Scarborough Beach is an off-leash dog beach with east-facing views. Be prepared to climb a lot of stairs to access this beach. Signage at the street indicates that the stairs are old and rotting and unsafe in some spots.
The public access point for Scarborough Beach is at the end of Catalina Road, where there is street parking for about a half dozen vehicles. When you walk to the end of the road, you will find signage which directs you up a gravel road. About 150 metres, or so, up the road you will find the beach access point on the left side. From this point on, the road becomes a driveway – there does not appear to be any room to turn around without ending up on someone’s property – so don’t drive up the gravel road.
Our visit to Scarborough Beach
We visited Scarborough in August 2024. When we got to the stair access we noticed that there was signage indicating that the stairs were in poor repair and may not be safe. That notice, as well as the long distance down the stairs had us opting to give going all the way down to the beach a pass.
The beach may be dog-friendly and off-leash, however, the access point has us giving it a low score in terms of dog-friendliness. Many dogs (not to mention their humans!) would struggle with the stairs, and the reward likely isn’t worth the cost of making your way all the way down and back up again. We would suggest visiting one of the other nearby beaches with a more pleasant access trail instead. King Edward Bay and Crayola Beach are both good options.
Off-Leash dogs on Bowen Island
Bowen Island’s municipal website says that, “dogs are currently allowed off-leash in all municipal parks but must be kept under control by owners.” It also says that “dogs are not allowed on Tunstall, Sandy or Bowen Bay Beaches in July and August,” however, “at all other coastal access points, leashes are optional, so long as your dog is under control and kept within 3 metres of you.”
“Public beach,” as defined in Bowen Island’s Animal Control Bylaws, “means those public lands located between the low water mark and fifteen (15) metres upland of the high water mark of any body of salt water”
