Victoria Hiking Trails RatingBear Hill Regional Park is a nice hill trail, just north of Elk/Beaver Lake in Saanich.  It is an easy 2k hike to the summit where the views are sensational.  From the trailhead to the summit only takes about 20-30 minutes. High up on the Saanich Peninsula you can see the Gulf Islands and even the San Juan Islands in the United States.  The technically active, and alarmingly close volcano, Mount Baker in Washington State is very visible as well on a clear day.

  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsFantastic views to the ocean!
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsEasy, relaxing, rewarding hike
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsNext to Elk/Beaver Lake Park
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsStunning grove of Garry Oak trees
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsWilderness feel so close to the city
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsDog friendly & horse friendly!
  • Pro's Victoria Hiking TrailsUsually don't see other hikers
  • Victoria Hiking Con'sNice little hike, but not a lot to see
  • Victoria Hiking Con'sNeed a clear day to enjoy the view!
  • Victoria Hiking Con'sNot the most exciting hiking trail

Victoria Hiking Trails

  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailAvatar Grove  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailBear Hill  Easy Hiking TrailEast Sooke Park  Victoria Hiking TrailElk/Beaver Lake  Victoria Hiking TrailEsquimalt Lagoon  Easy Pay Hiking Trail VictoriaFort Rodd Hill  Easy Hiking TrailFrancis/King  Victoria Hiking TrailGalloping Goose  Easy Hiking TrailGoldstream Park  Easy Hiking TrailGowlland Tod  Easy Hiking TrailGrass Lake  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailJohn Dean Park  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailJuan de Fuca Trail  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailLone Tree Hill  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailMill Hill  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailMount Douglas  Easy Hiking TrailMount Tolmie  Easy Hiking TrailSooke Potholes  Victoria Hiking TrailSpectacle Lake  Easy Hiking TrailThetis Lake  Victoria Hiking TrailWitty's Lagoon  VictoriaVictoria  VictoriaAttractions  VictoriaEasy Hiking Trails  VictoriaModerate Trails  VictoriaChallenging Trails

Clayoquot Hiking Trails

  Easy Hiking TrailThe Big Tree Trail  Easy Hiking TrailHot Springs Cove  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailLone Cone  Easy Hiking TrailNuu Chah Nulth  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailRadar Beach  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailRadar Hill  Easy Hiking TrailVargas Island  Virgin Falls  Easy Hiking TrailWild Pacific Trail

The trail to Bear Hill is easy and runs through a beautiful forest of Douglas fir trees that lead to the unexpected grove of Garry oak trees at the summit.  The more you hike in Victoria, the more you notice these wonderful hiking trails to rocky hills/mountains.  From Bear Hill's 220 metre elevation you may be able to spot other, distant Victoria mountains.  If you look toward downtown Victoria you should be able to make out Mount Douglas and possibly Mount Tolmie.  Mount Finlayson in Goldstream Park should be visible on a clear day as well far off the right of Victoria.  Many Victoria mountains and hills have summit plaques that indicate the direction and names of visible summits.  Bear Hill, unfortunately doesn't, however, Mill Hill and Mount Finlayson do.  Bear Hill Regional Park connects with Elk and Beaver Lakes Regional Park making this small park into quite a larger area to hike.  A beautiful 10k trail runs around Elk and Beaver Lakes.  Take a look at the Bear Hill Regional Park map below for an idea of where the park is in relation to Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. It also shows the connecting trail to Elk and Beaver Lakes which then runs around these two beautiful Victoria lakes.  There are no facilities such as washrooms at Bear Hill Regional Park, however the nearby Elk/Beaver Lake Park has washrooms as well as food vendors and a variety of water sport rentals available much of the year.

Bear Hill Regional Park Map

Bear Hill Hike in Victoria

Bear Hill Hike in Victoria

Bear Hill Hike in Victoria

Directions to Bear Hill Regional Park

Directions to Bear HillIt is only 18 kilometres(11.2 miles) from downtown Victoria to the park and should take about 15-20 minutes to drive there.  Leaving downtown Victoria take the Pat Bay Highway north from Victoria (as if going to the Ferry Terminal), after about 13k take the Sayward Rd Exit, then left on Hamsterley Rd, then right on Brookleigh Rd, turn left again to stay of Brookleigh Rd, right on Oldfield Rd, then right again onto Bear Hill Rd, look for the trailhead sign for Bear Hill Regional Park.

Directions Map to Bear Hill

More Trails Near Bear Hill Regional Park

More Victoria Hiking Near Bear HillElk/Beaver Lake Park is one of many beautiful lakeside trails in Victoria.  From the convenient parking lot the trail is mostly flat, gravel or dirt, densely forested at times and runs around both Elk and Beaver Lakes to complete a 10k circuit.  The park is very popular for swimming, picnicking, windsurfing, boating, fishing and rowing.  Though it can get busy the large size of the park disperses people quite well.  If you are running here you will find the trails around the lake peaceful and quiet even if the sandy beaches are crowded and noisy.  Like other Regional Parks there are excellent toilet facilities at several points along this beautiful and relaxing trail.  The beautiful wilderness hiking trails in Francis/King Regional Park take you past massive, old-growth Douglas Fir trees.  Some estimated to be as old as 500 years and the Elsie King interpretive trail gives beautiful descriptions of the forest around you.  There are over 11 kilometres of trails in the park and some of them connect to the adjacent, Thetis Lake Regional Park.

