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Denman and Hornby Islands have a lot in common: they’re both known for their excellent hiking trails, campgrounds, kayaking routes, saltwater swimming spots, salmon fishing, birding and wildlife viewing opportunities. Hornby boasts world-class diving spots as well. A large proportion of the residents on both islands are artists or artisans. They show and sell their work in local shops and galleries and at a host of arts-oriented events throughout the year. Hornby Island hosts an annual music festival and the Denman Island Community Hall is used as a venue for various music and theatre productions throughout the year.
The best hiking trails on both islands are in provincial parks. Boyle Point Provincial Park, on Denman, has a 7-km (4.3-mi) forested hike to a viewpoint overlooking Baynes Sound. The easy, 2-km (1.2-mi) walk through old-growth forest in Fillongley Provincial Park (also on Denman) leads to a beach. Helliwell Provincial Park, on Hornby, has an easy, 5-km (3.1-mi) hike that passes through old-growth forest before rounding a cliff at the ocean's edge. The 3.5-km (2.2-mi) High Salal Trail starts in Helliwell Provincial Park, crosses a bluff overlooking Tribune Bay and terminates in Tribune Bay Provincial Park. The hike to the summit of Mt. Geoffrey on the west side of Hornby is a challenging 330 m (1,083 ft). The picturesque campgrounds on both islands are very popular, so be sure to book well in advance. The 10 drive-in sites in Fillongley Provincial Park on Denman Island have panoramic views of Hornby Island and the mainland mountains. There are over 100 sites in Hornby Island's two campgrounds. The larger one is located at the edge of Tribune Bay Provincial Park. The other overlooks the ocean on the northwest side of the island. Cycling is a wonderful way to explore both islands. Roads are smooth and quiet, for the most part, and Hornby has several multi-use trails suitable for mountain biking. Rentals and guided tours are available.
A great many artists and artisans have chosen to make their homes on these islands. Locally produced art and crafts are also widely available in shops and galleries and many artists open their studios to the public for at least some part of the year. Arts festivals and events of various kinds are held throughout the year. Two of the most established are the Denman Island Pottery Tour and the Denman Island Home and Garden Tour.
In the summertime, you can visit the Denman Island Art Gallery to view works in various mediums by local artists. Another summer-only attraction, Elderfield Old-Time Farm on Hornby Island, offers open-air exhibits and demonstrations on rural life by personnel in pioneer-era costumes.
If you enjoy the arts, the options for entertainment on both Denman and Hornby Islands are many. Denman Island's Community Hall mounts productions of all kinds, including jazz and classical music concerts, operas and plays. If you visit in early August, you won't want to miss the Hornby Festival. It presents 12 - 16 concerts in various venues, some of them in scenic, outdoor locations.
There are five provincial parks on Denman and Hornby Islands. All of them are suitable for walking/hiking and picnicking excursions. Other popular activities in those parks include birding (Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park, Boyle Point Provincial Park), camping (Fillongley Provincial Park), diving (Helliwell Provincial Park) and swimming (Tribune Bay Provincial Park, the warmest saltwater swimming destination in BC). Natural sights of note in the area include: the spring wildflowers in Fillongley Provincial Park, Boyle Point Provincial Park and Tribune Bay Provincial Park (late April/early May); the fall leaves in Fillongley Provincial Park; the view of Baynes Sound from Boyle Point Provincial Park; and the view of the Strait of Georgia and Coast Mountains from the bluffs in Helliwell Provincial Park. Helliwell is also a good place to see massive, old-growth Douglas firs and rare, native Garry Oaks. In March, local waters teem with spawning herring and the creatures, such as sea lions, that feed on them. This is the largest and most consistent herring spawn in BC. Denman Island is home to thriving populations of deer, pheasants, Great Blue Herons, hawks and Bald Eagles. Hornby Island is one of only a few places in the world where six-gill sharks venture close enough to the surface to be observed on a dive. A primitive, deep-sea species, they spend most of the year at inaccessible depths.
There are many, beautiful sand and pebble beaches on Hornby and Denman Islands. Denman's top spots for sunning and saltwater swimming are Fillongley Provincial Park and Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park. The warm, aquamarine water and long stretches of white, sandy beach in Tribune Bay Provincial Park on Hornby Island have earned it the nickname "Little Hawaii." It is, in fact, BC's warmest saltwater swimming spot.
Kayaking is popular on both islands. Denman Island's three most popular destinations are Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park in the north and Boyle Point Provincial Park and tiny Chrome Island in the south. Great trips on Hornby Island include the one from Whaling Station Bay to Helliwell Bluffs and the ones from Ford Cove north to Shingle Spit or south to Norman Point.
Hornby Island is a diving hot spot. You can see Giant Pacific Octopus, Wolf Eels, Harbour Seals, Lingcod, Rockfish, anemones and nudibranches there 12 months a year. Migrating herring draw Stellar and California Sea Lions to the area in winter and, between May and September, six-gill sharks enter shallow water at Flora Islet. Six-gills are normally found thousands of feet below the surface. This is one of only a few locations in the world where they can be observed on a dive.
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