15 Fascinating Facts About The Islands In Vancouver

The islands in Vancouver is super interesting and well worth a visit if you get the chance. But what exactly makes these islands so fascinating? Read on to find out…

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15 Amazing Facts About the Islands in Vancouver

Known for its lush forests, beautiful lakes, and relaxing beaches, the islands in Vancouver are also filled with many lesser-known historical and cultural facts. Knowing these facts will change how you look at these islands. And you might find yourself buying plane tickets to explore these beautiful pieces of nature.

Located in British Columbia, Canada, this large series of Islands in Vancouver is sure to become your next travel destination once you read these 15 fascinating facts about them.

15 fascinating facts about the islands in Vancouver

Also known as the Southern Gulf Island, there are a series of around 24 islands located between British Columbia and Vancouver island. Each one of these islands has its own amazing facts, so without further ado, let’s jump right into the islands in Vancouver.

1. Vancouver Island — Home to the Tallest Canadian Waterfall

What comes to mind when you think about the tallest waterfall in Canada? Niagara Falls, isn’t it? No, it’s actually the Della Falls located on Vancouver Island. A series of three cascades, the Della Falls emerge from the Della lake and go down into the valley of Drinkwater Creek. The source of the Della Falls, Della lake is a glacier-fed lake that packs some breathtaking and scenic views.

The Della Falls, a beautiful discovery, is named after the wife of a guy named Joe Drinkwater. A prospector who was the first visitor to the Della lake and waterfall in 1899. While not as majestic as the great Niagara falls, Della Falls is a must-visit for anyone visiting Vancouver.

Apart from being home to the tallest Canadian waterfall, Vancouver Island also has some other fascinating facts. This includes having the world’s largest hockey stick measuring 205 feet, the densest cougar population with over 800 cougars, and even the record for being the hottest amongst all islands in Vancouver.

2. Thetis Island — Known for its Narrow Roads & Big Scenery

The moment you set foot onto Thetis Island, you will be blown away by its amazing natural beauty. The island is a beautiful mixture of nature, Containing beautiful waters, a rocky shoreline, and forested hills.

Unlike other well-constructed islands in Vancouver, Thetis Island has narrow, mostly unpaved roads that allow visitors to walk and hike. When exploring the island through one of these narrow roads, you will likely spot the island’s wildlife, including bald eagles, otters, and even deer.

3. Hornby Island – Contains World’s Strange Moon-Like Rocks

Ever seen the full moon in a clear night sky? You would have noticed some amazing beautiful craters throughout the moon’s surface. Rocks containing a similar texture have been spotted at Hornby Island and are often confused with lunar rocks. These moon-like rocks can be easily spotted in caves spread throughout the shoreline near Ford’s Cove.

Walking and inspecting these amazing caves with relaxing white sand touching your feet along a beautiful shoreline view will definitely make you fall in love with Hornby Island. Apart from all of this, the lunar rocks in Hornby Island are also a great place for capturing some amazing Instagram photos.

Well, these moon rocks are not the only amazing thing to see on Hornby island since the island also has a massive can of soup placed at a roadside in tribute to Andy Warhol.

4. Valdes Island – Has Natural Sandstone Galleries

Sea water washing up against the sandstones on the Valdes Island shoreline for thousands of years has created beautiful sandstone formations and caves. Visiting the Valdes Island beaches, you will find some amazing natural rock formations, giving you a view similar to the one used in popular mobile phone and computer backgrounds.

The natural sandstone gallery located on Valdes island is another instagrammable place on the islands in Vancouver.

5. Victoria Island — An Island With a 100,000 Gardens

Walking around Vancover island, you will be amazed by the large number of gardens filled with unique flowers and plants, giving Victoria names such as the island with 100,000 Gardens and Canada’s garden city.

Diverse flowers, countless farms, a friendly environment, and colorful architecture make Victoria island the most desirable place for spending your vacations the small-town way!

When in Victoria, visit Fan Tan Alley, a street between Fisgard & Johnson streets. Termed Canada’s narrowest commercial street, the Fan Tan Alley is 240 feet long but 3-6 feet wide.

6. Calvert Island — Home to Glittery Water & White Sand Beaches

Setting your foot on Calvert island, you will notice that the water around this island seems different. Well, if not different, it’s certainly shinier and clearer than the water around other Islands in Vancouver. Completely unpolluted, the island is known to be one of the finest islands for scuba diving, whale watching, and underwater exploration.

Home to amazing glittery waters, the island also has some beautiful white sand beaches stretched throughout the island and are mostly vacant.

7. Quadra Island — Popular for its Codependent Local Economy

Living together in small localities on large islands, the residents in many of the islands in Vancouver have gone on to create a codependent local economy. They run their own small businesses, selling small goods such as cookies, bread, etc. Supporting each other rather than being fully dependent on goods created outside of the island.

This creates a beautiful sense of locality within the island, something that you almost feel in the island’s atmosphere. So the next time you get to visit Quadra or other islands in Vancouver with a fairly small population, be sure to spend some of your money on these amazing local ventures by the residents.

