus ride to Swartz Bay, where I caught my ferry to Salt Spring Island.

BC Ferries had offered me a complimentary ticket on the 35-minute ride, and I was glued to the beautiful views of the Gulf Islands out the window the entire time.

In fact, I could’ve even sat outside on the roof for a unique open-air experience. Either way, I couldn’t wait to arrive and start visiting Salt Spring Island.

Where to Stay on Salt Spring Island

When I alighted at Fulford Harbour, my friend’s mother picked me up and drove us the short distance to Ruckle Provincial Park, where she and her husband run the oldest working farm in British Columbia.

Ruckle Heritage Farm is a large expanse of land where my friend’s parents raise everything from lambs to Highland cattle, agricultural crops, flowers, and just about anything else the soil will yield.

They have rooms for guests, too, so it’s not just friends like me who can stay with them.

While visiting Salt Spring Island, I spent my first evening at Ruckle Heritage Farm. In addition to getting to know my generous hosts, I spent time with their WWOOFer.

No, a WWOOFer isn’t a dog (although they did have some adorable dogs and cats). It’s an acronym for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms.

They’d been hosting WWOOFers for years, and they showed me several albums with photos and letters from volunteers from all over the world.

Each had stayed on the farm for several weeks or months. They’d helped with everything from bottle-feeding spring lambs to making crab apple jelly, which their current WWOOFer was in the process of doing.

Ruckle Provincial Park

The next morning I woke up, cooked some eggs that had come from the farm’s chickens, and set off to explore Ruckle Provincial Park. I could already tell it was going to be a highlight of visiting Salt Spring Island.

Not since my childhood had I had the opportunity to stay in a house where there were hiking trails just down the street. I walked to the nearest one, passing Ruckle Heritage Farm’s abundant farm stand on the way, and set off.

I went through beautiful forested land, complete with shadowy moss-covered trees, big black slugs, and giant green leaves that filtered sunlight onto the trail. It was gorgeous.

Soon the forest gave way to shoreline, and I found myself at a pebble beach on Salt Spring Island.

From there I walked along the water’s edge and discovered Ruckle Provincial Park’s waterfront campground, which is the largest in the Gulf Islands. In front of me ferries plied their routes on glassy water.

Salt Spring Island Tour

Back at Ruckle Heritage Farm, I was met by a friend of my hosts’ who’d generously offered to take me around for the afternoon.

We started visiting Salt Spring Island by traveling on the long road to Ganges, the main town. On the way we passed Mount Bruce, several wineries, and lots of signs for farm stands and art galleries.

Ganges

Once in Ganges, we met up with my friend’s mother for lunch on the terrace at the Harbour House Hotel.

I had salmon-and-cod cakes and a big salad from the hotel’s organic garden. It paired well with a glass of white wine from one of the island’s wineries.

After lunch we continued visiting Salt Spring Island by walking around Ganges. Our first stop was Embe Bakery, where we tried some of their delicious butter tarts.

From there we visited a few shops and admired the kayaks that take visitors out to white-shell beaches (some people even kayak all the way from Salt Spring Island to Alaska).

Salt Spring Island Farmers’ Markets

After that we continued visiting Salt Spring Island by going to the Tuesday farmers’ market in Centennial Park.

The town’s Saturday market is famous and attracts people from all over British Columbia. I was sad my visit didn’t coincide with it, but happy to get a glimpse of Salt Spring Island’s offerings at the Tuesday one.

Lakes on Salt Spring Island

Once we finished exploring Ganges and the market, we got back in the car and continued visiting Salt Spring Island by driving to St Mary Lake. It’s the largest lake on the island.

We also drove out to the west coast to admire the views of the Salish Sea, then headed over to Cusheon Lake to sunbathe on the dock outside my guide’s house.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and I wish we could’ve sat by the peaceful water in the sunshine forever.

Boating to Mayne Island

But we couldn’t. We had a boat to catch. No, it wasn’t a ferry. It was my friend’s parents’ boat. We boarded the boat in its trailer at their house, and her father pulled us behind his tractor through the farm.

It was the first time I’d ever ridden in a boat through fields full of sheep. It was a fun highlight of my time visiting Salt Spring Island.

But it was even more fun when we got to the water. My friend’s father runs a business called Silver Spoon Charters, and he takes people fishing in the area around Salt Spring Island.

Given he’d come home that morning with some delicious-looking salmon he’d caught, I was pretty sure he was an expert fisherman (and even more sure when he came home with more delicious-looking salmon the next morning).

But we weren’t out to fish that evening. We were out for a trip to nearby Mayne Island for dinner. It was the first time I’d ever boated to dinner (well, with the exception of Bermuda), and I was excited.

After jetting across the water and through the channel where ferries from Vancouver to Victoria travel, we docked at Miners Bay in front of the Springwater Lodge.

We enjoyed dinner on the terrace there. I had a dish of prawns with asparagus and lemon, which hit the spot.

After dinner we boated back to Salt Spring Island and Ruckle Heritage Farm. The sun was setting, making beautiful views across the water and over the mountains.

We weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the views, either. A group of seals lounging on the nearby rocks were also out for the evening, as was a beautiful eagle perched in a tree.

Back on land, I spent my last evening on the island with a delicious dessert of homemade cupcakes.

Visiting Salt Spring Island

The next morning I took one final hike through the woods and out to the beach. I tried to savor the last of my time visiting Salt Spring Island as much as I could.

Afterwards I had another good breakfast on the farm, this one in the form of homemade blackberry jam and crab apple jelly on toast.

My ferry from Fulford Harbour to Swartz Bay departed just before noon. As I left, I waved good-bye to Salt Spring Island with a heavy heart.

I may be a city girl, but my time visiting Salt Spring Island almost convinced me to trade in my urban lifestyle for a Gulf Island one.

For now, I’ll just have to persuade my friend to pack me in her suitcase next time she travels home to Canada to visit her parents.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.

Pin it!