Easy hikes and walks around Capital G

This forest is shaped by the Mediterranean-like climate of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. Although seaside cliffs are nearby, the trails in this section of the park take you rambling through the forest near the relatively tiny postage stamp of Mount Menzies Park. Every though you can't access the water from here, the park's protective boundaries extend some 200 meters into it.

Named for the crooked tree that serves as a guidepost (the right tree will have a sign on it for Crooked Tree Lookout Trail), this viewpoint is the stunning reward for a singletrack hike that is, otherwise, entirely cloaked in trees.

It's a little counterintuitive, but the recommended loop trail through Mount Menzies Park uses this signpost as the ending point, not the start. Although the trail rambles along the skirts of Mount Menzies, it does not go all the way to the top. Instead, the figurative high point is the expansive views you'll get from Crooked Tree Lookout.

This short, easy loop trail follows a narrow wooden boardwalk through forest and wetland before opening up onto the rocky shoreline. From there, you can explore the beach at low tide, walk out along the point for beautiful views of Drummond Bay, Boundary Pass, and the San Juan Islands. The whole loop takes less than an hour, but there are plenty of picturesque places to stop and take it all in along the way.

From this spot, you can see a small automated lighthouse on the shoreline, and from here the views across Boundary Pass to Washington State's San Juan Islands are well worth the walk. You can see the surrounding Southern Gulf Islands, and on a clear day, the snow-capped peak of Mount Baker in the distance.

Gowlland Point sits at the western end of Brooks Point Regional Park, where the trail opens onto rocky bluffs with beautiful views of Drummond Bay. It is a popular spot to watch for seals, sea lions, orca pods, and the occasional bald eagle flying overhead, all from right here along the shoreline. On a clear day, you can also see across to Saturna Island and the surrounding Gulf Islands, making it one of several unforgettable viewpoints on South Pender Island.

Brooks Point Regional Park sits at the southern tip of South Pender Island and is one of the last undeveloped headlands in the Southern Gulf Islands. Covering just under 5 hectares of rocky bluffs, coastal forest, a rare Garry Oak ecosystem, grassy meadows, and a sheltered pebble beach, it is home to over 100 species of birds, the endangered sharp-tailed snake. In the spring, the meadows are filled with beautiful native chocolate lilies and camas. It is also one of the best spots on the island to watch for seals, orca, and other marine life passing through the channel.

The Lagoon Trail explores deeper into the Sidney Spit Marine Park in the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. This area has an inner lagoon and a WWII-era bomb shelter. There are walk-in campsites as well that must be reserved with Parks Canada.