Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Salt Spring Island is the largest and most populated of the Southern Gulf Islands, lying between Vancouver Island and the mainland in the Salish Sea. Rolling farmland, forested hills and small harbours shape the landscape, and the island has long attracted artists, farmers and people seeking a slower life. Its name comes from the briny springs found on its north end.
Ganges is the main village, a cluster of galleries, cafes and shops around a busy harbour. On Saturdays from spring through fall, the Saturday Market in Centennial Park fills with local produce, cheeses, baked goods and crafts, and the self-guided Studio Tour leads to potters, painters and woodworkers in their workshops across the island. Sacred Mountain Lavender is among the farms that welcome visitors. Ruckle Provincial Park, near Fulford Harbour, combines a heritage farm with shoreline trails and camping, while the road up Mount Maxwell ends at a lookout with sweeping views over the islands. Vesuvius Bay has a small beach and sunset views, and Russell Island, reached by water taxi, is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. In late summer, the Fall Fair celebrates the island's agricultural roots.
Salt Spring suits food lovers, artists and travelers who enjoy country roads and village markets. Ferry reservations help on summer weekends.
WiserMap travel guideSalt Spring Island British Columbia Market and LavenderPlan a Salt Spring Island trip with the best places to visit, from Ganges and the Saturday Market to Ruckle Park, Mount Maxwell, lavender fields and ferries.Read the guide
The main village of Salt Spring Island, set around a sheltered harbour with galleries, cafes, bakeries, bookshops and a busy marina. Most island services are here. Park once and walk, since parking fills up on summer weekends, and stroll the boardwalk along the waterfront.
A small village at the south end of the island where the ferry from Swartz Bay near Victoria arrives. It has a general store, cafes, craft shops and a relaxed, old fashioned feel. Allow time to wander before or after your ferry, and look for herons along the harbour shore.
A long running outdoor market in Centennial Park in Ganges, held on Saturdays from spring to fall, where island farmers, bakers and makers sell produce, cheese, pottery, jewellery and crafts. Everything sold is made, baked or grown locally. Arrive early for the best choice.
A self guided route to dozens of artist studios around the island, marked with signs and a free map, including potters, painters, weavers, glass artists and woodworkers. Many studios welcome visitors daily in summer. Pick up the map in Ganges and plan a loop by car or bike.
A small bay on the west side of the island, home to the ferry to Crofton on Vancouver Island and a short sandy beach known for some of the warmest swimming water in the area. The pub by the dock is a classic place to watch the sunset over Stuart Channel after a swim.
A family run lavender farm near Fulford Harbour with fields that bloom purple in early summer, a farm shop and products made from the flowers grown on site. It is a pleasant short stop on a drive around the south of the island. Visit in late June or July for the best blooms.
A working goat and sheep dairy on Reynolds Road where visitors can watch cheesemaking through windows, meet the goats and taste and buy fresh chevre and aged cheeses. It is a popular stop for families. Bring a cooler bag if you plan to take cheese home on the ferry.
A large coastal park on the island's southeast shore, with rocky headlands, forest trails, a walk in campground and the historic Ruckle family farm, still worked today. Look for seals, otters and orcas offshore. Come for a picnic on the point and a walk along the shoreline trail.
A small island at the mouth of Fulford Harbour, part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, with meadows, an old orchard, beaches and the restored homestead of a Hawaiian family who settled here. A seasonal water taxi runs from Fulford. Check summer schedules before you go.
A park on Baynes Peak, at about 590 metres one of the highest points on the island, with a cliff top lookout over Fulford Valley, Burgoyne Bay and the southern Gulf Islands. The last part of the road is gravel and rough, so drive slowly and keep children away from the cliff edge.
A small stone church built in the 1880s by early settlers, including Hawaiian and Indigenous families, overlooking Fulford Harbour, with a little pioneer cemetery beside it. It is one of the oldest churches in the region. View it respectfully from the grounds when no service is on.
A traditional agricultural fair held each September at the Farmers' Institute grounds, with sheep and livestock shows, vegetable and baking contests, music and children's games. It is one of the island's favourite community days. Plan ahead, as ferries and parking get very busy.
No reviews yet. Been to Salt Spring Island? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Salt Spring Island? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Brunosaltspring, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Kam Abbott from Nanaimo, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Bruno Gonzalez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Kostian, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Bruno Gonzalez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Tawker assumed (based on copyright claims)., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5
Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Realc, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Realc, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: AB87, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Ymblanter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ymblanter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: stevevoght, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: lienyuan lee, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Trevor MacInnis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Illustratedjc, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: John Newcomb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: GoToVan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: GoToVan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: GoToVan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: GoToVan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Anothercountry, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Ввласенко, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jebulon, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Ingo Mehling, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: User:Nopukkatukka, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Flata, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Michal Klajban, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Natulive Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Natulive Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Natulive Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: J-A Béland, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Kiwibirdman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Kiwibirdman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Kiwibirdman, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: David Jackmanson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Notorious4life (talk) (Uploads), Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Fenerty, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Tdorante10, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Tdorante10, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Murray Hassard, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
