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Road Access at The Cape on Bowen
> Backgrounder
On summer days Bowen is a popular tourists’ destination because of its proximity and abundance of beaches, trails, parks, and lively Snug Cove village. The main road in Snug Cove can become quite busy during ferry offloading and onloading. However, generally, the system of roads, ferries, and water taxis works well.
The Cape's 618 acres, previously called Cape Roger Curtis and privately owned for the last century, was purchased in 2004. For Don Ho and partner Edwin Lee, the Cape was years in the making: consulting with Bowen Island municipality, conducting environmental impact studies and moving forward at a cautious pace out of respect for the community and the legacy that this land will leave.
Local residents used the area as their playground for hiking, and some were nervous they would lose access, even though the property had always been in private ownership prior to The Cape on Bowen’s ownership. Understanding the beauty of this land and the community legacy it will leave for future generations, the Cape built a one-kilometre waterfront public-use trail complete with bridges and a spectacular cantilevered walkway overhanging a rockface and facing the sunset. It has also built an internal forest network of trails that connects to the cross-island greenway, and creates access to the Huszar Creek waterfall. In December 2020, with generous donor funds, the Bowen Island Conservancy acquired 32 acres on the southern coast such that there is now a legacy in perpetuity: a Nature Reserve with managed public access.
The Cape has built public parking near the waterfront trail that takes hikers to the iconic Lighthouse and its road system provides the public with more access to this iconic landmark. The Roger Curtis Beach, which used to be difficult to access, opened up as a popular amenity. All of the Cape’s residents and the island’s couples and families enjoy idyllic, quiet picnics here. It has become a place where dogs and kids – even horses - play in the ocean."