Hiking Trails

East Sooke Regional Park
Located 45 minutes west of Victoria, East Sooke Park is a hikers paradise. Rocky bays, pocket beaches, jagged coastlines and quiet forests reward hikers, birdwatchers and beachcombers in this 1,424-hectare park. The nearly 50 kilometres of trails range from casual strolls to a challenging seven-hour trek. Views from the park, of Juan de Fuca Strait, and the Olympic mountains are spectacular.

Goldstream Provincial Park
Goldstream Park is a lush, 700 year old rainforest setting that houses the Goldstream River, Mount Finlayson, a wildlife interpretive centre and walking and hiking trails: all only 19 kilometres from downtown Victoria. Hike to the top of Mount Finlayson for a 360-degree view of the area.

Juan de Fuca Provincial Park
Located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this 707 hectare park extends from China Beach, just west of the community of Jordan River, to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. It features spectacular scenery, marine and wildlife viewing, roaring surf and the 47 kilometre Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. The trail is intended to be an alternative to the West Coast Trail and is designed for strenuous or multi-day hiking. At China Beach, a 20 minute downhill walk in the forest leads to a surf-swept beach. Botanical Beach is famous for its tidepools; at low tide, these sandstone pools are full of tiny marine creatures.

Carmanah Walbran
Another forest sanctuary, Carmanah is world-famous for trees that are over 1000 years old. The park, which covers 16,450 hectares, protects diverse forest ecosystems, including some of the world’s largest spruce trees that reach more than 95 metres high. The park experiences a very wet climate for most of the year and visitors are recommended to be experienced hikers and campers. Carmanah Walbran is located 20 kilometres northwest of Port Renfrew, on the southwestern coast of Vancouver Island.

Strathcona Provincial Park
Created in 1911, Strathcona is British Columbia's oldest and largest provincial park. With more than 250,000 hectares, Strathcona extends from sea level to the highest peak on Vancouver Island (2,200 metres). The park is dominated by snow-capped mountain peaks and filled with lakes, rivers and 107 kilometres of hiking trails. It is also home to the Island’s last remaining icefield, the Comox Glacier, and the highest waterfall in Canada, Della Falls. At 440 metres, Della Falls is nearly 8 times higher then Niagara Falls and is among the 10 highest waterfalls in the world. The primary access points to the park are located west of Courtenay and Campbell River.

Cape Scott
Located on the northwest tip of Vancouver Island, 67 kilometres from Port Hardy, Cape Scott boasts 22,000 hectares of rugged coastal rainforest, salt marshes, long sandy beaches and 40 kilometres of hiking trails. The most impressive of the beaches, Nels Bight, stretches 2,400 metres long and 210 metres wide. Visitors can choose between a day hike or a backpacking and wilderness camping excursion. The 30 kilometre trek to the Cape Scott Lighthouse takes approximately eight hours. The less-adventurous hiker can still get a taste of Cape Scott along the 2.5 kilometre San Josef Bay Trail.

For more information on Victoria and Vancouver Island hiking areas, contact the Capital Regional District (CRD) at www.crd.bc.ca/parks or BC Parks at www.elp.gov.bc.ca/bcparks.