Helliwell Provincial Park sits on a rocky headland forested with a beautiful stand of old-growth Douglas fir. Located on St. John’s Point on Hornby Island, the park was a gift to the people of British Columbia from John Helliwell. The stunning Helliwell bluffs guard the northern entrance to Tribune Bay.

Spectacular views of marine life, the Strait of Georgia and the Coast Mountains can be had from any point along the bluffs. As you explore the park’s meandering hiking and walking trails, you will find weather-beaten old-growth Douglas firs and gnarled Garry oaks, as well as flora and fauna which may seem more at home in a desert than in a Northwest rainforest. The best times to visit are in late April and early May, when colourful wildflowers carpet the hillside along the cliffs. Please stay on designated trails to protect these fragile areas.

A recent addition to Helliwell Park is Flora Islet, which sits off the end of St. John’s Point. Flora Islet was designated as part of the park through the Pacific Marine Heritage Legacy and is one of only two locations in the world where divers can see the rare Six-gill shark. This primitive, deep-sea shark ascends from great depths to the relative shallows around Flora Islet, attracting scuba divers and marine biologists from around the world.

There are multiple ecological restoration projects underway at Helliwell Provincial Park. See Garry Oak Meadow/Coastal Bluff habitat restoration work for further information on these projects.

Date Established: September 16, 1966
Provincial Park Size: 2,872 hectares (69 ha upland and 2,803 ha foreshore)