One of the best views in Canada awaits at Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, situated on one of the highest points of Salt Spring Island. The breathtaking B.C. park was recently featured in a study ranking the most scenic spots in the country, reviewing over 483,000 traveller reviews of over 411 popular Canadian destinations. So, if you’re building out your spring or summer bucket list, this park deserves to be at the top!
Salt Spring Island’s highest point
According to BC Parks, the provincial park was originally established for its landmark viewing point in 1938, called Baynes Peak. Here, visitors from far and wide can enjoy panoramic views of Vancouver Island, the surrounding Gulf Islands, and mainland B.C.
The day-use-only park houses crucial stands of old-growth Douglas firs, Garry oak meadows, and salmon-bearing creeks, as well as the largest undeveloped estuary in the Gulf Islands.
“The park lies adjacent to Mount Maxwell Ecological Reserve, which was also expanded in 2004 to protect Canada’s largest Garry oak meadow,” says BC Parks.
Park-goers can hike through six km of maintained trails, picnic at the summit of Mount Maxwell, and take in the spectacular vistas of Burgoyne Bay and Samsun Narrows at the top of the mountain.
Trails all start at the parking lot and range from easy strolls to more challenging hikes.
Note that pets and domestic animals must be on a leash and under control at all times, as per BC Parks.
A historically significant place to the Cowichan First Nation, Mount Mazwell is known as Hwmat’etsum, or “bent over place,” tracing the relationship of man and the land.
Archaeological sites of spiritual significance sit below the adjacent Mount Maxwell Ecological Reserve. Below the bay (Hwaaqwum), there are extensive middens marking Indigenous settlements dating back to 3,000 years ago.
Ready to see it for yourself? Visitors from Vancouver can hop on a quick ferry to Salt Spring Island, driving just under half an hour to the provincial park.
Happy adventuring!
How to get there: Take a ferry from Vancouver to Salt Spring Island and drive 27 minutes to Mount Maxwell Park via Fulford-Ganges Rd.
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