Quadra Island The largest and most populated of the
Discovery Islands
Quadra Island is nestled between Vancouver Island and the
mainland of British Columbia.
Quadra Island is a popular destination for visitors from
around the world, and is best known for its natural and
beautiful wilderness scenery, and its excellent salmon
and freshwater sportfishing.
The mild temperate climate, rural lifestyle, pristine
environment, breathtaking coastal scenery, and the
friendly people of Quadra all add to the charm of
Quadra Island.
The diversity of people, professions, lifestyles and
pastimes is what makes Quadra Island a truly great
place to live or visit.
Quadra Island was named after Don Juan Francisco
de la Bodegay Quadra, the 18th Century Spanish Naval
Officer and close friend of Captain George Vancouver.
Just over two hundred years ago, Captain Vancouver
made contact with the aboriginal people on the island,
sending yawls to sound the now-named Discovery Passage
before bringing in his ship Discovery, anchoring off
present day Cape Mudge. Quadra Island has three main
communities: Quathiaski Cove, the commercial hub
of Quadra and the most populated; Heriot Bay, the
picturesque gateway to the Discovery Islands and
mainland inlets, and Cape Mudge (Yuculta), home to
the home to the We Wai Kai band of the Kwakwak’awakw
(Kwagiulth) First Nation.
Most of the permanent residents of Quadra live on the
southern half of the 35-km-long island.
Its sheltered coves and inland lakes are home to an
incredible variety of wildlife, including black-tailed deer,
river otters, harbour seals, sea-lions, cormorants,
snowy owls, the great blue heron, and the elusive
peregrine falcon.
The Visitor Information Centre is located next
to the Quadra Credit Union in Quathiaski Cove, and is
open from mid-June until the Labour Day weekenD
Population: 2,700
Quadra Island is located in the Discovery Islands of
British Columbia.
Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island is reached by a
mere 10-minute ferry ride across Discovery Passage
from Campbell River on Vancouver Island.
BC Ferries also links Heriot Bay on Quadra Island to
Whaletown Bay on Cortes Island, a 45-minute journey.
Both ferries transport vehicles. • •
Heriot Bay: Long before Campbell River was settled,
there was a significant community established
at Heriot Bay
For many years the wharf at the Heriot Bay Inn was a
major stop for various steamships travelling up and
down the coast.
The resort was the first in Heriot Bay, established in
1894, with the hotel soon becoming a social centre for
residents and workers of the Discovery Islands, and
for visiting travellers.
Heriot Bay still serves as the harbour for ferries across
Sutil Channel to Whaletown on Cortes Island, and boat
traffic to and from the Outer Islands and Inlets.
The Outer Islands include Read Island, Maurelle Island,
Sonora Island, Stuart Island, East Redonda Island,
West Redonda Island, East Thurlow Island, West
Thurlow Island, and the Rendezvous Islands.
Granite Bay in northwest Quadra was once a significant
settlement, and in the 19th century served as a base for
one of the largest logging operations in the district.
At peak operations of the Hastings Company in the
1890s, the settlement boasted a beach camp, log dump,
general store, post office, school, hotel brothel, and
a government dock where the Union Steamships called
to deliver passengers, mail, and supplies.
The Lucky Jim Mine located three miles from Granite
Bay opened in 1903 and yielded tons of gold and copper
ore before it petered out.
Granite Bay is quiet today, but is experiencing a
resurgence of new residents and outdoor adventurers. •
Arts and Crafts: Resident artists and craftspeople make
the island a fine place to sleuth around for pottery
and other creative, handmade wares.
The Quadra Island Studio Tour in June steers
visitors to Quadra’s galleries and studios run by carvers,
spinners, weavers, glass blowers, potters, painters,
sculptors, photographers, furniture makers, quilters,
jewellers blacksmiths, woodworkers, leatherworkers,
and stained glass artists.
Studio Tour tickets and a detailed map of the island are a
vailable at the Visitor Information Centre in Quathiaski
Cove, just up the road from the ferry dock.
First Nations Culture: Ancient stone drawings called
petroglyphs can be seen along the high-tide line at
We Wai Kai Beach and Francisco Point at the southern
tip of the island.
Cape Mudge Lighthouse celebrated its 100th birthday
in 1998, and is well worth a visit.
The lighthouse is the only one in BC that is accessible by
road and is still staffed and fully operational.
Linked by a trail to Cape Mudge Village, the lighthouse
is located below the bluffs visited by Captain
Vancouver in 1792.
Petroglyphs from centuries ago can be found at extremely
low tide just south of the lighthouse.
To access the lighthouse, depart the Quathiaski Cove
ferry terminal on Heriot Bay Road, turn south on Cape
Mudge Road, then followLighthouse Road to the lighthouse.
Tours are available in good weather in spring and summer.
