|
PARKS
& TRAILS
After
you've explored The Galloping Goose, you'll want to check out some
of these other excellent attraction and recreation places around
southern Vancouver Island.
 Just
17 kilometers from downtown Victoria, Goldstream
Provincial Park lies amid the splendour of an old-growth temperate
rain forest. West Coast wilderness awaits you at East
Sooke Regional Park. Experience it as you hike along the windswept
rocky coast, over dry hilltops, through dark rain forest to sheltered
coves.
If swimming is your thing, then be sure to visit Sooke
Potholes, a swimmers paradise. Just a 30 minute car ride beyond
the urban core, the Sooke potholes are one of the more popular swimming
spots in the capital region.
Avid
bird lovers will discover a feast for the eyes at Esquimalt
Lagoon, a saltwater lagoon and migratory bird sanctuary located
at the base of the Royal Roads property, next to the Fort Rodd Hill
/ Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites and offering an excellent
view across Esquimalt Harbour.  At
Fort Rodd Hill, visitors can
explore gun batteries and underground magazines built a century
ago, as well as searchlight emplacements, command posts...and much
more. Families often bring a picnic lunch and stay for a half a
day. While the kids investigate our tide pools, parents can enjoy
the spectacular sea and mountain views. The first lighthouse on
Canada's west coast, Fisgard
Lighthouse is still in operation, and is a National Historic
Site.
If
you're into hiking, you'll love the Juan
De Fuca Marine Trail, a 47 kilometer hiking trail stretching
along the western shoreline of southern Vancouver Island, Canada,
from China Beach, just west of the community of Jordan River and
extending to Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. Another good hiking
trail is The West Coast Trail,
the third unit of the Pacific Rim National Park, which includes
the section of coast southeast of Barkley Sound between the villages
of Bamfield and Port Renfrew.
Adjacent
to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in the Bilston Creek Watershed, lies
Witty's Lagoon Regional Park,
a harmonious blend of protected natural environments.
 On
the grounds of Hatley Park and Royal Roads University in Victoria,
you'll find Hatley Castle and
Hatley Gardens, and both are
worth a visit! The Castle was completed in 1908. From 1941 until
1943 when Grant Block was completed, the Castle served as dormitory
and mess hall for cadets and staff officers at Royal Roads Military
College.
Here
in the western communities of Victoria you can enjoy the natural
beauty and natural history that Victoria and southern Vancouver
Island are renowned for. We hope you will discover the diversity
and beauty that is Vancouver Island.
|
