Barnston Island

 island  Add category

www.barnstonisland.ca/

About Barnston Island:

Barnston Island is located in the Fraser River between Surrey and Pitt Meadows. The island is just over 1,500 acres of land. There are about 150 residents. The Katzie First Nation has one of its three reserves on the isand.

The island is served by a free, 5 to 6-car ferry (part of the BC Highways system) that runs from the east end of 104th Avenue in Surrey. It operates on demand from 6:15 in the morning to 11:50 in the evening with an extra hour to 12:10 am on the weekend. The ferry is ten minutes from Guildford and about 45 minutes from downtown Vancouver. The island is protected by 10 kilometres of dyke. The dyke circles the island and also serves as the main road.

The island has a colourful history as a dairy farming community. Residents can remember a time when there were ten successful dairy farms running. Now under different milk quota requirements, two dairy farms are in operation, including one operating for Avalon Dairies. Other farming on the island includes cranberry fields, livestock grazing, production of hay and silage and an award-winning herb farm, Barnston Island Herbs.

The island is distinctly rural. There are no stores or public services of any kind other than a beautiful, small park maintained by the GVRD at the western tip of the island. In addition to the rural setting and scenes of the Fraser River, the island offers stunning views of Mount Baker and the Golden Ears. Families come from all over the region to walk or bike and enjoy the rural atmosphere, scenery, bird-watching and quiet roads.