A Weekend on Pender Island, BC
- Alyssa Russell
- Oct 10, 2025
- 4 min read
Pender Island is the collective name for two Southern Gulf Islands located in the Salish Sea. Consisting of North Pender & South Pender Island and have a combined proximity of 34KMS. There is a ton of beaches, several lakes and small mountains. If you would like to know what to do here and where to go, keep on reading.
To get on to Pender Island you will start from Swartz Bay near Victoria. It's about a 40 minute ferry ride to Otter Bay. We took our vehicle over and I believe you cannot reserve this ferry. Here is where you can find more information on times and conditions. Your cost of ferry is also including the way back.
My friend Allyssa had scored a campsite at Prior Centennial Campground and the next night at Shingle Bay. The first thing we did once we got here was go to our campground and set some things up so we had a nice spot. Then we hiked to Mount Norman which was the longest hike of this weekend. It's not super long and has 204M of elevation and we got beautiful views of the other islands nearby and the Olympic Mountain range.
This island has an abundance of deer as there is no natural predators to eat them. Beware at night and make sure to drive slow around corners lol.
We drove around and saw Poets Cove, I have been here when I was young and on a boat. We swam at the pool once and it's super nice at the restaurant. We checked out this little viewpoint nearby called Arbutus Point Lookout. Then to finish the day off we checked out Brooks Point Regional Park. We went back to our campground had a lovely charcuterie dinner and had a real fire as the fire bans had lifted finally!
The next morning after a good nights sleep in Allyssa's car we checked out this cute cafe called Coffee Kitchen. They had the best lattes. After our little breakfast we hiked up to George Hill, it was a 2K roundtrip hike with 123M of elevation. It had beautiful views of the Gulf Islands as well as plenty of ferries going by making it very scenic. I wanted to check out Magic Lake so I could go for a swim. It was not too cold and someone was actually fishing there! Where we went it's called Swimming Hole Park, there is a dock where you can jump off from.
Running into to more deer we hiked up to Oak Bluffs. This was probably the best view as it was the most open looking outwards.
We decided to check out the Sea Star Vineyard & Winery, this is a beautiful area. They make a ton of wine here and I got a flight of all of their different white wines. We had spent quite awhile here and the sun came out which was lovely. Afterwards we went to check out the Port Browning Pub. There is also camping here but it's a random field. There's a swimming pool however and the beach is right there. So it' probably a nice little spot during summer.
After some chicken wings and a cold beer we made it to the parking lot of where our next campground was. It's about a 3 minute hike down this hill. So we had to pack all of our stuff down to our camping spot. Which was a mish not going to lie. I wasn't prepared to pack light or had a backpack. I even packed our cooler down here. However the campground is quite nice as it's right on Shingle Bay beach. We had some beverages and danced on the beach until we came back to campsite and almost witnessed someone's camp go into flames. Thankfully they got it out and nothing was damaged. We talked for a while and went to bed.
I got a pretty good sleep and bonus it didn't rain. The first thing we did was check out Vanilla Leaf Cafe. They had all sorts of baked goods. The coffee as OK, I felt the other place was way better for that. Before we left this Island we checked out the Mortimer Spit. I'm really glad we checked this place out, it was super cool to drive right on it. The signs were hilarious as they said ROUGH ROAD. It wasn't that bad, just go slow.
Got into the ferry line up and made our way back, it was cool to check off yet another Gulf Island. Slowly but surely I will go to them all. I hope this inspired you to check it out. We really are so lucky to be able to Island Hop. Even if it's just a day trip - it's worth while.
I hope you all had a great summer and I'll be writing again soon. Cheers
ALYSSA
BREAK DOWN OF COSTS:
FERRY: $60 (WITH EXPERIENCE CARD)
FOOD: $80
RESTAURANTS & CAFES: $100+
GAS: $80
OTHER: $50
CAMPGROUNDS: $40
TOTAL: $410+
This post really hit home for me, especially the part about integrating a "weekend pender" workflow. It's something I feel is seriously overlooked in many discussions about productivity and work-life balance. I remember when I first started consciously trying to create that distinct separation, it felt awkward, but looking back, my most significant leaps in personal and professional growth actually stemmed from consistently committing to that weekend reset. It wasn't just about resting; it was about a mental recalibration https://www.afr.com/ You also touched on aspects of this concept that I haven't encountered elsewhere. It’s refreshing to see such a nuanced perspective. I'm particularly struck by how you framed the benefits of this intentional downtime. Honestly, your breakdown is so spot-on…
Reading about your weekend on Pender Island was genuinely insightful, and I'm definitely adding this to my permanent weekend reading list. You absolutely nailed the essence of what makes Pender so special. It’s refreshing to find such quality content that resonates so deeply. Reflecting on my own past visits, I actually took a slightly different approach to exploring the island, but it’s fascinating how we both arrived at similar conclusions about its charm https://www.lifeline.org.au/ The personalization aspect you highlighted, how each experience can be so unique yet universally appreciated, is where its real magic lies. It makes me wonder what specifically inspired you to focus on Pender for this particular piece. I’ve always found that places like these offer a…
This post about Pender Island really resonated with me, bringing back memories of my own explorations of smaller, more secluded places. It's fascinating how a place like Pender can offer such a distinct experience compared to busier destinations. Thinking about your journey, I wonder how much our own past travels shape how we perceive and appreciate a new location like Pender. For instance, after a particularly hectic trip a few years ago, I found myself craving quiet islands, and would have been perfect https://payid.com.au/ Furthermore, it would be interesting to delve into the less common scenarios, the "edge cases" of visiting Pender. What happens if you go during an unexpected weather event, or if you're the only one there? This…
This is precisely the kind of content I wish I had saved earlier; it’s so helpful to have these insights compiled. It's incredibly refreshing to see the concept of "weekend pender" explained so clearly and accessibly, as it's something many people experience without really defining it. I've found myself recently rethinking my own approach to these kinds of getaways, and this post really resonates https://www.lifeline.org.au/ Equally important, I wonder if it would be valuable to see this "weekend pender" phenomenon broken down further by different demographics; I imagine the motivations and experiences might vary quite a bit. From another angle, how would you explain the core idea of "weekend pender" to someone who has absolutely no background in travel planning…
Lombok travel patterns around Mount Rinjani National Park often emphasize summit trekking, yet entry point selection such as Senaru or Sembalun seems to influence pacing more than expected. Elevation gain distribution might affect overall endurance differently. Some route breakdowns outline this contrast, though the reasoning behind those choices is not fully clarified.