Anchored in heritage.

Not at the moment. Mayne Island Camping at Seal Beach, the island’s only campground, is temporarily closed. There is no campground in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve on Mayne.

Walk the Japanese Garden at Dinner Bay Park, built to honour the island’s Japanese Canadian farming families who were interned in 1942. Hike Mount Parke Regional Park for views over Navy Channel and Pender Island. Watch ferries thread Active Pass from Georgina Point Lighthouse, or follow the shoreline trail at Bennett Bay and Campbell Point in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Kayak from Bennett Bay or Miners Bay, swim at Bennett Bay or Dinner Bay, and visit the Saturday Farmers Market at the Agricultural Hall in Miners Bay from May to Thanksgiving. The Mayne Island Museum in the old jail and the island’s glass, pottery and textile studios round out a rainy day.

Mayne Island is in the Southern Gulf Islands of British Columbia, Canada, between Galiano Island to the north and Pender and Saturna Islands to the south. Active Pass, the main ferry channel between Vancouver and Victoria, separates it from Galiano. The ferry terminal at Village Bay is about 50 minutes from Swartz Bay near Victoria and roughly two hours from Tsawwassen near Vancouver depending on the sailing.

No. Mayne Island has no bears. Expect black-tailed deer, raccoons, river otters, bald eagles and harbour seals along the shoreline, with orcas and humpbacks passing through.

Mayne Island covers about 21 square kilometres and is home to roughly 1,300 year-round residents. It is small enough to cycle in a day and driving from Village Bay to Georgina Point takes about 15 minutes.

Yes. Walk onto the ferry at Swartz Bay or Tsawwassen, or fly with Seair Seaplanes into Miners Bay. There is no public transit, but the island runs a volunteer community bus on select days, a taxi service and a Car Stop program where residents pick up visitors waiting at signed roadside stops. Miners Bay village is about three kilometres from the ferry terminal.

Mayne Island has two resorts at Bennett Bay, Blue Vista Resort and Mayne Island resort, as well as several bed and breakfasts and licensed vacation rentals scattered around the island. Most stay open year-round and shoulder season rates are lower than in July and August. There is no hotel in Miners Bay village, so book ahead in summer when the resorts fill quickly.

The Mayne Island Fall Fair is held on the third Saturday of August at the Agricultural Hall in Miners Bay. It has run since 1925 and features livestock and produce judging, a parade, live music and a beer garden. Ferries fill up that weekend, so reserve early or arrive on foot.