This island is only 8km from downtown Nanaimo, but it is effectively more remote than you would imagine! Access is by private boat only. The island has a few dirt roads but no stores. However, the island has hydro and internet services! There is also a Citizens Society who has put together a body of firefighting equipment including a fire truck for anybody to use, which is uncommon for an island of this size.
There is a marina (Moonshine Cove) but it’s private and there is a waitlist to join, as well as a hefty entry fee. There are some spaces around the island for mooring buoys but I can’t vouch for them. Many homeowners either have a dock (they are allowed on Mudge) or they pull smaller boats up at one of the many public accesses. There is a beach at the northeast part of the island that is a natural boat ramp; people bring trailers down to it all the time.
The 2023-2024 "Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act" (foreign buyers ban) does NOT apply to Mudge Island, which means that non-Canadians ARE allowed to purchase real estate on Mudge Island.
Mudge Island is separated from the Vancouver Island mainland by the famous tidal channel Dodd Narrows, where the current rips through like a river except during ebb/slack. It's also directly adjacent to the El Verano beach/launch on Gabriola Island, separated from that island by False Narrows, a navigable (but tricky) passage with some current of its own.
Please give me an excuse to go to Mudge Island again. To get my help buying or selling property on Mudge Island, contact me.
Properties for Sale on Mudge Island
Back to Gulf Islands real estate page