Top Destinations on Gabriola Island: Beaches and Parks

Trudie and I took the ferry from Nanaimo to Gabriola Island at noon – we were excited and looking forward to spending the entire day driving the entire island.
It was the hottest day this week at 28 degrees Celsius and we took it in stride.

The ferry is a 20-minute sailing and you can get out of your car, or not.

Disembarking from the ferry we chose to take a right on Easthom Road, leaving the ferry traffic behind and striking out on our own. Most people follow the North Road and the Taylor Bay Rd, but we thought we follow the South Rd and begin our journey there. Within minutes we had discovered a beautiful little out of the way Descanso Bay.

Our driving trip around the island took about 4-5 hours, and we had dinner at the Surf Lodge and Pub on Berry Rd. – Wonderful atmosphere and great food.

We are definitely going back to Gabriola and plan to spend more time at Drumberg Provincial Park. Gabriola Island is so close to home and only a 20 minute ferry sailing, making it a wonderful place to spend more time that makes you feel like you are on vacation, yet still close to home.

Descanso Bay

A little further down the road….

*A word of caution: If you are touring for the first time I want to warn you about a Wharf Rd — Think twice before venturing down this road. It is extremely narrow and a loooong way down to a tiny wharf on the water. People park on both sides of this very very narrow road — you may run into difficulty turning around to get out — especially if someone else is behind you. I found this terrifying – good thing Trudie has a small car and she is calm.

Brickyard Beach

Brickyard Beach is just a minute or two from the ferry. When you disembark make a quick right onto Easthom Rd. This jewel of a beach awaits you. It doesn’t boast sandy beaches, but the natural beauty of Gabriola Island is in the rock formations created by millions of years of water and wind erosion.
The history of Brickyard Beach is named for the brick factory (1890-1951) once here.