The gateway to THE GREAT WHITE NORTH or CANADA as you may know it as! I've crossed through many…read moretimes on my way to Vancouver BC to cause mayhem and enjoy life..... Old glory on top of The Peace Arch signifies FRANK has arrived to the boarder. Part 2 of my journey is about to begin as I slowly grind my way to customs for a routine grilling and then the immortal words uttered with no smile from the person in the booth " WELCOME TO CANADA "! Enjoy the view and safe travels!

Crossing the border here was a really fun way to mark my son's first ever visit to Canada! It's a…read morebeautiful park with lots of interesting info signs, walking paths, and gorgeous ocean views. We took a nice spring break road trip up from Seattle to Vancouver and plotted our border crossing here - it's a lovely route with lots to see and do and this was an excellent spot to stretch our legs. The dramatic 67-foot tall, brilliant white arch spans across the border into both countries and shines like a beacon against the grasses and ocean. It's beautiful and we had fun making a fuss of my son walking over for the first time haha! The most astounding thing was finding a neighborhood that seemed to be right on the border line haha! We had to google if they're considered Canadian or American lol!! Turns out they're technically on the Canada side - but was an interesting rabbit hole to explore. Customs/immigration sits just beyond the arch and is well marked. The short lines moved fast but this was a weekday - based on my reading it can have some very long wait times so we got lucky. The park has lots of paved parking, shelters and seats, but I didn't see any bathrooms anywhere. You can access the park from either country and its entrances are well marked.

First time visiting this park and we saw lots of wildlife here…read more I like how the info board at the entrance of the park tells you where everything is and the estimated time it will take to complete each trail, and the distance of the trail and if it's flat or steep elevation. Very useful and helpful to decide which trail to go. We decided to do the Mini River Loop trail which is 2.3 km and will take about an hour to complete. However from the south entrance, we need to take the South Valley trail which is steep downhill to the valley where it will meet the Mini River Loop trail. Fortunately the steepness is not so bad and you can walk on the side which is grass if you are like me, afraid of slipping on the loose gravels in the middle. Just watch out for wildlife. We saw a skinny snake on the south valley trail. I was too stunned and by the time I wanted to take a picture, the snake has slithered across to the grass area. I managed to take a pic of it entering the forest. Only 2 steep parts of the south valley trail and then it was flat before meeting the Mini River Loop trail. That is a very nice walk with benches scattered around. On that trail, we saw chipmunk and squirrel and some tiny birds hopping on the ground. You can also hear the birds chirping and animals rustling among the leaves and bushes in the forest. We also saw people walking and running with their dogs, having picnics. A very nice place to be with nature and do some forest bathing. There is a pond near the parking lot and we heard the bullfrogs and saw ducks there. Definitely recommended for a simple commune with nature.

First time walking through this park. Lots of great trails and you can spend hours hiking…read more You'll see lots of families and dogs walking. For the most part it's pretty clean and a well maintained trail. Lots of signs and maps so you don't have to worry about getting lost. Cell phone service varies depending on how deep the tree canopy is so be aware. There are washrooms along the trail near the garden park. Definitely will come back for this little slice of heaven in my back yard.

Ok so I wanted to go for a little forest hike but I also didn't want to get eaten by a cougar or a…read morebear. This is the perfect place for a safe hike in the forest. You truly feel safe with paths with signs. Lots of people hiking, walking, jogging here, some with their dogs too. There is a small parking lot to leave the car and your belongings before heading into the trails. There are no bathrooms here. But bonus, there is a fully accessible pathway for those who have limited mobility to enjoy the forest also! What a cool inclusive feature that I wish was in more nature zones. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that the forest is very close to the roads, lot of traffic noise and there was even a concert playing nearby when I went that day which really was cool music but ruined the vibe of my forest walk. I wanted to hear nature sounds and trees but instead I got rock music lol. I would visit this place again and hope next time no concert is being played!

Amazing, beautiful oasis of woodland and tranquility all year round. Takes about 45 mins to do the…read moremain trail, with shorter trails too, all well marked.

Great staff Great services and location…read more We did the whale watching tour with Andrew and we did indeed find whales , porpoises , seals and seal lions . For 150.00 per person and a 5-6 hr day it is well worth the investment. A lot of fun , remember to bring snacks and water for the trip . Throughly enjoyed our day on the water .

We had a great experience renting kayaks from Salt Spring. The staff were super friendly and…read morehelpful, and gave us good information about our routes (we rented on 2 different days). We especially liked the fiberglass kayaks which were so swift and easy to paddle. Such a beautiful place to kayak!

