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If you had to sum up Gabriola in just two words, they would be “art” and “nature.” The Thanksgiving Weekend Studio and Gallery Tour, for example, is the biggest event of the year. Ancient art, in the form of petroglyphs, can be found,at outdoor locations or at the Gabriola Museum. On land, hiking, cycling, camping and golf are popular. Top water activities include fishing, sailing, kayaking, diving and swimming. If you visit between May and October, be sure to do some market shopping – the Saturday and Sunday farmers’ markets are among the region’s best.
Gabriola seems tailor-made for hiking and cycling holidays. Trails criss-cross the forested central region of the island and practically every inch of the coastline is traversable. Cyclists use the 30-km (18.6 mi) North Road-South Road loop when they want to take in the coastline and logging roads in the forested central highlands when they're in the mood for a physical challenge.
There's a campground less than 1 km (0.6 mi) from the ferry terminal, at Descanso Bay Regional Park. The secluded, treed sites there are close to two bays suitable for swimming and kayaking. Two commercial campgrounds are located at the island's south end.
The nine-hole golf course at Gabriola Golf & Country Club is laid out around picturesque Hoggan Lake. Its rolling, twisting fairways are challenging enough for even the most experienced golfers.
Gabriola is sometimes referred to as the "Isle of the Arts" because so many artists live there year round. Many of them welcome visitors into their studios, particularly during the Thanksgiving Weekend Studio and Gallery Tour event in October. More than 80 painters, sculptors, furniture makers, writers, etc., participate in the tour each year.
Gabriola is also known as "Petroglyph Island" because more than 50 Aboriginal rock carvings have been discovered there. Petroglyph Park, at the southeast end of the island, contains most of them. No one is sure exactly how old the petroglyphs are but it's thought that the oldest were carved at least 2,000 years ago. Some might have been carved as recently as 100 year ago.
Gabriola Museum has more than 30 reproductions of local petroglyphs on display. You're welcome to make rubbings of them but the original petroglyphs scattered around the island are strictly off limits in this regard. Indoors, you'll find displays on the island's geology, ecology and ferry system. Outdoors, you can tour a native plant garden.
Other historical sites on the island include the Coats Millstone Reserve, a defunct quarry that produced millstones for pulp mills, and Brickyard Beach, a beach strewn with bits of brick produced by a brickyard that once operated there.
A wide variety of festivals and events are held on Gabriola every year. The biggest is the annual Thanksgiving Weekend Studio and Gallery Tour. More than 80 artists open up their studios to visitors over that October weekend. Another big, yearly event is the August Salmon Barbeque, a 30-year tradition on the island.
From late May to mid October, you can buy locally produced arts, crafts and edibles at the Saturday Farmers' Market in Aggi Hall on the west side of the island. In July and August there's a Sunday market as well. It's held at Silva Bay, on the east side of the island.
Malaspina Galleries is the most dramatic natural feature of Gabriola Island. A sandstone arc created by wave action over thousands of years, it resembles a wave itself. It's been admired by visitors to the island since 1792. The island also has a number of exceptional viewpoints. From Orlebar Point, for example, you can see for miles up and down the Strait of Georgia. The Entrance Island lighthouse, Texada Island and the mainland mountains are all plainly visible from there. Other worthwhile viewpoints include Blue Whale Lookout, Killer Whale Lookout and Sperm Whale Lookout, all at the north end of the island.
Ecologically rich Drumbeg Provincial Park contains rare, native Garry oak groves, untouched Douglas- fir forest and many interesting rock formations. A wide variety of bird and marine wildlife species thrive there. Birders should be on the lookout for Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons and American Oystercatchers. Harbour Seals and intertidal creatures are often visible from the park's 1-km (0.6-mi) sand-and-pebble beach. Drumbeg is also a popular location for diving, hiking and picnicking.
Gabriola Sands Provincial Park, at the northwestern end of the island, features two sandy beaches (the "Twin Beaches") and a large, grassy field. It's a day-use-only park popular for swimming, picnicking, sporting events and special events. Sandwell Provincial Park has a single long, sandy beach with sweeping views of the Strait of Georgia. A short walking trail through the woods there leads to a picnic area overlooking Lock Bay. You'll find an ancient petroglyph just east of that picnic area.
Spend any time enjoying the ocean views from Gabriola's beaches and coastal trails and you'll naturally be tempted out to sea. Jump right in for a swim at the "Twin Beaches" in Gabriola Sands Provincial Park or a dive at one of the many, world-class dive sites accessible from shore. Many more dive site are located just a short boat ride away.
Charter a boat for a day of salmon fishing (Chinook and Coho are plentiful) or hire a skippered sailboat and explore the Strait of Georgia. Winds are strongest to the east of the island and calmest to the south. Sailing instruction is available. If you bring your own vessel, both Silva Bay and Degnen Bay offer anchorage and moorage facilities for visitors.
If you're a kayaker, you can spend hours or days exploring the many beaches, hidden coves, sheltered passageways and rocky outcroppings around Gabriola. There are also more than 20 other islands within easy paddling distance.
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