Beacon Hill Park

A green headland on Victoria's southern shore holds both the city's favourite park and the zero point of the Trans-Canada Highway. Beacon Hill Park covers roughly 200 acres between downtown and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and it has been a public park since the 1880s, when the land was set aside by the city. The name comes from the low hill at its heart, where beacons were once set to guide sailors, and the park lies within the traditional territory of the Lekwungen peoples, who gathered camas bulbs on its open meadows for generations.

The setting combines a gentle landscape with ocean views. Ponds and lakes, among them Goodacre Lake, are fringed with willows and reeds and visited by ducks, herons and swans, while peacocks wander the grounds, a surprise for first-time visitors. Gnarled Garry Oaks, the signature tree of southern Vancouver Island, stand on rocky outcrops, and in spring the meadows below them are carpeted with blue camas and other wildflowers. Cliffs along Dallas Road look south across the strait toward the snowcapped Olympic Mountains of Washington State, and the shoreline walk is a favourite for dog walkers and joggers.

Visitors will find several features reward a visit. A tall totem pole, carved by Kwakwaka'wakw master Mungo Martin in the 1950s and raised in 1956, stands near the park's eastern side, and at its height it was billed as the tallest of its kind in the world. Nearby, a marker at Mile 0 notes the western end of the Trans-Canada Highway, close to a memorial recalling Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope. The Cameron Bandshell hosts summer concerts, there are lawn bowling greens and cricket grounds, and a children's farm lets younger visitors meet goats, rabbits and other animals. A wading pool and playground add to the family appeal.

The park is a pleasant walk from the Inner Harbour, about fifteen minutes along Douglas Street, and it is free to enter. Gates and facility hours vary, so check with the City of Victoria before planning an evening visit. Paths are mostly level with some gentle slopes up the hill.

Pack a picnic, wander the pond paths and finish at the cliffs for sunset. The park suits families, walkers and photographers, and it pairs easily with a stroll to the Inner Harbour or a ride on the double-decker bus.