The best walks and hikes around Area A (Baynes Sound)

Comox Harbour is a sheltered inlet on the east coast of Vancouver Island, opening into the Strait of Georgia. The water is generally calm, shaped by tides that expose mudflats and sandbars along the shoreline. Backed by distant mountains and coastal communities, it forms a wide, open marine landscape that changes noticeably throughout the day.

Royston Seaside Trail follows the shoreline of Comox Harbour, and is a flat, gravel path between the water and a narrow strip of coastal vegetation. The trail is short, with driftwood, tidal flats, and small beaches lining the edge of the harbour. With constant ocean views and minimal elevation change, it's a great route for a quick scenic stroll along the waterfront.

Rosewall Creek runs parallel to the entire trail, but here you get some particularly nice views of the creek, making for a very peaceful hike. In fall this creek is a coho salmon spawning stream, attracting waterfowl and making great for watching wildlife.

Rosewall Creek Provincial Park is a small day-use park with a short trail that runs through the forest along Rosewall Creek. Big-leaf maple and conifer stands provide pleasant shade, making this a good stop for a quiet nature walk or creekside break on Vancouver Island. There is roadside parking and pit toilets near the trailhead and picnic areas overlooking the water,

Shingle Spit is a pebbly gravel-bar beach and Hornby Island’s main ferry landing for visitors. The spit is a year‑round wildlife haven, where you’ll likely see plenty of seals, sea lions, cormorants, and dozens of bald eagles during the herring spawn. Just steps from the ferry dock sits Thatch Pub and Restaurant, the island’s only full-service pub with a waterfront deck, making it the perfect lunch spot to enjoy some local fare and take in the scenery during a day of hiking in this beautiful area.

The Ford Cove to Shingle Spit Trail winds through forested terrain from Ford Cove to the ferry-landing area at Shingle Spit, following the coastline and staying mostly level, making it suitable for hiking or casual cycling. Along the way, you pass wooded hillsides, small bridges over gullies and streams, and near the halfway point, a seasonal waterfall. There are plenty of breathtaking views of the channel and surrounding islands, making this path the perfect mix of forest and coastal scenery.

Ford's Cove Marina is a small, sheltered harbour on Hornby Island’s southwest shore, beside a sandstone-and-gravel beach, popular for swimming, tide-pool exploring, and watching winter storms, sunsets, and passing wildlife such as sea lions, orcas, and seabirds. It’s a community hub and a gateway for boaters, with restrooms, picnic tables and a general store that also serves fish and chips, making it a perfect scenic lunch spot. The dock pilings are a nesting habitat for purple martins, so keep an eye out for them while you’re here.

This is a terrific loop trail that follows the edge of the bluff, with open views across the water and steady exposure to wind and sea. It’s an easy 5 km route, mostly level through meadow and forest. There are several benches along the way for quiet places to pause, and in spring, the headland blooms with beautiful wildflowers.