Bowen Island
Bowen Island is located just 29 km west of downtown Vancouver in British Columbia, perfect for a Vancouver Getaway! The island is approximately 6 km wide by 12 km long (or 19.28 square miles) and is accessible by boat and ferry. The island’s population is around 4,200, but this increases significantly in the summer months with vacation homeowners and visitors.
The intriguing History of Bowen Island
Bowen Island sits in the middle of Howe Sound, a fjord created about 12,000 years ago, when the most recent ice age was in retreat. The island was used by Squamish Nation – or Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw for seasonal hunting and camping. By 1791, Spanish explorers named the island Isla de Apodaca, then in 1860 a Captain in the British Royal Navy renamed it Bowen, after Rear Admiral James Bowen.
In the early 1900s, life on the island revolved around a resort operated by the Union Steamship Terminal. From the 1920s until 1960, the Union Steamship Company held dances and ferried party-goers to the island, which boasted the largest dance hall in British Columbia. Bowen Island continues to attract visitors to the island’s special events throughout the year.
In 2021, Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound, an area renowned for its rich Indigenous culture, biodiversity and distinct geography, became Canada’s 19th UNESCO Biosphere Region. Further details are contained in this Media Release.
Why Bowen Island is a Must See Destination
Bowen Island is well-known for its hiking and biking trails, particularly those that wind up the 719 metre peak of Mt. Gardner. Visitors arrive prepared with walking sticks, binoculars, and bicycles. While it is a naturalist’s paradise, overnight camping is not permitted, except on Apodaca Beach, which is accessible only by kayak!
In addition to beaches and hiking trails, the island has a thriving cultural arts community that produces gallery and theatre shows and musical events throughout the year. Bowen Island has been the location for more than two dozen movies and television series including, Clan of the Cave Bear (1986), Look Who’s Talking (1989), The Russia House (1990), Double Jeopardy (1999), The Wicker Man (2006), and Harper’s Island (2009), and Riverdale (2017), and Virgin River (2019).
You will find unusual treats and gifts on the island in the boutique shops in Snug Cove. Check out the shops at Artisan Square and the Farmers’ Market at the community school which runs May through to October.
Every year, hundreds of visitors take home precious memories of walking under the towering cedars in Crippen Park or paddling along Bowen Island’s beautiful coastline with Bald Eagles soaring overhead.
