This lake is a nice lake and meadow right in the city. It a nice walk around the lake with nice…read morescenic meadows and birds. Even though it's called Swan Lake, there are no swans but a variety of birds are around. I walked around the trail and didn't see any birds besides robins but I'm sure if we sat on the various benches around, we would have saw more. The lake has a few docks a bridges. The lake has cute ducks swimming and I didn't see any fishes. The lake had a lot of green algae and it was pretty thick around certain places. The ducks were swimming in it and seems perfectly fine. It was still kind of gross... There's a Nature House that is close to the parking lot. In the Nature House you'll find a gift shop and a few stuffed animals there. There are two educational classrooms that you can sign up for classes.

I think that Swan Lake is a lovely location for a walk, and with Spring here and the beautiful…read moreweather coming back, I highly recommend going to check it out. There are times when the path becomes tunnel-like under the trees and it really helps to fully immerse yourself in the beauty that the nature in Victoria has to offer. Plus, there are lovely bridges and wooden peninsulas so you can look out at the water from a bit closer. Despite its name, I didn't see any swans, but there was a quite large amount of ducks when I was there. And, as I have to sadly admit, there was also a large number of dead fish in the water. I believe the excess amount of algae in the water is to blame, however, I can imagine that the litter I saw occasionally strewn about the pathway doesn't help. Due to this, there is a bit of a stench when you're right above the water, which really put me off from lingering too long by the water. The surrounding greenery, however, was still as stunning and pleasing to the nose as you'd expect. I'll be going back soon for another stroll and hopefully, the stench has cleared up a bit by now.

Super busy park - when I went last month, it was difficult to find parking on the south end of the…read morepark. There are two entrances so maybe the north end was better? Anyway, I went to Goldstream Falls and saw a huge group of salmon trying to jump up the falls. I'm not sure if any of them made it as it's very tall... The hike took a leisurely one hour, with the steepest part being right before the falls as there is a staircase leading down to the falls. There are huge trees and cool-looking fungi that dot alongside the trail. The trail follows the stream for a good bit so you hear the bubbling stream. The toilets are the composting/septic tank toilets without water, so be prepared. I wanted to go to Niagara Falls, but ran out of time. Maybe next time! At the time of this review, it looks like the trail to Niagara Falls is washed out and so inaccessible.

Beautiful! Maps made…read moreus drive an extra 5 miles when it was unnecessary, but we parked right off of 1 south in a tiny pull off (no official parking lot or even signs) and it was less than a 5 min walk to the falls. Just beautiful.

Gorgeous park. Such a lovely place to hike - or just sit. We saw a regatta when we visited.read more

Uplands Park is a series of trails overlooking the water right next to Willows Beach. The area…read morefeatures scenic views that cannot be beat. There are also deer,and rabbits in the area. The trails are not wheelchair accesible since there are stairs and plenty of steep rocks. Great place to paint, draw, hike, or picnic as you sit on the rocks over looking the water. Just make sure the sea gulls don't steal your food!

This place is nothing short of breath-taking. Why? So scenic, and you don't have to break the…read morebody to get to it. What I mean by that is this. I fully expected to hike a fair distance to see the best of the best. But a good Samaritan took pity on me whilst looking at the map in the parking lot and gave me some valuable advice. He was there with his wife about to embark on some serious hiking from what I could see. Why was it valuable advice? Because the map was like trying to decipher a rubics cube. This man took all the guesswork away and cut to the chase to what I'm calling the Sweet Spot for viewing. Start at P lot 3, go to the end of the p lot to find the entrance of a trail. Go to the right to get on the trail, and veer for routes to the left, which are closest to the water. You will come to spectacular views of the potholes; high above, so be careful. There are no fences or ropes, so I can not stress more. Be uber careful. But so beautiful. And so much joy for so little work. Meaning I didn't have to walk far to be so richly rewarded. These pics are what I took, but do not do the experience justice. They don't show depth. You just gotta go and experience it for yourself. If I ever see that man again, I'd buy him a bottle of wine. He was a Godsend. I guess the best I can do now not knowing who he was, is a big fat thank you here. And hope he's a Yelper.