Pop in to the Saturday Quadra Island Farmers’ Market
in Quathiaski Cove, behind the Quadra Credit Union,
where vendors’ tables are loaded with unique local crafts,
fresh farm produce, and freshly home-baked delicacies.
Events: The annual Quadra Garden & Quilt Tour and
the Arts Festival are two festive events worth attending.
The garden tour offers the chance to learn about the
native flora and see the beautiful island gardens up close.
The Arts Festival showcases the work of local visual and
performance artists in a daytime art exhibition and
provides a relaxing evening of live entertainment.
The Quadra Island Juggling Festival takes place each y
ear at the Quadra Island Community Centre, featuring
workshops, juggling performances, live music, door
prizes, vendors, billeting, and more.
Quadra Salmon Eco-Centre invites visitors to view
the educational displays and learn more about salmon
and watersheds, and what you can do to help and
protect them.
Have fun participating in the hands-on activities and
daily fish feeding.
Open Wednesday to Sunday in July and August, at
2071 hyacinthe Bay Road, just north of Heriot Bay.
Operated by the Quadra Island Salmon Enhancement
Society.
Adventure Companies on Quadra Island provide
hiking, diving, sea kayaking, boating and sailing tours,
revealing the hidden secrets of the Discovery Islands,
Desolation Sound, and the sheltered inlets of the BC
mainland coast.
There are three public boat launching ramps on
Quadra Island, at Quathiaski Cove, Heriot Bay, and
Rebecca Spit in Rebecca Spit Marine Park.
Kayaking: Exploring offshore waters in a sea kayak is
the best way to discover the islands, sheltered coves and
protected channels.
The fascinating waters around tightly packed Quadra,
Cortes, Maurelle, Read, and Sonora Islands will provide
hours of enjoyable paddling.
You should be well versed in the reading of tidal-current
charts to safely explore these waters.
Check the listings for local companies offering sea
kayaking .
An alternative to saltwater paddling around Quadra
Island is a small chain of freshwater lakes in the interior
of the island that are perfectly suited to canoeing.
In summer, the water in the lakes warms up as water
levels drop.
You may well find that you’ll have to haul your canoe
through a narrow channel connecting Village Bay Lake and
Mine Lake.
You can bypass this section by launching directly into
Mine Lake and heading for the prettiest part of the route
that leads from Mine to Main Lake, the largest of the
lakes in this chain.
Sandy beaches on small islands and in cozy bays are
delightfully welcoming spots to land and pass a sunny
day, with hardly any other paddlers with which to share
this slice of paradise.
If you land on the northeast side of Main Lake, you’ll find not
only a sandy beach but also a short walking trail that
follows an old logging road to Yeatman Bay, north
of Surge Narrows on Quadra’s coastline.
To reach the launch site, take West Road north from the
ferry landing at Quathiaski Bay to Heriot Bay.
Keep heading north on Hyacinthe Bay Road and then
Village Bay Road.
Launch at the bridge in Village Bay or continue another
1.5 miles (2.5 km) farther north along Surge Narrows
Road to Miners Bay.
The waters around Quadra Island have yielded some
of the largest salmon ever caught on BC’s west coast.
Although much of the activity is centred in nearby
Campbell River on Vancouver Island, there is plenty of
action around Quadra, particularly at Quathiaski Cove,
where the ferry linking Quadra and Campbell River docks.
Anglers also congregate in the waters off Cape Mudge,
Copper Bluffs and April Point, and at the entrance to
Quathiaski Cove around Grouse Island.
Good fishing is also found in the protected waters around
Rebecca Spit Marine Provincial Park, where a popular
public boat ramp is located.
Inland on Quadra, cutthroat trout are numerous in
the freshwater regions of Village Bay, Mine, and
Main Lakes. •
The clear waters and profusion of colourful marine life off
Quadra’s shores make the area one of the best and most
challenging destinations for scuba diving.
Diving in Discovery Passage can only be attempted
during slack tide.
The currents are very strong and are phenomenally rich in
nutrients and oxygen sustaining an awesome array of
marine life.
There’s no wreck like an old wreck.
That’s what the 366-foot former navy destroyer HMCS
Columbia is fast becoming.
She was scuttled by the Artificial Reef Society near Maud
Island on thewest coast of Quadra Island.
RAILING OF THE HMCS COLUMBIA
Divers should check with the Underwater Archeological
Society of BC, or dive shops and marinas in Campbell River,
for more details.
The small island of Steep, off the southwest coast of
Quadra Island, is rated as one of the best dives in
the world.
The northern tip of Steep Island is best dived at the end
of an ebbing tide, ensuring a fabulous dive amongst a
profusion of colour and marine life. •
CHERYL YOUNG, REALTOR
SAANICH PENINSULA REALTY
SIDNEY B.C www.cherylyoung.ca www.facebook.com/Cherylcyoung
VANCOUVER ISLAND, VICTORIA B.C www.cherylyoung.ca