Had a fun time in Deep Cove. Due to high tourist season, it is best to go online to register and…read morereserve your kayaks. It will save you a lot of time when you pick up your kayak. Prices are pretty reasonable and we chose the two hour option due to our limited time during the sunset period. The staff were busy but friendly and assisted us with our kayaks. They will brief you about the kayaks, safety and where to go. Now, I would select a longer time to truly appreciate Deep Cove's natural beauty when you aren't dodging other kayaks or boats. The traffic can be somewhat chaotic in the summer time and it is main area for a lot of boaters heading out of the cove. We kayak around three islands within our two hour option, but didn't relax as much as we want. Again, the salt water, slight wind, and being in the 80's made it a wonderful but brief time.

Great place to kayak, incredible views, definitely worth a visit…read more Equipment and gear were great and in great shape. Our guides were knowledgeable and got us in and out of our kayak without us getting our feet wet. I didn't give five stars for two reasons. First, the two guides seemed a bit lax, they mostly paddled with us instead of taking lead and sweep positions, despite the fact that two out of the six of us had never kayaked before. They did look back periodically to check on everyone, but it was still strange compared to other kayak tours I've been on. Second, they didn't take pictures of us, other tours I've been on do it as a matter of course and email or post pictures to everyone. Still, this was a very worthwhile experience, and everyone enjoyed the views, the seals we saw in the water, etc., and no one had trouble keeping up despite the wind and the range of both ages and kayaking experience.

Wow love this place. I came here with 2 other friends for River Rafting. We had a great time. The…read morewater level was somewhat low. So our guide had to get out of the raft couple of times to push the raft out of rocks. in between the River Rafting adventure, we also got out of our raft to do a short hike to the water fall. We also got our pictures taken there as well. Each raft could only hold a maximum of 6 people + the guide. Lunch was included in our adventure. It costed $125 to go River Rafting but it included the wetsuit, lunch and other gears. Also they posted pictures of our River Rafting session on Facebook for us to download. We also had the option to pay $30 for a USB with all photos loaded on it. Overall, I had a great time and will definitely come back. I am thinking of next time doing Kayaking. Also for River Rafting its better to go in June (I was told).

Came back again with some friends. This time, we did the Canyon one which was great. I've done it…read morebefore a few years ago so I kind of knew what to expect. My friends haven't done the Canyon one so it was new to them. They loved it as it was even more challenging and had more dips and rapids. I sat in the front of the raft with another friend, Lee. We got hammered by the big splash of water whenever our raft would dip down over the rocks and rapids. Our guide this time was Sam, he was great and funny. My friends can be a little 'excited' so I'm glad he was able to play along with their antics. The weather was insane yesterday. It was sunny when we drove there from Vancouver however by the time we got changed and started to take the bus to the starting point, it was snowing. Yes, that's right. It was snowing. When we got into the raft and while Sam was explaining the commands, it turned to hail and then rain. The first part of rafting, it was raining. By the time we finished, it was sunny so we had 4 seasons of weather. It made for an even better experience. There were only 2 rafts this time. Last time I went, there was 8 rafts. With only 2 rafts, it was better and more personable as we are able to joke around a bit more. They have a small sauna shack so when we got back, we basically went there to warm up. Again, I recommend coming here for rafting.

Had a great time with Ryan as our guide paddling in Penn Cove. We saw eagles, seals, guillemots,…read moresurf scoters. We even learned about mussel farming. The sunny weather was an added bonus!

After a safety talk and a lesson on form, we set out on a leisurely kayak tour of Penn Cove with…read moreour enthusiastic guide, Sue, who gave us a lot of information about the wildlife we saw and graciously answered all our questions. Throughout our trip we saw: egg yolk jellyfish, sea stars, crabs, harbor seals, blue heron, and a mussel farm. As an avid kayaker, it was nice to paddle unhurriedly and enjoy the scenery. Moreover, the tandem kayaks were easy to use. A big thanks to Sue and "the other guy" who took care of us from beginning to end.

Did a two day trip. The guide was fantastic. with knowledge of plants, animals, geology and…read moreislands in the area. And the food was excellent, thoughtfully prepared and sensitive to peoples food allergies. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend. Also of note is that the equipment was good quality and well maintained, with the kayaks being stable and relatively easy to steer with an added rudder.

Evan and Jethro led our nighttime bioluminescent tour. What an awe-inspiring experience! Not only…read moredid Mother Nature provide a spectacular show, Evan and Jethtro were informative, kind, and patient. They did a great job explaining what we were seeing and keeping everyone safe. The provided jacket, pants, splash skirt, and life jacket kept us warm and dry. The tour runs efficiently and the length of time is perfect for experiencing the water light show, yet not so long that you are exhausted from paddling. I highly recommend this experience!