This place is super confusing!! I wish this park was labeled a bit more cause it was hard to find…read morepotholes that you can actually swim in! First off, please park on lot #2 for best route to the potholes. When you're there, head to Peddle Beach for a small peddle beach. You see a pothole that folks can lay around and swim in. You will see another trail that leads to the potholes. It's about a two minute walk to the what you'll see in my pictures. To the potholes, there are one or two other potholes too you can swim in. In my pictures, that's the place you want to go to. In there, there are rocks for to camp up at and you can swim In the shallow ends or in the deep ends. There are multiple holes that are available for you to pick from. The hard part is walking on the rock formulation cause it can hurt a bit and can be slippery cause of the water. And the water is COLD! But of course, when you're in, you'll be fine. You can walk around the trail, I don't remember the name, I think it was Water Trail? But it's just a trail for hikers. There is a PotHoles View Point and it is just to view these rapid potholes. There were some teenagers that said that you can hope the fence to go down. It look super sketchy, so we didn't go down with them. You can't really float down there given how rapid the water was going. When you first get into the park, there is an initial parking lot that doesn't require you to pay. You can swim and lay around there too. We noticed that it's mainly for kids so it can get crowded. Parking was pretty crowded when we leave, so get there early to avoid walking too far. Parking lot is $2.25 until sunset. It was a great park but so confusing!! Most of the people that we talked about the way were just as confused.

Pretty clean and cute lake. I will definitely recommend the stop when traveling from or to…read moreVictoria, BC, as it is a very nice and well-kept Lake.

Amazing park that is an easy find, right off of the 17…read more After my husband and I arrived into Victoria by ferry from Washington this morning, we just happened to pass this park and decided to stop by and take our little girl dog for a walk (yes we are that couple that travels with their pets). We were surprised that there was no entry fee for such a beautiful park. So much greenery, this park encompasses a large lake and has a trail that loops around it (rather a very long trail). The lake can be used for those interested in swimming, rowing, paddle boarding, fishing and canoeing. The trails that surround the lake are open to hikers, dogs (off leash is allowed), cyclists and horse back riders. Just be aware that since these trails are shared with horses, be very careful where you walk because riders do not typically pick up after their animals (although there are a few signs around that remind pet owners to pick after their dogs). The trail we were on was mostly shaded and had some great look out points with beautiful backdrops of the lake and Mother Nature at her finest. You can easily spend an entire day here. There are a few restrooms available at this regional park. Plentiful parking and friendly locals walling the trails. Definitely a must to visit if you are in the area, especially if you are with your little one(s) (4 legged or human, there is a playground here for the human kind and a few picnic tables).

This is a beautiful park that overlooks the water. On a clear day, you can see Mount Baker off in…read morethe distance. There's a whole bunch of benches for you to gaze into the water so you're never fighting for a seat. There is ample parking, and a boat ramp right off the parking lot. It was not busy at all when I went, although I did visit in the autumn so it's not exactly prime boating season. There were still people in the water though. The only drawback I would say is that they only have portable toilets/porta-potties from what I could see, with no running water. There's a neat little nature area near the cliffs with some areas closed and fenced off to protect the vernal pools. If you didn't know (I certainly didn't!), these seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. There are a bunch of rare plants in these pools, so the goal is to avoid stepping on them. Overall, this is a peaceful place and a great way to enjoy the outdoors. This is also a pretty popular spot for stargazing, since artificial lighting is strictly controlled.

it was not on our primary itinerary. But on plan B. Having more time on hand we decided to take our…read morekid there so he could see farm animals and peacocks. It truly is amazing park. Very similar to Golden Gate but still very different. The ey don't charge fees but there is suggested fee ($7 for adults $6 for kids. Or you can donate Howe much ever you like. The farm animals and specially petting goats was the best experience. We saw many peacocks and peahens roaming freely. The ducks and geese in all the ponds were keeping children's entertained. They have multiple pathways and trails to walk or bike. We visited two of the children's playgrounds on two different days. Definitely plenty of parking all over. If you have little ones definitely recommend to visit to have their play time. It also is mini Butchart gardens if you missed the real one.

A huge public resource to the area; lots of manicured lawns and plants and wildlife surprisingly…read more We saw deer, heron, ducks, geese, and for some reason, peacocks. Fairly large sized area for walking as well.

Mount Douglas Park and renamed the indigenous peoples name, Pkols is a beautiful park that a…read morerelative of mine recommended to our group of four. We drove to the top and took in the beautiful view near the parking lot which you can get a view of Victoria and the Straight of Juan De Fuca. We then proceeded up a trail that took us even higher and got a breathtaking panoramic view of the surrounding area of Vancouver Island. Entrance is free so it's definitely worth pursuing as far as sightseeing goes. Where we went to the top it's a manageable trail that you can do in casual shoes but if you want to climb up rocky trails it's probably best to have more rugged hiking shoes. At any rate this is a "must stop" while exploring the Victoria area.

Get your nature fix here in the Victoria area. There's easy hiking trails through the forest and a…read morenice little beach as well. The park is well maintained, with free parking, bathrooms, and even some EV charging stations. In no time you'll be refreshed and ready to face the city again.