Victoria is home to a large number of beautiful parks and places in nature that are free to visit. Below are some of the city’s best and most popular.

Victoria’s Parks

• Beacon Hill Park – Victoria’s large world-famous park that’s located just a short distance from downtown. Beacon Hill Park has duck ponds, children’s play areas, a petting zoo in the summer, flower gardens, walking trails and a beach. Except for the petting zoo, most things at the park are free and the entire place is highly recommended.
• Mount Doug Park – a mountain in the northeast corner of the city with walking trails, a rocky beach and the best views of the ocean and surrounding area.
• Mount Tolmie – a popular mountain with walking trails and stunning views of the city.
• Willows Beach – a long sandy beach in the Oak Bay neighbourhood of Victoria.
• Thetis Lake Regional Park – a small lake with a beach surrounded by forest and walking trails.
• Elk Lake and Beaver Lake – a large lake and a smaller one with beaches and forested trails.

Other Parks in the Region

National, provincial and regional parks further from town include the following:

• Goldstream Provincial Park – a beautiful forested park with a river that’s famous for its salmon runs in autumn.
• French Beach Provincial Park – a rugged park on the ocean with a beach and hiking trails.
• Juan de Fuca Provincial Park – a park that includes China Beach and the Juan de Fuca Trail which is a hiking trail all the way to Port Renfrew.
• Gulf Islands National Park Reserve – national parkland on beautiful islands accessible by boat, including Mayne and Pender.
• SMONEĆTEN Campground – not the same type of park as most of the rest on this list, but it’s a great campground operated by Parks Canada.
• Sooke Potholes Provincial Park – a park with a river with natural pools that are popular in the summer.
• Sidney Island – an island close to Victoria with Gulf Islands National Park Reserve land that’s accessible by private boat or Sidney Spit Ferry.
• East Sooke Regional Park – a forested park near Sooke.
• Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park – a park with a natural lagoon and walking trails in Metchosin.

Other Information

Other articles that might be of interest include the following:

• Gardens in Victoria
• Greater Victoria Campgrounds
• Victoria’s Top Attractions
• The A to Z’s Glossary of Victoria

For the next time you are in the Vancouver area and wanting to explore similar places, check out Lower Mainland Parks & Nature on the website VancouversBestPlaces.com.