Photo: Peter O HaraShawnigan Lake, BC

Rally Day 2 alternative (Cowichan Valley)

A ride described at Gravel Buddies

How we describe routes →

Ambitious A real undertaking. Demanding on a couple of fronts, like rough surfaces plus steady climbing, or a long stretch on busier roads.

Difficulty Our overall read of how demanding a route is. We score surface roughness, climbing, singletrack, and how far it runs from services. The route publisher's own rating, a lot of busy road riding, or sheer scale can push the tier up, never down.

Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.

How we describe routes →

The alternative second day of the Gravel Buddies 2025 Rally: 95 km through the Cowichan Valley with about 650 m of climbing, a little less gravel and a little more mercy than the full day-two route.

Get the route on Gravel Buddies →

Where this ride goes#

Approximate lineGet the real route ↗

Map key & layers

Show stops Mute other bike trails

Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike Services

Dashed line = our rough sketch of where the ride goes. The rideable route lives at get the route from Gravel Buddies.

☕Stops worth stopping for103 along this route

Communities along this route#

Sidney 42 Central Saanich 25 North Saanich 14 Shawnigan Lake 7 Beaver Point 4 Salt Spring Island 3 Shawnigan 3 Paldi 2 Fulford Harbour 1 Mill Bay 1 Sahtlam 1

Sidney (42)

Mary Winspear CentreWelcoming· Community Centre · Free

Sidney BakeryWelcoming· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Sidney Information CentreWelcoming· Visitor Centre · Free

Sidney Museum and ArchivesWelcoming· Museum / Gallery · Free

Russ Hay's The Bicycle ShopAccredited· Repair Shop

900 BistroWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Alexander's Coffee BarWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Charles Dickens' PubWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Fish on 5thWelcoming· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Fresh Tandoori Flavour Indian Restaurant SidneyWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — Mariner pizza, Panago, Scotty's Dog Shack +6 more

+23 more in Sidney →

Central Saanich (25)

Bicycle PizzaInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Brentwood Bay Resort & SpaInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$$ · Upscale

Brentwood Bay Village Empourium Café & Gift ShopInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Seahorses CaféInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Marigold CafeAccredited· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Prairie Inn Neighbourhood PubWelcoming· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Brewsky's TaphouseInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Carnivore Meats & MoreInfo· Specialty / Health Food

Centennial Park FarmstandInfo· Farmers' Market

Central Saanich Library BranchInfo· Library · Free

Plus the fast-food chains — McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Villages Pizza

+12 more in Central Saanich →

North Saanich (14)

Patricia Bay Visitor CentreWelcoming· Visitor Centre

Red Barn MarketInfo· Grocery Store

Smonećten (McDonald) CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Stonehouse PubAccredited· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Lands End CaféWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Salish Sea Beach HouseInfo· B&B / Inn · $$$$ · Upscale

Sandown Liquor StoreInfo· Liquor Store

Canadian TireInfo· General merchandise

Co-opInfo· Convenience Store

Plus the fast-food chains — barBURRITO, Domino's, Firehouse Subs +2 more

Shawnigan Lake (7)

Shawnigan Lake Beach ResortInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$$ · Luxury

Shawnigan Lake MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Oma's Bakery & MarketInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Shawnigan HouseInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Shawnigan Lake Community CentreInfo· Community Centre · Free

Mason'sInfo· Convenience Store

Plus the fast-food chains — Subway

Beaver Point (4)

Alfred HouseInfo· B&B / Inn · $$$$ · Upscale

Group CampsiteInfo· Public Campground

Ruckle Park, Walk-in CampingInfo· Public Campground

Ruckle Provincial Park RV Sites 1-8Info· Public Campground

Salt Spring Island (3)

Rock Salt Restaurant & CafeInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Morningside Organic Bakery and CafeInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Ruby Alton Nature ReserveInfo· Park / Nature · Free

Shawnigan (3)

The Lakehouse at ShawniganInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

BicycleitisInfo· Repair Shop

Black Swan PubInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Paldi (2)

Stoltz Pool CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Stoltz Pool Group CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Fulford Harbour (1)

Salt Spring MercantileInfo· Convenience Store

Mill Bay (1)

Serious CoffeeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Sahtlam (1)

Glenora Trails Head ParkInfo· Park / Nature · Free

Slice and dice these stops in the directory →

These stops come from our directory of welcoming places across BC. Spot something wrong, missing, or closed? Tell us and we'll fix it.

⛴Getting here, bike and allSalt Spring Island

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

Salt Spring Island is the handiest transit doorway for this ride. Ferries, buses, and the SkyTrain will carry you and your bike there:

Pender Islandbest: ferry
Victoriabest: bus + ferry
Nanaimobest: ferry
Vancouverbest: SkyTrain + bus + ferry

Also on the bike-transit map: Mill Bay

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

This route travels through the traditional territories of the Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat), Quw’utsun, sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen), Semiahmoo, Stz’uminus, Te’mexw Treaty Association, Ts’uubaa-asatx, and W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip).

Territory data from Native Land Digital, for educational purposes only.

Ready to ride it?

Get the route on Gravel Buddies →Got the GPX? Add BC Bike Stops to it →