Five Day Hikes on the Saanich Peninsula
None of these hikes will exhaust you. The longest is maybe two hours, the shortest could be done in a lunch break. What they offer is forest, coastal views, and the chance to stand on a hilltop and look out over the peninsula without driving to the interior of the island.
1. Mount Newton via the Summit Trail
John Dean Provincial Park sits on top of Mount Newton, the peninsula’s high point. The Summit Trail from the main parking lot on Dean Park Road gains about 100 metres over roughly a kilometre. At the top, a clearing opens to the east and south with views across Haro Strait to the San Juan Islands and, on sharp mornings, Mount Baker.
The trail passes through mixed Douglas fir and Garry oak forest. In spring, the meadows near the summit fill with wildflowers: camas, chocolate lily, and shooting star. In fall, the bigleaf maples along the lower sections turn gold.
Round trip: 45 minutes to an hour.
2. Lone Tree Hill loop
Lone Tree Hill Regional Park is a small, newer park on the western side of the peninsula above the Saanich Inlet. The trail climbs through arbutus and oak to a rocky summit with views across the inlet to the Malahat.
The loop trail circles the hill and takes about thirty minutes. The arbutus trees here are some of the finest on the peninsula, with their smooth cinnamon bark and twisted forms. In April and May, the rocky clearings are carpeted with wildflowers.
There’s something about this park that feels wilder than its size suggests. Maybe it’s the exposed rock at the summit, or the way the wind comes across the inlet.
Round trip: 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Tod Inlet to the shoreline
The trail down to Tod Inlet starts from a parking lot on Wallace Drive and follows the old quarry road through second-growth forest. The quarry supplied limestone to the cement works that Robert Butchart operated here in the early 1900s; the gardens that bear his family’s name grew in the worked-out pit.
At the bottom, the trail reaches the head of a narrow inlet. The water is calm, often glassy, and the surrounding forest comes down to the shoreline. The inlet is a marine protected area.
If you want more distance, continue along the shoreline trail south into Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. That extension adds complexity and elevation.
Round trip to the inlet and back: about an hour.
4. Horth Hill circuit
Horth Hill Regional Park in North Saanich is a quiet hilltop park with gentle trails through Douglas fir, arbutus, and second-growth forest. The trails loop around the hill and offer occasional views through the trees toward the airport and the waters to the east.
This one suits families with young kids or anyone who wants a walk in the woods without much elevation or effort. The arbutus groves are the highlight: old trees with thick, peeling bark and branches that reach sideways instead of up.
Round trip: 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Island View Beach to the salt marsh
This is a flat walk rather than a hike, but it covers ground that most visitors miss. From the Island View Beach parking lot, walk south along the beach and then cut inland along the edge of the salt marsh that separates the beach from the farmland behind it.
The marsh supports a range of bird life, especially in fall and winter when shorebirds and raptors work the area. In summer, the grasses along the marsh edge are tall and the air smells like warm salt and dry earth.
There’s no formal trail through the marsh itself, and you should stay on the edges to avoid disturbing nesting birds. The beach walk and marsh circuit together take about an hour.
Notes for all hikes
Bring water even on short walks; there are no water sources on any of these trails. Most trailheads have limited parking. Dogs are allowed on the regional park trails (on leash) and restricted in the provincial parks. Check posted signs at each trailhead for current rules.