Our grandmas’ favourite walk
- Richard Philpot
- Mar 1
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
My mom, Norma, and my mother-in-law, Donna, loved Ruckle Park. These grandmothers seized every chance to visit the heritage farm, oceanside picnic areas, and Grandma’s Beach. If you asked them to pick one must-do walk or hike on Salt Spring Island, both would resoundingly say: “Ruckle Park farm and campground!”
Table of Contents
Photographs, videos, audio, and text Copyright © 2026 Richard Philpot/SGIOUTSIDE.ca.
Three walkers take in the west-facing view of Grandma’s Bay and the SSI shoreline,
and in the distance, Portland Island and Vancouver Island (033122).
RUCKLE PARK HERITAGE FARM & CAMPGROUND LOOP
Heritage Farm Trailhead
Ruckle Park (BC Parks)
RP’s most recent visit: May 6, 2025
Overview
Ruckle Park is like nowhere else; it’s the complete package, making it a “must-do” Southern Gulf Islands’ destination. A classic farm valley scene awaits: century-old homesteads and outbuildings, sheep and cattle grazing in split-rail fenced pastures under gnarled heritage apple trees, turkeys and hens vying for everybody’s attention, and a quaint farmstand guarded by goats where park visitors can purchase farm-produced meat, poultry, produce, flowers, and sweets. Seven kilometres of trails wind through the oceanside campground and picnic area, around the farm’s perimeter, and hug the rocky shoreline north to Yeo Point and Cusheon Cove. Watch for Bigg’s orcas and Pacific harbour seals in Swanson Channel from the campground’s picnic tables or wave to ferry passengers travelling between the islands. The campground’s tide pools reveal anemones, limpets, snails, crabs, and fish. Birders and plant lovers will feel like they’ve died and gone to heaven with at least 153 bird species and 145 trees, shrubs, berries, and wildflowers throughout the park. Whatever you do, don’t miss the one-of-a-kind Ruckle Park experience (052425).
Ruckle Park Heritage Farm & Campground Loop FACTS
Distances and elevations vary depending on the GPS tracker device and the digital mapping software used.
Best time of year: Anytime.
Difficulty Rating: MODERATE, but doable by almost everyone at a slow pace
Trail Type: Loop (with a short extension to the Ruckle Park farmstand)
Distance: 4-4.5 km (approx. 2.5 miles)
Time Allowance: At least two hours
Highest Elevation: 42 metres (138 feet)
Lowest Elevation: Sea level
Dogs Permitted: No dogs in active farm area; on a leash at all times in campground and on trails
Amenities: Farmstand, history/interpretive signs in the heritage farm area, farm animals, pit toilets, campground, picnic tables, resting benches, bike racks
Cycling: Bicycles are only permitted on the main roads
Camping: Walk-in, Group, and RV sites, portable camp stoves and group fire rings (subject to wildfire bans); wheelbarrows to transport gear; cyclists must walk their bikes from the road into the campground
Freshwater Availability: Yes, six water stations in campground and day-use areas (Seasonal, March 16-October 31)
Parking: Several designated areas—1) Park entrance on Beaver Point Road, 2) Heritage Farm, 3) Day-use area, and 4) Campground
Trailhead Coordinates (Beaver Point Road): 48.77350, -123.37668
Travelling to the Trailhead: By Vehicle—9 km (15 minutes) from Fulford Harbour on Fulford-Ganges Road veer right onto Beaver Point Road, follow Beaver Point Road to Ruckle Park; By Bike—Same route as By vehicle (above); By Bus (BC Transit)—Summer Only service to Ruckle Park from Fulford Harbour, BC Transit/Salt Spring Island SCHEDULES and MAPS
Birders: 154 species since 1979 (eBird)
Historic Accommodation: Ruckle Heritage Farm’s 4-bedroom Alfred House, upstairs rooms in the Norman House, and the Apple House are available to rent.
Ruckle Park MAP showing the Campground Loop, plus other walking and hiking trail options.
Grandma’s Beach (050625).
Thank you to our moms
How often have Lisa and I walked, hiked, picnicked, or camped in Ruckle Park in the past 25 years? Lots. On multiple occasions, we shared our park experiences with our mothers, Donna and Norma (my mom). Thank you for all the special moments. Everyone is a precious memory.
Trail Route Description
Starting at a historic British Columbia farm
Since 2003, I’ve mainly reached Ruckle Park’s southeast-end locale by kayak (from North Pender Island’s Thieves Bay Marina), with my park exploring originating from either Grandma’s Beach or one of the unnamed beaches near Bear Point.
