July 2021
Craving a get-away now that travel is allowed, we chose to take advantage of the BC Ferries Vacation package to Sooke, BC. It is great to explore a new (to me) area of Vancouver Island.
We arrived at Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal early, so we were able to just barely fit on an earlier sailing. Sailing was smooth and sunny.
Since we were too early to check into our hotel, we had lunch at Route 14 Bistro. Great food, friendly service. Then it was off to the tourist info centre to gather some information about the Sooke Potholes.
It’s a short drive to the area. We chose to follow the Galloping Goose Trail (from Parking Lot 3) to the Todd Creek Trestle. It has recently been restored. The rock formation was interesting. I saw a puffin face…maybe you’ll see something else!
We wandered back up the hill on the river side to catch some views of the potholes. The young people on the rocks below were enjoying the day (and I’m pretty sure had climbed over a tall chain link fence to get to this section of the river). The potholes are a popular place during the hot summer weather.
We stayed at the Prestige Resort on the harbour. Our room was ocean-facing, with a large balcony to take in the sights. I loved sitting out there in the morning with my coffee, watching the seals, deer and fishermen launching their boats. It was quite entertaining! The coffee bar served great coffees and we enjoyed a breakfast and dinner in the restaurant. Excellent meals.
We spent the next two days exploring the coast along Highway 14 between Sooke and Port Renfrew. Here’s some of the highlights.
Whiffen Spit (5 minutes from Sooke)
It’s a short flat walk, popular with dog-walkers and locals. Lots of driftwood and amazing views of Sooke Harbour and the Straight of Juan de Fuca. Apparently this is a great place to storm watch!
Shirley (about 15 minutes from Sooke)
Three things about Shirley, and two of them are food-related. For excellent breakfasts, coffee, pastries (and I am sure other food), this is the place. It’s very popular! And just down the road is Stoked for wood fired pizza. Can personally attest that both are excellent.
If you follow the road behind Shirley Delicous, you can access the lighthouse at Sheringham Point. This part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca has seen hundreds of shipwrecks in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is know as the “graveyard of the Pacific”. The lighthouse has recently been refurbished. Beautiful views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Peninsula. It’s a short walk downhill to the lighthouse.
Beaches along Hwy 14th
So many beaches! We picked 4 to visit during two drives to Port Renfrew, once for a day trip and another on our final day continuing to Lake Cowichan, Duncan and finally Swartz Bay after a visit to the Malahat Skywalk – more on that later.
Sandcut Beach (Jordan River)
Small parking lot, but you can park on the side of the road. A beautiful short walk through the trees where you come out to a 3.5 km stone and pebble beach. Heading left, you will find a sandstone wall with one or two waterfalls. We were there during the hot weather, so the falls were small. Further along in the sandstone walls, many smooth, flat beach rocks have been placed and stacked, making an interesting mural. A great beach for families…and dogs!
China Beach
In my opinion, this is the most beautiful beach along Hwy 14. Lots of sand and would be great to make sandcastles. At the north end of the beach you can walk a trail to Mystic Beach (part of the San Juan Trail system). The trail down from the parking lot has some steep stairs towards the end, so if you have bad knees, just take it slow. There’s a campsite on the north end of the beach.
Sombrio Beach
We missed the turn-off on the way to Port Renfrew, but found it on the way back to Sooke. It’s a Forest Service Road with lots of potholes on the way down. It’s probably only a km to the parking lot, but it felt much longer to us! The trail to the beach felt longer than the posted distance of 1/2 km. Where the trail branched, we took the path to the right and walked over a suspension bridge. The trail from there was narrow and a little rooty, but manageable. The beach was quite rocky at that end. I understand the path to the right leads to a sandier beach and that part is popular with surfers – in the fall, winter and spring. I thought we might see some! There are two rustic campgrounds at Sombrio which seem to be quite popular.
Botanical Beach (Port Renfrew)
Miles and miles of tidal pools to be explored at low tide. I think we went to the wrong bay first…it was a little more difficult walking on the rocks. However the cool forest trail between the two beaches was amazing. Definitely on the list to come back to and spend a good portion of the day.
Port Renfrew
We had a great lunch at the Port Renfrew Pub – rock cod and chips. I had a local beer and Craig was surprised to see his favourite no-alcohol beer, Partake which is brewed in Ontario. A short walk on the pier afterwards where we found some amusing COVID signs and some great little cottages right on the beach. That info was filed away for future reference.
Fairy Lake
I have seen many pictures of a bonsai-like tree growing out of a small lake just outside of Port Renfrew. On our drive through on our last day on the Island, we found it. Here’s a couple of shots, one showing the lovely beach in the background and one edited for drama. The campground and beach is a popular place during the summer.
Other Island Adventures
Craig participated in quite a bit of walking (which I love to do). On the beaches, through forested trails, up and down hills. I asked him what he would like to do during our 4 days. He had three requests: whale watching, ziplining and the Malahat Skywalk. I think he was quite surprised when I booked a zipling afternoon. I do have a fear of heights at times.
Adrena Line Ziplining (Sooke)
Have to admit, I wondered what I was getting myself in to.
We joined two families with young kids and headed up the hill. The first one was pretty good. I thought to myself, I can handle this! Little did I know that it was a practice run. There were 8 ziplines and one suspension bridge and it was a blast. Only one time was I scared. One of the platforms was on a very tall tree swaying in the wind. Then other trees started swaying and a little bit of vertigo set in. I hugged the tree (and got pitch all over me). I greatly enjoyed the day…and the beer at the pub next door to the Adrena Line office after! Our guides were amazing! Highly recommended as an activity in Sooke. Adrena Line
Malahat Skywalk
This newly-opened attraction is located between Duncan and Victoria on the Malahat Hwy. It can be a little tricky as there are no left turns to the facility. Pay attention to the directive signs to use the designated U-turns depending on which direction you are coming from.
This is quite the architectural structure. From the ticket booth, you walk along the skywalk amongst the tree tops where you see the beautiful arbutus trees. The structure itself is easily walkable with a gentle slope. And the views are beautiful – in all directions. The top of the structure is 250m above sea level. The structure itself is 35m tall.
At the top you can bounce on the Adventure Net (if you want). I declined this feature and chose to drink in the scenery instead. Craig did some jumping.
You have three choices to get down… walk down the same way you walked up, walk down the metal spiral staircase in the middle, or take the 165m slide. I meandered my way down and Craig chose the slide (it was about a 20 minute wait).
Certainly an enjoyable experience. For any who would like to do this more than once in a year, the annual membership is definitely worth it.
Post Trip View
Such a fun 4 days. We were very happy with booking the trip through BC Ferries Vacations, and there are many other options for accommodations in and around Sooke including dozens of B&B’s and AirBnb’s. Hope to return for further exploration in the future…maybe some storm watching!
Looking forward to our next adventure – Campbell River, Port Hardy, ferry to Prince Rupert, Terrace, Smithers and more…