8. Gabriola Island — Famous for its Unusual Brick Beach

Beaches around the world contain some of the most beautiful landscapes, such as black sands, a natural sandstone cutout, or even some beautiful pebbles, but none as unique as the brick beach located on Gabriola Island.

As evident by its name, Gabriola island’s brick beach contains red bricks spread throughout its shoreline. Mixed with the beautiful natural sand and stone on the Island, these red bricks look almost natural and give the Island its own element of uniqueness among the islands in Vancouver.

But how did some bricks show up on a beach? Well, Gabriola island contained a large brick-making factory for a long time between the 1800 and 1900s. These bricks were shipped from the Island through ships that were loaded on the brick beach. Remains and leftovers from this brick-making operation have now become a part of the Island’s beautiful history.

9. Saturna Island – Was A Popular Point for Smuggling Alcohol

Over the last few centuries after the discovery of the islands in Vancouver, the east point in Saturna has gained a lot of popularity. Not that the spot has some exceptional natural beauty, but it contains some amazing heritage that can be experienced and felt by simply taking a walk in the east point area.

The East Point is basically a lighthouse located on the Southern part of Saturna Island. This lighthouse was established in 1888 after a shipwrecked on the island while carrying large amounts of coal.

Apart from being a lighthouse, the east point area was particularly famous during the prohibition era in the United States. Smugglers would use the east point lighthouse as a popular point for smuggling alcohol into the United States.

10. Galiano Island — Hub of Orca Whales

If you are someone that’s interested in marine life, then you probably know about Orca whales. One of the most dangerous predators in the sea, the Orcas, is known to hunt massive sharks such as the great white. However, these magnificent creatures do not pose any danger to humans at all.

When visiting the south end of Galiano island, you will likely spot some of these amazing black and white killer whales. Jumping frequently in and out of the water, the killer whales live and travel in the surroundings of Galiano Island, making it one of the very few places to spot this beautiful creation of God.

One of the oldest known Orca on Galiano Island is said to have been born in 1911 and is named Granny or J2. Granny is said to have a gray patch near her fin, which makes it different from all the other Orcas.

11. Cortes Island — There are So Many Lakes & Lagoons

If you are someone that loves a nice picnic by the lake, then Cortes Island is your place to go since the island contains seven different lakes. The water inside these lakes is naturally warm, perfect for a nice swim, kayaking, canoeing, and even stand-up paddle boarding.

Cortes Island lakes are pleasant, warm, and cozy places, with no excessive noise but only the sound of nature. Visitors are not allowed to take motorboats inside these lakes To make sure that the calmness of these lakes is not disturbed.

Apart from its lakes, Cortes Island has some beautiful lagoons surrounded by forests and containing large amounts of marine life. One of the most famous lagoons on Cortes island is Carrington Bay, a mixture of fresh and saltwater.

12. Mayne Island – Contains a Historic Lighthouse

With the marine industry modernizing with each passing year, old lighthouses are often retired and are not used for navigational purposes. However, the Mayne Island Active Pass lighthouse is an exception since the lighthouse has been operational since 1885.

Yes, you read that right; the lighthouse is now almost 138 years old and is still helping marine traffic to pass through between the Victoria and Vancouver islands.

What makes the Active Pass lighthouse even more special is that it represents how far the Canadian maritime industry has come. Comparing the Active Pass to any other modern-day lighthouse, you would easily see just how much progress we have made over the last century.

13. The Savary Island Has the Warmest Water & Fragile Environment

With a small population of 100 people, Savary Island has one of the most fragile environments among all the Islands in Vancouver. Savary Island receives between 950 and 1,300 mm of rainfall each year. Thus, each time you visit the island, there is a high possibility for you to experience rainfall.

Apart from a fragile environment, Savary Island has some of the warmest waters, primarily due to the island’s constant sunlight. This warm water causes slow erosion and brings beautiful sediments onto the Savary island beaches, washing up against the beaches.

14. Read Island – The Land of Bald Eagles

When visiting Read Island, you are highly likely to notice some beautiful bald eagles flying and hunting around the area. A rare species of eagle, the bald eagle, was labeled endangered back in the 2000s. Finally, out of the dangers of being extinct, bald eagles are still a rare sight throughout the world, but Read Island.

Well, this is because Read Island is home to one of the densest bald eagle populations, all of which reside in the lush green forests that cover up most of Read Island.

15. Salt Spring Island — Famous for its Saturday Markets

One of the most culturally unique islands in Vancouver, Salt Spring Island offers some amazing Saturday markets. These markets, unlike conventional stores, do not sell products made all over the world. Rather, each seller in the market sells only the items he could produce within Salt Spring Island.

Roaming through the market, you will find people selling a lot of different products, including jewelry, leather works, pottery, and even local farming produce. The best part about all of this is that you can pay for these items in Salt Spring’s very own local currency, the Salt Spring Dollar.

Summing Up

Well, this is the end of our list of 15 fascinating facts. But don’t forget, the beautiful islands in Vancouver are filled with many more amazing experiences that are waiting for you. We hope this list taught you something new while also intriguing you into adding these islands to your vacation bucket list.

Want to know about more gorgeous places on earth full of exciting outdoor activities and interesting facts? Then read these articles here.