Outlying Communities, Victoria

There are mzny great hiking trails in Victoria and all over Vancouver Island. You can go for an Easy stroll, a Day Hike or an Overnight Hike.
Easy Stroll
If you park anywhere along the inner harbour from James bay, Ogden point to Esqimalt (Head Street) You can enjoy a nice stroll next to the ocean that is easy to access and easy to leave so you can walk for 5 minutes or 5 hours.
The Galloping Goose is a 70 Km trail which was a train track at some point in time. No it is an easy walk whick you can access at many points and will take you from Victoria to Sooke. There is no camping along this trail so it is a good idea toplan whick part you want to hike. From Metchosin to Sooke the Trail has the most Nature and is the most quiet.
You can also take a nice stroll Along The Breakwater at Ogden Point in James Bay or at Wiffin Spit in Sooke.
Thetis Lake has a trail that takes about 1 hour and goes through the woods around the lake and there are some nice trails at Beaver and Elk lake as well.

Chemainus, tucked in the heartland of the Cowichan Valley, was once primarily a mill town, and home to the largest covered-in sawmill in North America.
Today it is known world-wide as the world's largest outdoor art gallery
In 1982, the North Cowichan council initiated a downtown revitalization project to give a fresh new look to a tired main street in Chemainus.
Businessman and Chemainus resident, Karl Schutz, came up with the concept of painting history on the walls of Chemainus.
Today, there are 33 murals painted on the downtown business walls.
The paintings are images of real people, and life in the early years.

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In the early years, water pipes in the Pacific Northwest were made of wood. Naturally, these decayed over time, and were replaced with various other materials, depending on the age in which they were replaced.

Victoria is one of the few places that preserved one of these water pipes for public display to show how things worked in the old days.

The pipe, though probably more worthy of inclusion in the Royal BC Museum is displayed outdoors along the Galloping Goose Trail, just north of the bridge over Gorge Waters.

The first hollowed out log type pipe started to be used in the 1850s, and Victoria installed its first iron pipe in 1874. For a time, the type of pipe displayed here - essentially extremely long barrel slats held together by a tight spiral cable and the water pressure inside pushing against it - were used as well.

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Located on the Galloping Goose Trail, this impressive mural take up the entire underside of the arch bridge where Gorge Road East passes over the trail. The artwork can only be seen from the trail as it passes under the bridge.

No photograph can possibly do justice to this mural, as there is no way to photograph the entire thing. It is at an eccentric angle no matter what point you view it, and from one side it hides the view of the person on the other side.

The scene echos the Creation of Adam scene on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, though obviously in a much different context. Here, the mural seems a bit more romantic, and perhaps more an expression of wonder as two completely different people touch eachother for the first time. Bridging Cultures? Bridging Genders? Bridging the differences between any two individuals? I will let you interpret the artwork for yourself.

The art work is featured on the Victoria Public Art Database. For more information on that, please see my tip about Victoria Public Art and its Public Art Database.

My tip is located at
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/20b1f7/
The Victoria Database of Public Art is located at
http://www.landmarkspublicart.ca/

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Most of the time, large heavy industrial properties are at best wary of having people watch their activities, and certainly would not think of constructing a viewpoint for passers by to observe their every move - and maybe even (horrors!) photograph their activities.

This is not the case at teh Point Hope Maritime ship yard on the west side of Victoria. Here, while there is a fence to prevent passers by from getting too close to the ship building and repairing facilities, there is a small viewpoint and benches (with cupholders even!) for those who wish to sit and observe the activities of the ship yard.

An unusual feature of the ship yard is the huge turntable - similar to what is found on railways, but built to take much heavier loads - and a very broad gauge railway for moving the ships around on land. According to the plaque on the viewpoint, the turntable has a capacity of 1200 long tons (1344 USA tons), and was completed in 2006.

The location is along Harbour Road slightly north of its intersection with Esquimalt Road.

One of the decorations here is also an old Newel Post from the old Victoria Saint Mary's Hospital, which currently has a sundial mounted on its top.

Historical plaques give the brief history of ship building at this point, going back to 1873, and is considered the longest active shipyard site in the province of British Columbia. The plaques also give some data about the huge turntable and railway system for moving the ships.

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Otherwise known as Sidney-by -the -Sea...this tranquil little sea side community is another little hideout where one can explore some of the beauty of Vancouver Island...beautiful shoreline walkways...pretty little parks, a busy marina,picturesque scenery,some pretty good restaurants,and a really easy pace of life..

Sidney is a fairly newly developed town....only being incorporated as a "town" in 1967...the population is only about 11,000 people and its really considered a "retirement" community...however it has become more and more an alternative to Victoria for accommodation as its location is fairly close to Butchart Gardens,the airport,and Schwartz Bay Ferry terminal...

