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Hiking the oceanside bluffs of Helliwell Park
The many small islands around Vancouver Island make for great trips no matter what you’re doing. Whether you like hiking, mountain biking, scuba diving, sailing or just laying on the beach, there is an island that is perfect for you.
Hornby Island is a great example. Even though it’s relatively small, it’s easy to fill your days with endless outdoor activities.
Helliwell Provincial Park sits at the north-east corner of Hornby Island, forming the northern bluffs of the beautiful Tribune Bay. You can’t mountain bike in the park, but it’s a great place for a stroll along the well-maintained trails.
The trail at the parking lot is under heavy forest cover. Tall Douglas-fir trees keep the sun off the trail and the salal and ferns on the ground from drying out. The trail winds its way through the wet green area towards the water near St. John’s Point.
As you near the water, the forest cover changes to Garry Oak trees and finally opens to dry grass fields. The grass grows right to the edge of the bluffs that drop straight down to the water. It takes a few minutes for your eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine after the shade of the tall trees but once they do, you’re greeted with an incredible view of Tribune Bay and the intense blue of the ocean between Vancouver Island and Hornby.
The trail winds it’s way along the top of the bluffs offering no end of sights of the huge conglomerate rock in the cliffs and the sparkling blue water at the bottom. Look a little closer into the water at the bottom and you’ll see all sorts of sea life clinging to the rocks. Further out into the water, the bottom drops away from the cliffs creating an amazing place for divers to watch the variety of sea life.
It’s hard not to stop at the benches along the way and just take in the awesome view. The sea seems to go on forever to the south, getting lost in the haze and the bright sunshine. We had our eyes peeled for two different types of rare butterflies that call Helliwell home but didn't spot any during our visit.
After the beautiful walk around Helliwell, we turned our attention to the Tribune Bay Provincial Park just down the street. Home to what might be the best white sand beach in the islands off Vancouver Island, Tribune Bay is an excellent place to lay down the towels and have a nap in the afternoon sun. If you’re up for getting wet, the water of the bay warms up to near-bathwater temperatures, great for floating around in. There are companies on Hornby that rent kayaks if you’d like to explore the bay from the water.
To get to Hornby, drive north on the Island Highway to Buckley Bay and take the ferry to Denman Island. Once on Denman, drive or ride to the opposite side to catch another ferry over to Hornby. Tribune Bay is on the east side of the island, accessed by Central Road. Take a left off Central Road onto Otsby near the Co-op, then right onto St. John’s Point Road. Head to the end and park near Helliwell Park to start your hike.
- Photos & text by Ross Collicutt©