But most part-day visitors will arrive at Ruckle on foot, by bike, bus, or motorized vehicle. Except for campers, your adventure should begin at the Heritage Farm parking lot (my name for it) on the south side of the road, immediately past the large, peaked barn and outbuildings. A BC Parks information signboard (including a park map) and 15-20 gravel parking spots indicate you’re in the right place.
Head back toward the barn; a trail next to the road leads to the old barn, turkey coup, the Pig Sty, The Forge, and one of Ruckle Park’s four historic farmhouses. Apple trees run the length of the horizontal split-rail fence on the opposite side of the road. The fencing is used to contain the sheep herd. Since the working farm transitioned to free range, the sheep roam and are commonly encountered on both sides of the farm’s now aesthetic barriers. Vehicles frequently must stop for sheep or turkeys crossing the road.
An open-air, four-sided BC Parks kiosk is nestled between the turkey coop and the barn, providing a fascinating lesson in Ruckle Park history. Be sure to allow at least 30 minutes to read about the farm, past and present, and to investigate the buildings on three sides. All too often, the docile sheep and dramatic-presenting turkeys capture visitors’ attention. They fail to peruse the small outbuildings (with plaques) and the white, pink-trimmed homestead behind vertical split-cedar fencing south of the barn. In season, the garden flowers surrounding the house are spectacular. A look through the house’s windows provides a glimpse into the past.
The Ruckle Farm
The Ruckle Farm is one of the oldest continually operating farms in British Columbia (since 1872). Henry Ruckle arrived from Ireland and, for $27, bought 27 acres of land. He built a house (white, trimmed in pink, south of the barn) and married Ella Christensen in 1887 (a widow with a son, Alfred); they produced three more children, Ella, Agnes and Daniel Henry.
The Forge, the farm’s oldest outbuilding, was constructed between 1878 and 1880. It’s a rare find from that period. Look at the axe-cut-and-squared log ends. Over two decades, Henry Ruckle gradually expanded his holdings in the Beaver Point area. By 1894, the farm totalled 1,000 acres, with 40 acres cultivated in wheat, oats, potatoes, peas and 600 assorted fruit trees. He also raised chickens and dairy cattle. He and his son, Daniel Henry, were skilled blacksmiths and made many farm implements in The Forge.
Henry Ruckle died in 1895, leaving the farm for his two sons, Alfred and Daniel Henry. In the 1940s, Alfred sold his share to Daniel Henry and his sons, who transitioned the farm from dairy to beef cattle and sheep. In the 1970s, Henry Ruckle’s grandson, Gordon, sold the farm to the provincial government for a park, retaining a life tenancy to farm approximately 250 acres. Marjorie and Mike Lane, along with their family, have managed the farm for BC Parks since 1999.
The original Henry Ruckle homestead.
Farmstand and Campground Loop
Before proceeding on the counterclockwise campground loop walk, add a short out-and-back extension to the Ruckle Park Farmstand by the Norman House (if you didn’t stop there when entering the park). The farmstand is only a couple of minutes’ stroll along the road toward the park entrance. Honour-system security is provided by a tribe of “Kids” and their goat parents. More often than not, I paddle back to North Pender with farm-made jam, cookies, and seasonal produce. I once crossed Swanson Channel with Ruckle Farm-grown flowers in a water bottle tucked behind my kayak’s cockpit. Upon inspection at Thieves Bay, several petals were missing, and a stem was broken. What do they say about the thought?
A hard-packed-earth trail follows the original homestead property’s back fence into the start of a forest dominated by Western redcedar and Douglas fir. Just beyond a resting bench, a sign gives two options: Campground or Grandma’s Beach. Named for a certain grandmother or all? Able grandmothers must descend a staircase to the sand and pebble beach. River otters are a regular sight in Grandma’s Bay.
Retracing your steps, turn right onto the campground-bound trail bordered by thick Salal. Past the picture-worthy hole-in-the-middle tree, the trails multiply from here to the first tent sites. Walkers are given repeated options to venture closer to the bay’s ocean bluffs. Closer to the sea, the walk reveals its prettiest elements, particularly the shapely Arbutus and Garry oaks, which seem to be growing from solid rock. The grassy areas among these trees, butting up against the rockfaces, teem with wildflowers in spring and summer. If you don’t mind sitting on the hard ground, some of Ruckle Park’s best picnic spots are in this stretch.
