Swan Lake Parking - Victoria

Great place for a short 2.5 km walk around the lake, right in the heart of Victoria. Lots of benches along the path where one can take a rest and enjoy the nature.

Whenever I visit Victoria and Saanich, I make sure to visit Swan Lake everytime. Nice trails, lots of birds variety. Love the walk across the lake. Definitely a hidden gem worth visiting.

The parking lot can be busy at times so be prepared for that. The Nature House and trails are excellent. Good place for school programs.

Small lakes and dry bogs. The path around the lake is smooth and easy to hike. There are natural house. Suitable for walking and playing with children.

We did a lot of geocaching around the lake with the kids. We had a blast until we came to the end of the path that had been flooded and we had to find a new route around... BUT we found a beautiful owl above the flooded path so definitely worth the walk ?

Hey. It is important to note this location is not a mere parking spot. In fact, my friends and I either took the bus or walked to the Uptown area of Victoria. We have all lived here a long time. That said, I have never visited the Swan Lake Park and Nature Sanctuary in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada until today. We walked between two major motor vehicle roads to access the loop trail around the Lake. It was immediately more peaceful and pleasant. There are many trees and trails. The trails were not to muddy. Some of them, especially from the Parking Lot, are wheelchair accessible. What amazed me was that there is a floating pedestrian walkway across the Lake, with frequent viewpoints. We arrived five minutes too late to access the Nature House, first contact from the parking lot. So we missed out on accessing the flush toilets in the building because it closed at 4 pm today. We made do. Further down the trail, we came into a sunny spot. Birds are so plentiful here. We saw scattered ducks throughout the wetlands surrounding the Lake. We saw Canada Geese both mating and brooding on nests of eggs. Perhaps, most special of all was the Juvenile Bald Eagle we encountered. Previously, we had observed the Parent eagle flying around above the Lake and wetlands. Here is a picture. Of the Bird and the Wetland (s.) Please note this place is entirely surrounded by the con-urbation confluence of Victoria City, and Saanich Municipality. Just outside the perimeter of the park are residences and frequently traveled arterial roads.

This place have trail to walk. It has long bridge on the right trail. Image 1. And there is another spot where some people would go fishing. Image 2. Peaceful environment.

A beautiful place to walk or bird watch. Takes about 45 - 50 minutes to do the circular route. The new bridge is very safe, skid-proof material. The Nature House just off the parking lot has exhibits, information, some items for sale. Most of the route is quite easy, with one small hill at the far side.