Accommodations Texada Island with Local Travel Information

Texada Island is situated between the south coast of Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland near Powell River. It can be reached via ferry from Powell River (via Comox) or from the Mainland. It is a "working island" where mining and logging coexist with tourism. As the largest of the Gulf Islands, located about 80 km (50 mi.) north of Vancouver and about 8 km (5 mi.) southwest of Powell River, it is 51.5 km (32 mi.) long and 9.5 km (6 mi.) wide.

Visitors to the island must provide their own transportation as there is no taxi service or public transportation on the island. Many of the accommodations will pick guests up at the ferry landing if they do not bring their vehicles.

The First Nations people, the Sliammon, used this island long before European settlement. Don Jose Navarez, a Spanish seaman, charted the island in 1791. In the early 1800s the British were involved in fur trading and whaling. In 1871 iron ore was discovered on the northwest coast of the island at Welcome Bay. In 1877 marble was discovered on the island and then, in 1880, gold and copper. Logging has been conducted in the area since the late 1800s. In 1898 the island boasted the only opera house north of San Francisco and the town of Van Anda was a boom town.

There are many beaches on Texada, varying from large rock to fine sand. While many of the old logging roads are no longer in use, there are many hiking trails and lakes to explore, most accessible by car. There are two population centres: Van Anda on the east side of the island and Gillies Bay on the west side. Most major amenities and services can be purchased on Texada.

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