Malcolm Island, B.C.
MALCOLM ISLAND IS A UTOPIA — at least that’s what Finnish settlers hoped when they started a commune there at the turn of the last century. Their dream was short-lived, but it’s easy to see why they chose this sliver of idyllic wilderness off Vancouver Island’s northeast coast, long the territory of the ‘Namgis First Nation. At Bere Point Regional Park on the island’s north shore, orcas glide through Queen Charlotte Strait to rub their black-andwhite bodies on the smooth pebble bottom — a rarely seen behaviour displayed by the threatened northern resident orcas and best viewed from the platform high above the point. On the east end, meanwhile, harbour seals, Pacific white-sided dolphins and humpback whales ply the waters around Mitchell Bay and Donegal Head, while trails and old logging roads wind through the moss-plastered red cedars and giant sword ferns of the island’s interior. Luckily, Malcolm Island is just 24 kilometres long, so grab a bike from the free community bicycle program in Sointula, a charming seaside community just 25 minutes by ferry from Port Mcneill, and get to know this under-the-radar piece of paradise.