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The Driftwood Centre (4605
Bedwell Harbour Rd.) is
the main shopping centre
on Pender Island and includes:
a full service food store,
bakery, gas station / auto
repair garage, HSBC bank,
post office, liquor store,
pharmacy, book / gift store,
insurance outlet, restaurant,
hair salon and laundromat.
On summer and fall Saturdays,
a Farmers' Market is held
at the Driftwood Mall and
Community Hall.
There are so many fun activities
on the island. With three
marinas (Port Browning,
Otter Bay & Bedwell
Harbour), you have many
boating adventures to choose
from. Whether you’re
hiking the trails, kayaking,
playing the nine-hole golf
course or visiting the local
galleries and artisan’s
studios, you’ll enjoy
your stay in nature’s
paradise.
North and South Pender Island
are nestled between Vancouver
Island and British Columbia’s
Sunshine Coast, below the
49th parallel and very close
to the U.S./Canada border.
Both North and South Pender
are very rural with small
farms and wooded acreages.
A small bridge connects
the two islands, providing
easy access by car or bike.
There are kilometers and
kilometers (or miles and
miles) of magnificent shoreline
and beaches, flowery meadows,
acres of forest and sunsets
that will leave you breathless.
Birds and mammals abound:
eagles, herons, vultures
and hawks, deer, otters
and seals and to the delight
of all, pods of orcas (killer
whales) swim near their
shores.
For all the information
you need about restaurants,
recreation, shopping and
more, visit The
Pender Island Chamber of
Commerce
For events, tours and more
activities, visit Pender
Island Travel
& Tourism
For the ultimate guide to
Pender Island, all you need
to know at Pender
Island info
View
Google Map of Pender Island
Detailed
Map of Pender Island
(download
a printable PDF map from
this website)
The Southern Gulf Islands
have more sunshine and less
rain than Vancouver, with
a soft, amiable climate
year-round. For up to date
weather information visit
Environment
Canada. The mild climate
and pristine wilderness
make North and South Pender
Islands perfect for family
holidays, romantic retreats,
golfing, hiking, biking,
kayaking and nature watching.
The
Gulf Islands Online
is the perfect site to learn
about all the gulf islands:
Gabriola, Galiano, Mayne,
Salt Spring, Saturna and
of course Pender. Beaumont
Provincial Marine Park,
nestled below the bluffs
of Mt Norman, is one of
the most popular marine
parks in the Gulf Islands.
To learn more about the
community and current events,
check out the local paper,
Gulf
Islands Driftwood
Before 1902, North
and South Pender were just
one. In that year, a canal
was dredged to allow for
easy access for boats between
Bedwell Harbour and Browning
Harbour. In fact, it wasn't
until 1955 when a one-lane
bridge was constructed to
rejoin the two islands that
one could get from one to
the other without a boat.
Ancient settlements on
the Penders (as the two
islands are often called
by locals) were inhabited
by the Coast Salish. These
First Nations people lived
on the islands dating back
6,000 years. These settlements
are evidenced through the
shell middens at Beaumont
Park and on the north end
of the bridge. This area
was called "helisen"
by the Coast Salish, which
means "lying between".
A cairn marks the site of
one of the largest archaeological
excavations on the Gulf
Islands.
Pender Island was named
after the captain of The
Plumper, Daniel Pender.
Other settlers arrived from
Spain and the British Isles,
making their homes throughout
the rough and hilly landscape
of the Penders. Permanent
settlement of the islands
began with small sheep farms
in the 1800s. By the 1900s,
the island community had
grown large enough to warrant
a government wharf, a post
office, and ferry service
from Sidney, on Vancouver
Island.
Today, the ecosystems and
environment of the Penders
are protected under the
Islands Trust, the local
government agency responsible
for land-use planning for
the islands and waters in
the Strait of Georgia and
Howe Sound.
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Pender
Island Amenities & Activities
