Easy hikes and walks in Mount Geoffrey Escarpment Provincial Park

The Deep Bay Community Trail passes through coastal forests with moss-covered ground. Be careful when crossing small creeks and crossing over the railroad tracks. After rain the ground becomes muddy and slick, and in some notoriously muddy areas there are some flat wooden boards laid over it. The boards that have been on the trail for a few years are moss-covered and can also become slick, so trekking poles are advised after rain.

Deep Bay Marine Field Station is an educational centre popular with school field trips. Sitting right on the water's edge, this centre has a touch pool, wet and dry labs, and two marine vessels. There are also 11 hectares of shellfish farms right off the coast.

Deep Bay Marina is home to a dock, a boat launch, and the Ship and Shore Restaurant & Marine Fuelling Station. Deep Bay got its name from its deep, steeply dropping coastal shores but was once named Hare Bay. The name was changed to avoid confusion with other Hare Bays.

Shingle Spit is a pebbly gravel-bar beach and Hornby Island’s main ferry landing for visitors. The spit is a year‑round wildlife haven, where you’ll likely see plenty of seals, sea lions, cormorants, and dozens of bald eagles during the herring spawn. Just steps from the ferry dock sits Thatch Pub and Restaurant, the island’s only full-service pub with a waterfront deck, making it the perfect lunch spot to enjoy some local fare and take in the scenery during a day of hiking in this beautiful area.

The Ford Cove to Shingle Spit Trail winds through forested terrain from Ford Cove to the ferry-landing area at Shingle Spit, following the coastline and staying mostly level, making it suitable for hiking or casual cycling. Along the way, you pass wooded hillsides, small bridges over gullies and streams, and near the halfway point, a seasonal waterfall. There are plenty of breathtaking views of the channel and surrounding islands, making this path the perfect mix of forest and coastal scenery.

Ford's Cove Marina is a small, sheltered harbour on Hornby Island’s southwest shore, beside a sandstone-and-gravel beach, popular for swimming, tide-pool exploring, and watching winter storms, sunsets, and passing wildlife such as sea lions, orcas, and seabirds. It’s a community hub and a gateway for boaters, with restrooms, picnic tables and a general store that also serves fish and chips, making it a perfect scenic lunch spot. The dock pilings are a nesting habitat for purple martins, so keep an eye out for them while you’re here.