The Bluffs Nature Protection area, named for the magnificent 300ft shoreline ‘bluffs’ located above Active Pass, comprises approximately 139 hectares (342 acres) of green space (forest, cliff and meadow ecosystems), with hiking trails throughout, bisected by Bluff Road. The Bluffs has been under the guardianship of the Galiano Club since it was created as community parkland in 1948 through a land donation by Mr. & Mrs. Max Enke and the financial contributions of a great many islanders.(Find the fuller story in The Bluffs Management Plan listed below.) A Declaration of Trust was agreed-to in 1951 with the most recent Management Plan approved in 2020.
Originally The Bluffs was created with two sections. One, the area surrounding the bluffs, was set aside for recreational use. The Viewpoint, a wide open area just above the actual bluffs is located here, looking on to Active Pass, over the nearby southern Gulf Islands and beyond to the high ridges of Vancouver Is. On a clear day the snow capped mountains of the Olympic Mountains of far away northern USA are visible. A three-side log structure with a corrugated metal roof was constructed there in 1954 by islander & skilled axe-man, Fritz Revelj, as a weather shelter. This building became a favourite stop for visitors with many leaving behind their initials carved into the wood walls. A winter windstorm in 2016 much damaged the structure’s roof and exposed seriously weakened walls. The decision was made to remove the roof and to lower the walls to the level now seen.
A second section, further inland, allowed for selective logging as a source of lumber for community building projects. The island’s 1st Fire Hall was constructed using lumber from The Bluffs. When the Galiano Light & Power Co, created in the late 1940s to bring electricity to the island’s South End, needed hydro poles, they came from The Bluffs. The island’s garbage dump, operated by the Galiano Club itself, existed here for several decades. In the 1960s serious proposals were put forward to establish a Golf Course, a cemetery, in this lower section. However, in 1988, increasing public awareness of the need to preserve forest lands, encouraged the Galiano Club to disallow future logging within any area of The Bluffs, to have all of the land rezoned as a Nature Protection Area.
Hikers/walkers, coming from Sturdies Bay (& the BC Ferry Terminal), can access The Bluffs via the Sturdies Bay Trail managed by the Galiano Island Parks & Recreation Commission(GIPRC). There are many short trails throughout The Bluffs, all under a mixed forest canopy, for the use of hikers/walkers only; several connect with the popular viewpoint area, a splendid site for a picnic, for photo-taking, for contemplation. Each of these hiking trails has been named and all are displayed on map signs conveniently located at most trail junctions.
Bluff Road bisects the area and is connected to the main island thoroughfare of Georgeson Bay Road, the access route for cyclists and for motorized vehicles. A bike rack, a small vehicle parking area, exist adjacent to The Viewpoint. For visitors with limited mobility the incredible viewpoint scenery is accessible to all vehicle passengers from this parking area. An Info Panel is located there, map included, which explains much about the human history of The Bluffs & also, its several ecosystems. Nearby is a stone monument erected in 1972 by the Galiano Club to commemorate the generosity of Max & Marion Enke.
The Bluffs contains many magnificent tree specimens of Douglas Fir, Arbutus, Western Red Cedar, Big-Leaf Maple, Hemlock. A significant grove of Garry Oak trees exists along the viewpoint’s rocky edge. Black-tailed deer are frequent browsers in the Park. Eagles, turkey vultures are regularly seen soaring the wind currents above the bluffs while Orcas, humpback whales commonly traverse Active Pass below. The historic Japanese Charcoal Pit Kiln (see Info article elsewhere), created in the early 1900s, is about a 7 minute walk from The Viewpoint. In addition to the kiln itself, there exists a commemorative plaque, a couple Info Panels explaining the charcoal making process.
Also within walking distance of The Bluffs is the adjacent CRD-managed Matthews Point Regional Park & its wide sandy beach.
Maps and Information
Bluffs Park’s Biodiversity
Visit this webpage for a community inventory of species known to Bluffs Park, which provides a snapshot of the diversity found across a spectrum of habitats, including oldgrowth Douglas-fir forests, wetlands, woodlands and associated rock outcrop communities.
In 2018 a 7 member committee was created by the Galiano Club Board to create a Management Plan for the Bluffs. After a year of meetings & consultations the following Draft Plan was presented to the Board & was accepted. The Draft Plan was subsequently offered @ the 2019 AGM where it was not. This Draft Plan continued to be studied & used by the Parks/Forest Committee during 2020 and was presented to the membership at the November 2020 AGM where it was passed by the membership.