Sidney is on the Saanich Penninsula about a thirty minute drive North from Victoria and just a few minutes South of the Schwartz Bay Ferry Terminal....you'll drive right by it on the Pat Bay Highway if you might be coming or going to the ferry to or from Vancouver..its well worth a detour here to have a look

Most of the time that I have spent in or around Sidney has been related to kayaking...and of course this is the closest community to the Victoria airport [YYJ].There is also a Washington State ferry that runs between here and Anacortes Island and Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington State.

Sidney is also where you can get a water "taxi" to take you over to Sidney Spit...a Provincial Park that has some great beaches and some little trails for hiking.....at the end of Beacon Avenue is the wharf where you can find the ticket office and "taxi" departure and arrival point.
Here at the same wharf you will find a Fish Market building and a small restaurant called the Pier Bistro where you can also book harbor and wildlife tours [seals I'm guessing].

Sidney is a cute little town...if you detour here for an afternoon I'm sure you'll be happy that you did!

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If you've found Brentwood Bay you might want to give this little hole in the wall spot a look see...its set at water level close to the dock of the Mill Bay Ferry...

The Seahorse is definitely all about ambiance and views...I cant speak for the food...we didn't eat here....we stopped here for coffees after a walk on a rainy day at Island View Beach...about a fifteen minute drive from here...To access the cafe...you must walk down an inclined ramp down to wharf level where you'll find the entrance to the place..On a sunny day there are outdoor tables with umbrellas that you can enjoy sitting outside under... or when you walk indoors you'll find that the walls in the dining area are floor to ceiling windows so you can see the comings and goings of the wharf area...

We enjoyed the setting...essentially on a floating platform attached to the docks at Brentwood Bay...

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Brentwood Bay is just a short thirty minute drive North of Victoria about half way up the Saanich Peninsula...essentially a suburb of Victoria,this little community offers restaurants,a marina and some amazing views of the Saanich Inlet.This is the home port of the Mill Bay ferry.. a small vehicle and passenger ferry that goes back and forth to Mill Bay...a twenty five minute trip across the Sannich Inlet.The Victoria Butterfly Gardens and the Brentwood Bay Lodge & Spa are also attractions that are close by..

Close to the ferry dock [no terminal here]..really its just a tiny ferry...you can walk a short and picturesque trail that starts just beside the Seahorse Cafe called Saunders Lane...or if you want to get out on the water....you can rent kayaks here as well...

We stopped for a coffee at the Seahorse Cafe...a nice little waterfront pub that offers up some great views of the ferry coming and going as well as the shoreline across the Inlet..

Butchart Gardens is also just a short drive from Brentwood Bay so if maybe you're exploring Butchart Gardens without a tour this might be an ideal spot to get away from the crowds and enjoy some quiet time..

If you're interested in a change of pace and really looking to slow it down for an afternoon I would highly recommend taking the trip out to Brentwood Bay..I think you'll be glad that you checked it out...

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This gorgeous provincial park is approx. 25 min. drive North from downtown Victoria. There are numerous hiking trails and if you go at the end of October, early November you can observe the salmon spawning. The park isn't just on one side of the highway you can walk across the highway via an tunnel and there in only a 2 min. walk you will see a beautiful small waterfall. You can hike up behind the waterfall to a train trestle (takes approx. 30 mins.). If you aren't afraid of heights or getting run over by a train you can walk out into the middle of the train trestle and have a great view. On this side of the highway there is also a trail to an old mining tunnel. There are maps throughout the park to show you where you are and what trails are available. Be sure to check out my many photos.

Important details:
Parking is $3 in the lots but if you park on the highway it is free; just be careful because of the traffic whizzing by. There is a visitor centre which often offers free educational programs. There are picnic tables, firepits and washrooms.

CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum is located at Naden on Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt. The museum exhibits focus on Canada’s Navy on the West Coast, The Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC), The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), The West Coast Defences. There are also excellent displays on the former military college at Royal Roads and a well presented room of medals.

In addition to exhibits and displays, the museum houses an expanding archive and library that includes thousands of photographs and documents, histories of Canadian naval vessels, navigation charts, biographies of important leaders in the Royal Canadian Navy, and copies of the Navy List, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, and Jane's Fighting Ships.

The building housing the museum is something of a museum piece in itself, having been part of a complex of buildings originally constructed as a hospital for the Royal Navy's Pacific base in Esquimalt.

The museum is open from 10 - 3:30 on weekdays and is closed on weekends. Admission is a deal at $2 Cdn. Being located on an operational military site you must remember to bring picture ID.