Free-ranging sheep surrounding the Ruckle Farm information kiosk (050625).
The trail enters a meadow before arriving at the Ruckle Park campground’s unequalled walk-in-only tent site: sunset-facing #77, not everyone’s choice due to its distance from the campground parking area. It’s the perfect spot for cycle tourists or kayakers willing to haul their boats beyond the reach of ferry and tanker wakes. Tent sites #74 and #75 are also worth a look. Since the onset of COVID, Ruckle’s campground has been BUSY on fairweather weekends and in summer. A gravel path cuts through the middle of the campground from the parking area to the Grandma’s Bay entrance. The route passes several pit toilets and drinking water taps, and is wide enough to accommodate the gear transport wheelbarrows offered by BC Parks.
If the tide allows, I detour to the rock and driftwood shoreline to investigate the intertidal zone. Each crevice or hollow in the sandstone holds a mini-ecosystem. The ups and downs on the sometimes slippery surfaces require your total focus. And pay attention to the waves generated by passing ferries. Thunderous rollers striking the shore, ten minutes after a vessel has passed, have surprised intertidal zone explorers. I continue close to the water’s edge until reaching the green-on-white navigational marker at the campground’s east end.
The sight of a specific picnic table elicits fond memories of opening gifts there with Lisa and her parents on Christmas morning. No snow, but what an extraordinary December view of the Salish Sea waters and other Southern Gulf Islands and BC Ferries’ vessels sailing to and from the islands and the BC mainland. No orcas, though; sadly, the Residents were celebrating elsewhere.
The campground is bounded by a chest-high fence at its east end, restricting access to an area where Carpet burweed has a foothold. The invasive plant poses a serious threat to rare plant species inhabiting the park. As the trail next to the fence begins to head north, an information sign provides details about Carpet burweed and what we can all do to help prevent its spread. PLEASE abide by the message.
Out-of-the-way benches, a stone staircase, and another history lesson
The trail splits multiple times. As earlier mentioned, when faced with this, veer to the right at every opportunity. Re-entering the forest, the earth path now includes roots and rocks as toe grabs. It’s easy to stumble when looking at Sea Blush or other spring wildflowers. The trail opens into a massive rock floor interspersed with patches of grass. Past the Carpet burweed quarantine sign, a lonely wooden bench faces Swanson Channel, North Pender on the left, Moresby Island on the right, and the US San Juan Islands in the distance. Two plaques on the bench recognize Grace and David M. Peters, with quotes adjacent to each name.
A quarter kilometre further north, a couple of other benches with plaques GORDON KOETT (1955-1999) and GWEN occupy a rocky point next to a lone, wind-blown tree. Walkers are drawn to take a load off and enjoy another spectacular view (left to right): up Captain Passage to the Channel and Acland Islands and Chain Islands in Ganges Harbour, Prevost Island, Mayne Island, and North Pender. The two rounded humps beyond Prevost are Galiano Island’s Mount Sutil and Mount Galiano. Before leaving this barren headland (in wildflower season), carefully look down the sheer, north-facing side to see a mix of Field chickweed, Sheep sorrel, oregon-grape, Common camas, and stonecrop.
At the four-way trail crossroads and sign map, turn right, pass through the chainsaw-bitten downed Douglas fir, and attentively tackle the 33-step stone staircase. Better down than up. Again, the trail splits; again, choose to go right, which leads to historically significant Beaver Point, several picnic tables, and another grand view; it then rejoins the main route, arriving at a BC Parks information sign detailing a short story about the Beaver Point Wharf (built by Henry Ruckle). There was once a general store, post office, and residence at the foot of the wharf, but when the ferry service moved to Fulford Harbour in the 1950s, the dock was dismantled. The beach below the BC Parks sign is a nice spot for paddlers to land.
From here, the trail widens and is surfaced with asphalt. Picnic tables dot the ocean side of the path; the forest canopy blocks much of the natural light before opening into a grass meadow and an information board with a trail map and a day-use parking lot. This is generally where hikers access the Coastline Trail to Bear Point, Coppermine Point, King’s Cove, Yeo Point, Cusheon Cove, and a handful of inland routes.
A short, uphill walk west along the paved road returns you to your vehicle and starting point.
Final thoughts
Every single visit to Ruckle Park finds me anxious to return. And the sooner, the better.
The south-facing Ruckle Park campground shoreline (050625).
