One of my most favouritest things to do is being active outside. I feel complete wellness when nourishing my body with healthy movement outside in nature with fresh air and beautiful views. It is truly soul healing. For me, hiking is one form of self care that I choose in order to disconnect, soothe my nervous system, and re-centre. One of the things I absolutely love about Victoria, and just Vancouver Island in general, is the accessibility to hiking trails. You can drive 15 minutes or you can drive 6 hours to find a place to move your body outside. The following is Part 1 of my My Top 12 Hikes Around Greater Victoria (in no specific order). And remember we are just visitors to these places. Respect the environment and nature you are in. Pack out any litter, dog poop bags, and food you bring in. Also make sure you are bear and cougar aware and know what to do when encountering wildlife (check it out here if you are not sure).
EAST SOOKE COASTAL TRAIL
Length of hike: this is up to you. The full trail one way is 13+km but you can turn around whenever you like. For a half-day trip I love the Beechey Head Loop.
Difficulty: moderate with some challenging steeper rocky points
Location: 1 Becher Bay Rd, Sooke at East Sooke Regional Park from the Aylard Farm parking lot (Just under 1hr drive from downtown Victoria)
About: I don’t usually like to pick favourites but to be honest….this one is my favourite. I have sought peace and healing here more times than I can count. Just getting outside moving my body along these meandering trails along the coast is like magic. The views along the water are stunning and often filled with wildlife. I have seen seals, sea lions, big jellyfish, otters, eagles, and even whales. The hike starts from the Aylard Farm Parking lot as a flat easy trail down to a beautiful sand and rock beach. You can swim here or just hangout on the beach for the day. If you wish you continue on the trail it goes back through the forest along the coast. The trail is well defined but just be cautious of the many roots and rocks sticking out from the ground. Beechey Head has a steeper climb up to the top but again more beautiful views and a great place to enjoy lunch. To return you can go back the way you came along the water or make it a loop and go through the forest taking the interior trail back to Aylard Farm. The full Beechey Head loop is approximately 5.5km.
JOCELYN HILL
Length of hike: approx. 10km loop
Difficulty: moderate-challenging
Location: at the end of Caleb Pike Road (30 minute drive from Downtown Victoria)
About: Jocelyn Hill is part of Gowland Todd Provincial Park. It can be accessed two different ways, via Caleb Pike or McKenzie Bight. I personally prefer the Caleb Pike way. The trailhead is on the right just past the wooden park sign from the parking lot. This hike is a bit more challenging as it has many ups and downs (some a bit steeper) but the lush green forest and incredible views of the Saanich Arm make it well worth it! I love taking lunch or some snacks to enjoy at the top with the epic views.
THETIS LAKE
Length of hike: Lower Thetis Lake is just over 3km and Upper Thetis Lake is just over 5km
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Location: end of Six Mile Rd, View Royal (20 mins from downtown Victoria)
About: I love the trail network here because 1) you can do a shorter hike around Lower Thetis Lake or make it a longer trip by going around Upper Thetis Lake and 2) it is not a far drive to get out into nature. These forest trails wrap around the lakes with beautiful views along well-defined trails offering a great hike and fresh air that is not too far from the city. In the Summer time cool off with a quick swim or SUP in the lake.
WITTY’S LAGOON
Length of hike: 3km total there and back
Difficulty: easy
Location: 3920 Metchosin Rd, Victoria (35 mins from downtown Victoria)
About: This trail is a beautiful trail that is not too challenging. It has the lovely Sitting Lady Falls, nice forested trail around the lagoon, and then leads right down to the beach. The beach is rocky but such a scenic spot to enjoy a picnic, soak in the sun, and even take a (chilly) ocean dip! The hardest part is leaving the beach to head back up to the parking lot
MOUNT WELLS
Length of hike: 2.5-3km total there and back
Difficulty: challenging
Location: Humpback Rd, Langford (30 mins from downtown Victoria)
About: This hike is located just outside of Langford and is not a super long one but it does get quite steep. It starts in the forest and then opens up to bit steeper open rock and ledges. There are chains and ropes in place to help in these areas. Once at the top there are panoramic views of the city, ocean, forested Sooke Highlands, and on a clear day even snow capped mountains in the distance. The summit is actually past the first opening (after chains), down through the forest and back up (didn’t realize this the first time we went up).
MOUNT DOUGLAS
Length of hike: varies
Difficulty: moderate- challenging
Location: there are a few parking lots but all only approximately 20 mins from downtown Victoria:
-Mt Douglas Beach Parking Lot off of Cordova Bay Road
-Mt Douglas Parking Lot off of Churchill Drive
-Mt Douglas Parking Lot off of Blenkinsop Road
-Mt Douglas Parking Lot at the Summit
About: There are numerous trails intertwined throughout the park. You can take a trail just around the base, you can hike to the summit or if you prefer there is a small parking lot at the top of the mountain that leads you to two short paths that take you to the summit. I usually start at the beach parking lot, go down and see the water there then make my way across Cordova Bay Road and up through the a few of the trails to the Summit. To be honest out of all the times I’ve done this hike I don’t think I’ve ever taken the exact same route twice! I like Mount Doug because it is super close to the city yet you still get forest feels, fresh air, a good work out, and 360-degree views of the city, ocean, Gulf Islands, and Haro Strait from the top.
Okay that's all for now. It was hard to narrow down with so many amazing trails around the city but stay tuned for Part 2 of my Top Hikes Around Greater Victoria!
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