Salt Spring Island – Pacific Wonderland!
Salt Spring Island is the largest of BC’s Southern Gulf Islands off the west coast of Canada. It’s located between Vancouver Island and the Mainland (city of Vancouver), just North of the US border. A rugged and whimsical paradise surrounded by Pacific Ocean.
Zoom out on the map above to see Salt Spring’s proximity to the major nearby centers (Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, and the US state of Washington)
The Villages
There are three official villages on Salt Spring. Fulford in the south, Ganges about mid-island, and Vesuvius toward the north on the west side. Each community is unique and worth a visit during your time on the island.
Climate
The Gulf Islands are the only place in Canada with a Mediterranean climate. This unique ecology, made possible by what is referred to as a ‘rain shadow’, means Salt Spring Island is blessed with more sun and less rain than surrounding areas. Salt Spring, and the other Southern Gulf Islands, are known to some as the Banana Belt of Canada (or the ‘Hawaii of Canada’). Because of the very un-Canadian climate, several exotic plants (i.e., kiwi vines, banana plants, palm trees, bamboo, eucalyptus, etc) grow outdoors year round in this area.