Bowen Island Camping
Sardinia CampingBøven Island
Situated in the heart of Howe Sound, a fiord that was formed some 12,000 years ago when the recent glacial era was in decline. It was used by First Nations (Squamish) for camping and fishing. Until 1791 the island was called Isla de Apodaca by Spaniards, in 1860 it was changed to Bowen by a British Royal Navy commander, after rear admiral James Bowen.
During the early 1900s, the island's lifestyle was centred around a resorts run by the Union Steamship Terminal. Between the 1920s and 1960, the Union Steamship Company hosted dancing and brought partygoers to the island, which had the biggest ballroom in British Columbia. Every August Bowen Island hosts a two-day Steamship Days musical event and a series of unique activities.
One congregation in the Islands Trust, Bowen Island was founded in 1999. More than 3,400 people live on the island all year round, and in the summers the number of holiday home owners and tourists increases to almost 6,000. Bowen Island is about 6 km by 12 km (or 19.28 sq. miles) and is only 29 km western of downtown Vancouver in British Columbia.
Bowen Island can be reached by ferries and boats and is a favourite holiday resort. Though there are no hotel, Bowen has a dozen B&Bs and homes for hire. It is famous for its footpaths and cycle paths (especially those that take you to the 719-metre-high summit of Mt. Gardner), so you come here with your poles, glasses and cycling.
And although it is a nature lover's heaven, it is not allowed to stay the night, except on the beach of Apodaca, which can be reached by canal. Besides the beach and walking paths, the island has a vibrant culture scene that hosts galleries, theatrical performances and music all year round. It has hosted more than two dozen films and TV shows, such as Clan of the Cave Bear (1986), Look Who's Talking in 1989, The Russia House (1990), Double Jeopardy (1999), The Wicker Man (2006) and Harper's Island (2009).
The island has a wide range of extraordinary delicacies and presents, among them Cocoa West Truffle Boutiques, Movement's innovative lasting apparel, Nature Encounters' unparalleled imported items and many clothing and home furnishings in a variety of stores in the bay and Artisan Square. Each year, the Crippen Park, under the lofty cedar trees or along the magnificent Bowen Island coast, brings home valuable treasures to this area.