Bellhouse Park | BC Parks

Highlights in this park

This small day-use park on scenic Galiano Island in the southern Gulf Islands is a lovely spot for a picnic. Located on Burrill Point, this park offers excellent views of busy Active Pass, Mayne Island and the Strait of Georgia and is a great vantage point from which to observe the ferries passing between the Gulf Islands.

A short trail through Garry oak meadows leads from the parking lot to the rocky shoreline, where visitors can try their hand at fishing for salmon and cod in the swift currents of Active Pass, explore the unique rock formations or simply observe marine mammals playing offshore. Bellhouse Park is only a short walk north from the ferry dock at Sturdies Bay on Galiano Island, and the route is well marked.

Know before you go

Advisories

Special notes

This park contains environmentally sensitive features. Please keep off moss-covered rocks and remain on identified trails.

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Maps and location

Getting there

Bellhouse Park is located 1 km west of Sturdies Bay on Galiano Island in the southern Gulf Islands. Galiano Island can be reached via BC Ferry service from Swartz Bay north of Victoria (approximately 1 hour). Once on Galiano head north on Sturdies Bay Road, turn left Burrill Road, then left again on Jack Road until you reach the park.

Nearby communities include Galiano Island, Saltspring Island, Mayne Island, Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, Vancouver.

Things to do

Hiking

A short moderately easy trail winds through the park and along the shoreline, offering views of Active Pass. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes to see the park.

Canoeing

The park is accessible by canoe or kayak via Active Pass. The rocky shoreline makes pulling out of the water difficult.

Fishing

Salt water fishing in the swift currents of Active Pass can be done from the shores of Bellhouse Park. Fishing is permitted as per provincial and federal regulations. All anglers should check the current regulations issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to fishing.

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Pets on leash

Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement.

Facilities

Accessibility information

Accessibility information is available for this park.

Picnic areas

This park has a day-use and picnic area with picnic tables and benches, pit toilets and a walking trail. The pit toilets are located approximately two minutes down the trail. Picnic tables can be found approximately five minutes down the trail along the shoreline in the day-use area.

Pit or flush toilets

Pit toilets are located approximately two minutes down the trail from the day-use area.

About this park

History

Bellhouse Park was named after Leonard Thorneycroft Bellhouse, whose family had owned the property since 1907. Located at Burrill Point on Galiano Island, the land was previously used by guests of Bellhouse’s “Farmhouse Inn” and represents an important part of the island’s farming history.

General Wildlife, Marine & Outdoor Ethics Information

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.

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