Location: Hornby Island is situated between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island approximately 80 miles north-west of Vancouver.
Getting to Hornby Island:
Most visitors arrive by car using the BC Ferry system.
By Public Transport - Take the bus from Vancouver or Victoria to Buckley Bay (about 1 hour north of Nanaimo). Then walk on to the ferry to Denman Island. There is NO public transport on Denman Island so you need to ask someone on the ferry for a ride across Denman to the Hornby Island ferry. (This is a common activity and generally supported by all but the most selfish drivers).
By Car From Vancouver - Take the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo - schedule. Upon reaching Vancouver Island you drive north on the new Island highway for about 50 minutes. Watch for the Hornby Island/Denman Island Ferry exit. The schedule for these two ferries can be seen here for the Denman Ferry and here for the Hornby Ferry. The whole trip from Horseshoe Bay to Hornby Island can be done in about 5 hours. (Much longer on busy days.....up to 9 hours)
By Car From Victoria - Drive north on the Island Highway until you see the Hornby Island/Denman Island Ferry signs. It takes about 4 hours from downtown Victoria to Hornby Island.
Activities: Mountain biking, biking (bike rentals available), sightseeing, camping, kayaking, diving and fishing charters, glass bottom boat tours and small boat rentals.
Admission: The cost of a ferry ride (varries if you have your car or not)
Contact: Comox Valley Information Center Phone: 1-888-357-4471, email, website
Lodging:
Riding Fool Hostel - Owner Jeremy is knowledgable of local trails and very friendly. Accomodations were affordable and very nice as was our overall stay. We can't recommend enough! Bunks for singles and private rooms for couples available.
2705 Dunsmuir, Cumberland, BC, V0R 1S0
Phone: 1-888-313-FOOL, Fax: (250) 336-8253, website
Bike Repair:
Dodge City Cycles - These guys know their chain ring from their head tube.
Dodge City Cycles 2705 Dunsmuir Ave Cumberland, BC 250-336-2200 website
Mountain biking in, on and around Vancouver Island, British Columbia
by Dana Farnsworth - Outdoor Travels
Moab, Utah, Slaty Fork, West Virginia and British Columbia in Canada. What do these three places have in common? They are usually mentioned when talk turns to mountain biking “must ride” destinations. There are other great places to ride, but few offer the shear number of ride possibilities and thrills that these three do. While Moab and Slaty Fork are specific towns, British Columbia offers many more choices in a Canadian province that seems to be designed purposefully as one big outdoor activity center.
Central on Vancouver Island, British Columbia is the tiny town of Cumberland. The pace is slow, the population young and hip and the riding is, as they say in Cumberland, “wicked”. The biking folk in the great northwest are a different breed than the cross-country riding enthusiasts that I‘m used to being around. The BC hammerheads are, well, just plain nuts. They fly around on big 50-pound bulletproof bikes descending summertime ski slopes at dizzying speeds. When that’s over, they huck through primeval bright green forests while leaping over all sorts of jumps, defying common sense riding over man-made bridges and planks that at times resemble contraptions that Wiley Coyote himself must have constructed. Then they return home and ride wheelies down Main Street. In my case, I watched in amazement as the owner of Dodge City Cycles, Matt, test rode my bike “one-legged” down the center of town with one full-casted leg sticking straight out to the side while he pedaled half strokes with his good leg. Right on.
I have never been that interested in the free-riding or downhill scene myself. I’ve always been more of a cross-country guy. I was skeptical of the guys clad in layers of pads and the big motorcycle-looking crash helmets. Consider me a changed man. After a ride on a particularly tough trail that featured a plank bridge that had been crushed by a rock and then rerouted by another set of planks up and over the rock, I was discussing with our host Jeremy, the immense sense of satisfaction one might have if they could muster the balls to actually clean it. Jeremy replied, “I get air there”. Imagine that. I can’t. I have a newfound respect and, I should add, idolization for Jeremy and his insane friends. I don’t plan to be jumping off eight-foot drops anytime soon, as I have no desire to break my knee in three places (like Matt), but I do plan to push my personal envelope a little.
My experience riding on and around Vancouver Island can be summed up with one event: One evening while relaxing in the Riding Fool Hostel enjoying a post-ride beer, I peered out of the window and watched in awe as a kid practiced stunts on his bike. Wheelies, endos, back spins, bunny hops – he repeatedly performed all effortlessly. I thought aloud, “I really need more practice” - then took another swig of Lucky Lager.
Note: Not all the trails in the Vancouver area require a giant set of cojones and a X-games attitude. In addition to sketchy trails that give most riders a chamois short full of poop, my wife Kelli and I found flower-lined rail trails, sweeping fast hard-pack as well as steep climbs and descents on non-obstructed single track that tested one’s level of fitness and not sanity. The choices are almost endless.
Hornby Island Overview
A unique Gulf Island, Hornby has a mix of diverse culture, scenic beauty and a relaxed atmosphere. Very few changes have taken place over time, with the efforts to uphold the Island's Trust policy "to preserve and protect."
Hornby Island boasts several sandy beaches. Many hours can be spent on the sandstone shores with the tide pools teeming with life and ancient rock formations revealing the island's geological history. In the off season the beaches offer solitude.
Hornby Island offers a variety of opportunities for the outdoors enthusiast. A myriad of trails are open throughout the island. Mount Geoffrey has some very well maintained trails with spectacular ocean vistas at various lookout points. Helliwell Park is a must see; the natural diversity ranges from dry desert bluffs laden with cacti to huge old growth firs protecting the forest floor, scattered with ferns, salal and mosses. Garry oaks, weather-beaten pines and gnarled arbutus trees grace the landscape.
Hornby's amenities are many and varied. The Co-op store provides residents and visitors with a wide variety of groceries, organic and natural food products, including local organic fruits and vegetables. A convenience type store is at Ford Cove, where you can often find fresh seafood and indulge in a Starbucks coffee. Saturday is movie night at the community hall and you can see a current movie for only $5! The island also boasts a library, medical clinic, bakery, local pub and a few restaurants.
Jeremy Says
Want a locals view point? Free riding guru Jeremy of the Riding Fool Hostel in Cumberland, BC is full of useful info. Here is his take on Hornby Island.
Hornby Island Trail System
The ultimate hippy hang out, this island is also a cross counrty rider's paradise. The best way to get there is to jump on your bike at Buckley Bay and take the ferry over to Denman Island - then cycle across Denman (approximately 10 km) and hop the ferry over to Hornby. Doing it this way is much cheaper and you don't have to wait in line with all the cars, you are guaranteed to get on the next ferry. Once on Hornby Island, pedal up the road for 5 minutes then turn right and climb up Mount Road to the trail head. The riding area is known as Mount Geoffrey Park and is riddled with excellent cross counry trail that will keep beginners and experts alike entertained. Typically, you'll climb to the top of Mount Geoffrey then come down and do it all over again on another trail. It's pretty hard to get seriously lost in the park as it is bordered either by road or ocean so just go ride and have fun!
