Exploring Jedediah Island Marine Park
British Columbia, Canada
Jedediah Island Marine Park
Jedediah Island Marine Park was established in 1995 and is a diverse and
interes
ting 243 hectare island with stands of old growth Douglas Fir and arbutus
trees, flat meadows, rocky coves and sandy beaches. There are nesting birds in
abundance, seals and sea lions on nearby rocky outlets, plentiful marine life
and occasionally orcas passing through Sabine
Channel. There is great hiking,
fishing, beach exploring and wildlife viewing. There are also the remains of the
original farm, now designated as heritage buildings, to view and also some feral
farm animals that make Jedediah their home.
The 243 hectare Jedediah Island Park is located between Lasqueti and Texada Islands in the Sabine Channel of Georgia Strait. Part of Jedediah Island's charm is that it is not easy to reach. It's difficult to overstate how pleasant it is to stay at any of them. Jedediah's isolation and tranquility make it an excellent destination for kayaking and hiking. What sets Jedediah apart is its size (240 ha) one of the largest island parks in the province.
Home Bay is semi sheltered by Mothe
r Goose Island, which lies just offshore.
The Bays teem with shellfish: when the tide goes out, the exposed mudflats are
ripe for clam raking. Jedediah's north and south ends are rocky and hilly; most
visitors will be content to explore the trails that run through the middle
section of the island. An old road crosses the island, linking Long and Home
Bays. Unlike many of the nearby islands, Jedediah has never been subjected to
wholesale logging; much of the forest cover through which visitors walk is old
growth.
An
ageing, strawberry-coloured horse and a herd of feral sheep and goats graze in
the fields that surround a farmhouse standing above the shoreline at Home Bay.
The horse was brought to Jedediah in the 1980s and stayed on after the owners
sold out. (Unfortunately, William the horse passed away peacefully last year).
The weathered house
at Home Bay is boarded up now, as are all the outbuildings,
but there is still a definite feeling of a working homestead about the place. A
shed houses antique farm equipment beside an orchard of gnarled trees that
continue to blossom. The scene is an unusual one to find in a provincial park,
and reminiscent of Ruckle Provincial Park at the south end of Saltspring Island,
site of one of British Columbia's first family farms. Jedediah Island Provincial
Marine Park is located in the Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and
the mainland of British Columbia.
Jedediah Island is a beautiful uninhabited island that is now part of the B.C. Marine Parks system. We are a 25 mile sail from Nanaimo to Jedediah Island and should arrive in the early afternoon. Spend the r
est of the day on Jedediah
exploring, perhaps a bonfire at night before retiring to our bunks for the
night. The next day we can spend on the
island before sailing back to Nanaimo.
Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park, located between Texada and Lasqueti Islands in the Strait of Georgia, is 25 n.m. from Nanaimo. An overnight visit to Jedediah can usually be made on a trip up to Princess Louisa Inlet, Desolation Sound or to the Sunshine Coast.
click to enlarge