Thetis Lake Hike in Victoria

Thetis Lake Regional Park then connects to the beautiful Mill Hill Regional Park, combining these three beautiful parks into one, massive, interconnected hiking paradise.  Francis King contains the massive old growth forest, Thetis the beautiful lakeside trails, and Mill Hill the wonderful mountain views out to the ocean around Victoria.  Gowlland Tod is a beautiful park running along the Saanich Inlet.  Accessible from Goldstream Park at one end and Brentwood Bay, near Buchart Gardens at the other.  From beautiful ocean views of the inlet to wonderful mountain views from Mount Work, this park has a great variety of characteristically Victoria hiking.  Mount Work is a popular hiking trail in Gowlland Tod and the most challenging trail at 5k from trailhead to summit.

Gowlland Tod Hike in Victoria

Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is quite large, spread out and the trails so varied, that you feel far from the city.  The trails and views to and along Finlayson Arm are amazing and breathtakingly serene.  An amazing park, so convenient to Victoria.  And much like most other Victoria area parks, astoundingly quiet and wild.  Naturally peaceful and astoundingly beautiful.  Lone Tree Hill Regional Park has a beautiful panoramic view from its summit.  The hike is fairly short and relaxing at just 1.6k trailhead to summit.  Expect to hike for under 30 minutes to reach the viewpoint.  The views for such a short hike are quite amazing.  You can see the distant Malahat, Victoria as well as the very distant Olympic Mountains in the US.  Dogs are welcome in the park, however, bikes, camping and fires are not.  From Victoria take Douglas Street and continue to the Trans Canada Highway, after 12k take exit 14 toward Langford/Sooke/Highlands, keep right at the fork and follow the signs for Millstream Rd N, after 8.2k look for the Lone Tree Hill Regional Park sign on your right.  Mill Hill Regional Park is a well hidden though wonderfully short hike to amazing views of Victoria, Esquimalt and the Western Communities.  The hike is only 15 minutes to the summit with a branching trail that leads to Thetis Lake Regional Park.

Mill Hill Hike in Victoria

This is a remarkably seldom hiked park in Victoria.  It is rare to see anyone on the trail or at the beautiful summit.  The views are amazing.  What makes them even more amazing is that the views look as though you are on a much higher mountain than the small and short hike that brought you to this great summit.  The hike is only 15 minutes to the summit with a branching trail that leads to Thetis Lake Regional ParkMount Douglas or Mount Doug as it's locally known is a remarkably easily accessible park with both 360 degree mountain views as well as a beautiful beach.  The beach and mountain are connected both by trails and roads allowing for a quick and beautiful visit by car or a longer, interesting and varied hike on foot among the huge Douglas Fir and Cedar trees.  Parking is available in four areas.  At the summit of Mount Doug (accessible by car only after 12pm daily), near the shores of Cordova Bay, at the gate, at the base of the road to the peak as well as further along the park at Glendenning Road. Among the spider web of trails on Mount Doug there is quite an amazing cave.  Long abandoned from the old mining days it runs nearly 20 metres from the tiny entrance.  Don't forget to bring a flashlight. Mount Tolmie is another beautiful, easily accessed mountain in Victoria with 360 degree views.  On a clear day you can spot Mount Baker far off in the distance in the US.  There are some short trails and a huge, flat topped water reservoir to walk on.  Mount Tolmie is located near the University of Victoria, Oak Bay and Beach Drive.

Mount Tolmie Hike in Victoria

Victoria Hiking Trails

  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailAvatar Grove  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailBear Hill  Easy Hiking TrailEast Sooke Park  Victoria Hiking TrailElk/Beaver Lake  Victoria Hiking TrailEsquimalt Lagoon  Easy Pay Hiking Trail VictoriaFort Rodd Hill  Easy Hiking TrailFrancis/King  Victoria Hiking TrailGalloping Goose  Easy Hiking TrailGoldstream Park  Easy Hiking TrailGowlland Tod  Easy Hiking TrailGrass Lake  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailJohn Dean Park  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailJuan de Fuca Trail  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailLone Tree Hill  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailMill Hill  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailMount Douglas  Easy Hiking TrailMount Tolmie  Easy Hiking TrailSooke Potholes  Victoria Hiking TrailSpectacle Lake  Easy Hiking TrailThetis Lake  Victoria Hiking TrailWitty's Lagoon  VictoriaVictoria  VictoriaAttractions  VictoriaEasy Hiking Trails  VictoriaModerate Trails  VictoriaChallenging Trails

Clayoquot Hiking Trails

  Easy Hiking TrailThe Big Tree Trail  Easy Hiking TrailHot Springs Cove  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailLone Cone  Easy Hiking TrailNuu Chah Nulth  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailRadar Beach  Steep, Dog Friendly TrailRadar Hill  Easy Hiking TrailVargas Island  Virgin Falls  Easy Hiking TrailWild Pacific Trail

Sooke is a wonderful coastal town with amazingly deep and beautiful forests, lakes and rivers.  The Sooke Potholes is an extraordinary example of this.  Over ...
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Mill Hill Regional Park is a well hidden though wonderfully short hike to amazing views of Victoria, Esquimalt and the Western Communities.  The hike is ...
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Bear Hill Regional Park is a nice hill trail, just north of Elk/Beaver Lake in Saanich.  It is an easy 2k hike to the summit where the views are ...
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Grass Lake(aka Grasse Lake or Grassie Lake) is a moderately difficult trail to a beautifully remote lake far in the wilderness of Sooke.  Popular for ...
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Lone Cone is the wonderful cone shaped mountain that dominates the skyline in Tofino.  It is just 6k from Tofino on the north-western end of Meares Island.  ...
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Vargas Island Provincial Park is a popular hiking, camping and kayaking destination due to its great location close to Tofino.  It has wonderful, ...
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Radar Hill is definitely one of the Tofino sights not to be missed.  It's a quick and easy walk to the top and the views are beautiful.   Definitely one of ...
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At 53 metres, Virgin Falls is quite an impressive sight.  You walk through the short, two minute forest trail to reach it and it fills your view.  It is ...
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