As you explore from island to island, you'll find dozens of small beaches along the convoluted shorelines. While all shoreline is public land in British Columbia, not all of it is easily reached, nor does much of it provide a pleasant place to relax while watching the ebb and flow of the tides. Here's a sampling of some of the best and most readily accessible places in the southern Gulf Islands.

One of the prettiest beaches on all the islands is at Salt Spring Island's Ruckle Provincial Park. A trail leads down to the secluded beach from the nearby campground. It's easy to imagine generations of island families making their way here on hot summer days when the Ruckle farm was in full swing. A tall forest surmounts the beach, much of it sturdy first-growth Douglas fir, but there are also a number of hardwood species planted by the Ruckles that are a delight come fall. This beach is a wonderful refuge from the outside world, a place to find a sturdy piece of driftwood for a backrest and relax.

Drummond Park at the head of nearby Fulford Harbour has a more exposed pebble beach to explore. Look for the ancient pictograph image carved in the face of one of the larger boulders on the beach. Although the wooded setting at Weston Lake, about 2 miles (3 km) north of Fulford Harbour, is less picturesque than by the ocean, there is a sandy beach here where you can enjoy a freshwater swim.

One of the best beaches on the Pender Islands is at Mortimer Spit, close to the canal between the two islands. A snout of sand where you'll find plenty of room and few visitors to share the beach with juts out into Navy Channel. A more popular spot is just north at Hamilton Beach at Port Browning. You'll find a more festive atmosphere here in summer with a pub, marina, cafe, and picnic tables beside the beach. On the far shore, visible from Hamilton, is a sandy strip of beach at Razor Point. Take Bedwell Bay Road south from the ferry dock at Otter Bay to reach Hamilton Beach. Follow Razor Point Road east of Port Browning to find the small beach on the point.

If you take the time to travel to the very end of South Pender Island, you'll find the small beach park at Gowlland Point Park, the prettiest of all the beaches on the two Penders. A pebble beach slopes down to an indented shoreline. During winter storms, which pound this exposed coast with regularity, the ocean moves the cobblestones around with percussive effect. From the beach, you look due south into the San Juan Islands, west across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Hurricane Ridge on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula and east to Saturna Island's Monarch Head, with Mount Baker rising above the mainland. To reach the park from the ferry dock, follow Bedwell Bay, Canal, Spalding, and finally Gowlland Point Road to its southern terminus. If you want solitude, this is where to find it.

Much of the beach at Miners Bay on Mayne Island is composed of a gently sloping shelf of smooth rock. At low tide much of this table rock is revealed and makes for interesting exploration. Miners Bay is the commercial hub of Mayne Island and is anchored by the historic Springwater Lodge. Make your way from the ferry dock along Village Bay Road, an easy walk or bike ride. A beautiful sand-and-pebble beach is located on Mayne Island's east side at Campbell Bay. The trail leading down to the beach is not well marked but isn't difficult to locate. Follow Georgina Point Road east of Miners Bay to its junction with Waugh Road. Head south on Waugh, and as the road rounds Campbell Bay, watch for a shady trail that runs down the embankment to the ocean below. An overhanging forest shades the beach, providing a cool place to relax out of the sun. Big pieces of driftwood sit mired in the sand, ready to prop you up to enjoy the view as you look due east across the strait towards Vancouver.

Even though there are no public campgrounds on some islands, there are attractive parks especially for picnickers, located where you can take best advantage of the seaside environment. Whether you're on the island just for the day or have made arrangements for private overnight accommodation, you'll want to head for these places to complement your visit.

Every island is invested with magic. Those who visit Hornby Island have really bought into the dream, as it takes two ferries to reach. Once there, head for the picnic grounds at Tribune Bay or Helliwell Provincial Park. The latter sits on a headland forested with a beautiful stand of old-growth Douglas fir. If you arrive here in spring you'll be treated to a dazzling wildflower display. The rewards of visiting later in summer are the huckleberries and dark blue salal berries that cloak the hillside above the beach. Tribune Bay boasts eroded hoodoo formations and a sandy beach that vies with any in the Gulf Islands as the most ideal place to frolic and swim.

You'll get to tour Quadra Island on the way to your picnic in Rebecca Spit Provincial Marine Park. The park lies on the east side of the island at sheltered Drew Harbour, almost 6 miles (9 km) from the ferry landing. There are more picnic tables here than on any other island, and a prettier sandy beach than almost anywhere else on Quadra. Anglers launch from the ramp here, and it's a good place to pick up word on the health of fish stocks.

Cortes Island is blessed with both a provincial campground at Smelt Bay and a sublime picnic and fishing location at Mansons Landing Provincial Marine Park. If they aren't biting in the saltchuk ('chuk' is a Native word for water) just turn your attention to the fish in Hague Lake, a freshwater lake located within the park, a rarity in the provincial marine park system. A wide, sandy beach beckons to those who just wish to spread a blanket beside a driftwood backrest and dig into the cooler.

For those who journey the length of Lasqueti Island, there's picnicking and swimming at Squitty Bay Provincial Marine Park, 9 miles (15 km) south of the ferry dock at False Bay. You'll be ready to drink from the freshwater pump by the time you arrive here. Picnic tables are arrayed among the spray-shaped forest of Douglas fir and strawberry arbutus (madrona). This idyllic location overlooks two narrow coves where the water is clear, green, and warm in summer months. A portion of the park is fenced off to protect it from the feral sheep that graze all over the island. Years ago, a small meadow was cleared above the beach at Squitty Bay, where there are still signs of a old orchard.

Without doubt, the best beaches in the entire inland sea are found on Savary Island offshore from Lund on the Sunshine Coast. Unfortunately, few visitors travelling without a boat will get the opportunity to stroll them. Savary is not serviced by public ferry so transportation is limited to water taxi or airplane. If you do have a boat, kayak, or canoe, the First or Second Beaches on the island's north side are the easiest to reach. It's debatable which side of the snout-shaped island has the best beaches - when you're in heaven, it doesn't matter which side of the street you walk on.