Day Trips & Getaways
Bowen Island Overnight: A Cottage in Snug Cove
A 20-minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay, a wood-stove cottage, and the moment the last ferry leaves and Snug Cove is entirely yours.
Snug Cove & Deep Bay
More infoDay Trips & Getaways
A 20-minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay, a wood-stove cottage, and the moment the last ferry leaves and Snug Cove is entirely yours.
Snug Cove & Deep Bay
More infoBowen's great party trick: everyone reaches it in 20 minutes from Horseshoe Bay, so everyone does. The secret is staying when the last ferry leaves and takes the day-trippers with it. Snug Cove becomes your own harbour village, with heritage marina cottages and their wood stoves, mossy trails up Mount Gardner, and boats going still at dusk. Light a fire; there's nothing here demanding your attention.
Drive or walk on to the Horseshoe Bay terminal and take the short, scenic BC Ferries sailing to Snug Cove on Bowen Island (just ~20 minutes). You barely need a car, almost everything is a stroll from the dock, so consider walking on (cheaper and easier; the return to Horseshoe Bay is the free leg). Check into a heritage cottage at the Union Steamship Marina right on the harbour, ideally one with a wood-burning stove, and drop your bag. Spend the afternoon the Bowen way: a swim or a paddle on Killarney Lake (a flat, pretty rainforest loop minutes from the cove), browse the village's little shops and bakery, and grab a patio dinner and a pint overlooking the boats. The reward for staying over comes after the last ferry: the island empties, the harbour goes quiet, and you can light the stove or walk the dock under the stars. Next morning, beat the crowd up Mount Gardner or out to Cape Roger Curtis lighthouse for big Howe Sound views, then a slow brunch before the easy hop home. Photo spots: the Union Steamship boardwalk, Killarney Lake reflections, and the Cape Roger Curtis lighthouse at golden hour. Couple touch: a wood-stove cottage, a bottle of wine, and the quiet of a village after the daytrippers have gone. Solo angle: it's the lowest-friction reset going, walk on with a book, swim the lake, write on the dock, and you're back in the city by lunch the next day. Short on time? Bowen makes a perfect car-free day trip too (it's already in our day-trips list), but a single night is what turns it from an outing into a getaway.
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door to door
~20-min ferry from Horseshoe Bay
from Vancouver
25 km
how long
1 night
best window
May-October
BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay -> Snug Cove (Bowen Island), ~20 min. You pay outbound only; the return Snug Cove -> Horseshoe Bay is the free leg. This route is first-come (not reservable), so on summer weekends arrive early or simply walk on, since the village is so walkable.
books out
