May 3rd: Narvaez Bay, Here We Come!

Narvaez Bay Walk
Saturday, May 3

Rendez-vous at 1 pm
At the end of Narvaez road, at the park gate.

Bring water and a snack.
Wear good walking shoes and bring a jacket (like Mom used to say...).

We will walk down to the point. Those who wish to do so can hike the point (uneven terrain, see picture below). Then, we'll walk around the "loop" and, weather permitting, we may spend time at the lovely pebble beach. In total, plan for a 2-hour outing, plus any beach and dawdling time...

If you are not familiar with this walk, here's a description: we will follow an old road down the hill to the bay. We have the option of taking a portion of trail on the point that is a bit less civilized (rocky, uneven). The payoff is lovely views of the San Juan Islands and Cliffside, on Saturna. The rest of the walk is on flat land, along old farm fields and an orchard. Of course, since what goes down must come back up, we will have to walk back up to the cars - mostly uphill. Good for digesting (smile) and not a bad way to start getting in shape for the summer.


The point is a very dry rocky area, with lots of arbutus trees, whose bark is endlessly fascinating (see above). I think a buck scratched these marks on the bark with his antlers.

Factoid: Narvaez Bay is named for Captain José María Narváez, who commanded the Santa Saturnina, a small Spanish schooner that came ashore on Saturna in 1791. Saturna Island itself is a contraction of "Saturnina"...