This page is all about natural fun that's available just out of town, and most of them are accessible by bus or bike. For some of them you'll need a car. A lot of these places you can see a few in a day, so if you want to put together a rad day out in nature, maybe rent yourself a car and see how many of these you can take over!
If you're looking for something closer to Victoria, check out the out of town or our Nearby Nature pages.
John Dean Park
It's green, it's full of really interesting flowers, berries, crazy vegetation, and cool birds, it's got a great view of the Saanich Peninsula, and it's all kind of slanted, so it's great to hike around and take naps and stuff. It's also the last refuge of some really amazing and old Douglas Fir and Garry Oak trees, which are these really big, majestic and very west-coast trees. The whole area is also steeped in the energy of its First Nations residents, who have called it home for... well, long enough to figure out that Mt. Newton (which we should probably call by its First Nations name "Lau Wel New"), was the place to be during the Great Flood - it was the high point that allowed them to survive and keep partying!
Photo from explorevancouverisland.com
Directions: The park can be accessed off Hwy #17. Turn west onto McTavish Road, south onto East Saanich Road, then west onto John Dean Road. Follow John Dean Road until you reach the park. Nearby communities include: Sidney, Saanichton, Brentwood Bay, Victoria.
Gowlland Tod Park
Great views, awesome hiking, and wrapped around the really cool and unique Gowlland Range, which is home to this crazy array of rare wildlife, there's like 150 different species out there! You might even notice some First Nations people chilling out and gathering herbs - they do all kinds of traditional ceremonies in the area, which is something to keep in mind - relax when you're there, and just chill out and appreciate the natural setting the way they do. There are some cool old Douglas Fir trees around, and this area called the Finlayson Arm, which is unique because its waters only change once a year, so in the meantime all this crazy wildlife just parties in the standing water!
Photo from explorevancouverisland.com
How to get there:
The park is located on the east side of Saanich Inlet on Southern Vancouver Island. There are three park accesses: Tod Inlet, Mackenzie Bight and Caleb Pike.
The Tod Inlet access is located near Brentwood Bay, off Wallace Drive; Mackenzie Bight access is located off Rossdurrance Road, off Willis Point Road; the Caleb Pike access is on Caleb Pike Road, off Millstream Road near Langford. Gowlland Tod Park can also be accessed by boat via Tod Inlet.
East Sooke Regional Park:
There are a ton of things to do in this extremely west-coast paradise: 50 kilometres of hiking trails, the 10-k Coast Trail (more more advanced hiker types), the views are amazing, and there's all these little beaches, tide pools that are great for scooba diving... if you're into having a picnic or whatever, there's plenty of places to do that... probably the coolest thing about East Sooke is the trees. Forests of really amazing trees. Trees will trip you out.
More Info:
You could hitch-hike, or go there with Ocean Island Tours!
Sooke Potholes
When Victoria residents sense that summer is here and it's time to get into swimsuits and throw some beers in a backpack, Sooke Potholes tends to be at the top of their lists. The swimming is extraordinary and there’s some good hiking. It’s a great place to be when the city is just way too hot.
The best is to go there on a really scorching day, because the water is super-cold. So you get the cutest person around to throw some sunscreen on you (seriously, the sun is the most powerful thing ever and it will kill you), and chill out on some rocks 'till you can't stand the heat, then jump in the freezing water and swim around 'till you get a bit chilly, get out and repeat maybe... 20 or 30 times, or until you get bored. Then do some hiking!
The river flows from one naturally formed pool into the next, making fun waterfalls in between! This isn't the safest swimming environment though, so keep your water safety in mind, and always swim with friends.
Hey - we offer daytrips to the potholes! Check 'em out...
More Info:
Bus Directions
Unfortunately, the city bus does not take you directly to the potholes. You can bus if you don’t mind a 5 km (1 ½ hour - 2 hour) walk from where the bus drops you off:
Go to the bus stop on Douglas at Pandora (in front of Gala Fabrics) and catch either the #50 Goldstream or the #61 Sooke (if it’s running)
If you catch the #50 you will have to transfer at the Western Exchange and get on the #61; if you catch the #60 it will go directly to the stop you need
From where the bus lets you off you could either do the 5km walk or you could consider taking a taxicab the rest of the way (would cost about $10)
For bus times check out Victoria Transit ↑ or ask someone at the front desk for a peek at the Rider’s Guide or call BusLine at 382-6161
Driving Directions
1. Take Douglas St. out of town (it becomes Hwy. #1) and keep following it out of town
2. Take the Sooke & Colwood Exit off the highway - this will put you on highway #14 which turns into Sooke road
3. After you pass a large white school (Edward Milne Community School) start watching for Sooke River Rd.
4. Turn right onto Sooke River Rd. keep driving, and it will take you right to the potholes.
The whole drive takes about 1 hour
