Ocean Island Victoria Guide

This park was established as Canada’s first nature sanctuary way back in 1958. Feel like going for a swim, a paddle or a nice hike? Feel like meeting lots of people? Well, then Thetis Lake is the place for you! It’s actually 2 large, connected lakes with a couple little islands hanging out, and it [...]

These connected lakes, in Saanich, offer a full day of fun. There are hiking and running trails (over 12km of them), equestrian trails (there’s a riding school nearby), picnic areas, bathrooms and concession stands. You can swim, canoe, and even fish on the lakes. It gets pretty busy in the summer, so if you don’t [...]

It’s big, it’s green, it’s got a big mountain (Mt. Doug) in the middle of it, and… well the cool thing about Mt. Doug Park is that there are a million different trails, so you never have the same time there twice. It’s also got a nice rocky beach, a big fireplace to build safe [...]

Willows Beach in Oak Bay is a popular destination in the summertime. Behind the beach (which has great views of Mount Baker) there’s a large field, perfect for playing Frisbee, tossing a football, whatever. A popular lounging spot to catch a few rays, this sheltered and sandy beach draws a crowd most weekends. If you [...]

Witty’s Lagoon is an ideal start to getting familiar with Victoria and its surrounding area. A half hour drive from the city, there are some great beaches, trails and a sandy lagoon to entice you to enjoy your leisure time. During the off-season, you can view “Sitting Lady’s Fall”–a creek flowing over volcanic rock– in all [...]

The coolest thing about this park is the view from the top of the mountain. It’s the highest point around, so you can see the rest of Saltspring Island, the Gulf Islands, Vancouver Island, and even a lot of the BC mainland. It’s also a great place for hiking, picnicking, whatever… like a lot of [...]

When you’re on Saltspring Island, check this place out – it’s a great place to camp and chill out. You can relax, have a fire and watch the ferries go by in the distance. Apparently there’s all sorts of wildlife there, but the wildlife I saw that was really cool was seashore-marine-type stuff, like little [...]