Just Another Mountain

What’s better than kayaking to a small secluded island in the middle of Indian Arm? Setting up camp and spending the night there! If you’re looking for something a little bit different from your average camping weekend, look no further than Twin Islands.

As the name suggests, Twin Islands is composed of two islands; North (Big) Twin Island where there are several tent sites to choose from along with a fair bit of space to pitch a tent if the sites are full, and South Island which is for day-use only. During low tide, it is possible to walk between the two islands. At high tide, the path is completely submerged. We actually spent most of our day sitting in this small sandy spot in between that was populated with hundreds of tiny crabs scurrying around and colourful starfish planted in between the larger rocks. 

The islands are approximately 5.5km from Deep Cove, so you could easily stop by the islands for some lunch before heading back to the mainland if you didn’t want to camp. Because this was a very last-minute plan for us, we kayaked from Cates Park which is approximately 2.5km from Deep Cove. Rentals are $20 cheaper from Cates Park so it’s a good alternative if Deep Cove is too busy. It took us 2 hours to paddle there, but only took us an hour to get back, making it a great beginner-friendly excursion!

Following the left side of the coastline, we passed Deep Cove, Jug Island, and crossed the water at Raccoon Island to continue on and pull up on the right hand side of North Twin Island where there is a small wooden dock. We arrived around 12:00 PM and got the last 2 sites. There are some platforms overlooking the water as you keep walking to the North of the island that would have been incredible to snag, but the main campsite was gorgeous as it was surrounded by insanely tall trees and it felt both rustic and magical because of it.

There are 2 pit toilets, but no potable water. At the far end of the island, about a 4 minute walk from the dock, there is a small lighthouse and a spacious area where we cooked our dinner and watched the sun set behind the mountains. There were some people jumping off the rocks into the water from here too. Orcas were spotted swimming north up the Indian Arm that we unfortunately missed, but this would be the ideal spot to see them!

Although we missed the orcas, we saw lots of seals and a black bear across the water who was picking berries in the trees without a care in the world. It was amazing to watch him stand up and grab at the branches to get as many berries as he could. I also saw an eagle on Sunday morning flying just above the water while I was in my kayak. Along with the starfish and crabs, we also witnessed clams shooting water out from beneath the sand which was very entertaining.

The main campsite is very open, but other campers were all friendly and respectful of the quiet hours between 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM. The family next to us whipped out a didgeridoo when it got dark which certainly enhanced the island magic we were feeling. There were also some kids crab fishing on the dock the next morning. So whether you enjoy fishing, animal-watching, rock-jumping, or just relaxing amongst the trees – there is something for everyone on this little island!

(another tip: get the bus from downtown Vancouver to avoid paying for overnight parking to make it a very affordable weekend. Camping is free so you just need to pay for the kayak rentals!)

(bonus tip: the kayaks had a lot more storage than I thought. I had to take my sleeping bag out of my 55L backpack to get it to fit in, but two smaller backpacks easily fit in the back, with two smaller areas at the front.)