The 243-hectare Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is located between Lasqueti Island and Texada Island in the Sabine Channel of Georgia Strait.

Part of Jedediah Island’s charm is that it is not easy to reach.

Those who venture out on the water are rewarded with sheltered provincial wilderness campsites on several marine park islands.

It’s difficult to overstate how pleasant it is to stay at any of them.

Most of the year, those who make the effort to paddle beyond the federal docks soon have the ocean to themselves.

Come warmer weather and mellower seas, hundreds of visitors a day flock to marine parks like Jedediah Island, which nearby Lasqueti Island residents refer to jokingly as ‘Club Jed.’

Jedediah’s isolation and tranquility make it an excellent destination for kayaking and wilderness camping.

What sets Jedediah apart is its size (240 ha) one of the largest island parks in the province.

Visitors are free to camp anywhere on Jedediah.

Some of the best sites are near the shoreline around Long Bay, particularly as the drumming sound of diesel-driven marine traffic in Sabine Channel don’t reach this side of the island.

Informal campsites abound around the sheltered shore of both Long and Home Bays.

As well as sites on the clearings above the beaches at both bays, look for a series of trails that runs around Long Bay and a short distance through the forest to several small bays on the east side of the island.

There are more campsites along here that may provide more privacy at the height of kayaking-touring season.

Home Bay is semi sheltered by Mother Goose Island, which lies just offshore, but it lacks the tranquillity of Long Bay.

Both bays teem with shellfish: when the tide goes out, the exposed mudflats are ripe for clam raking.

Jedediah’s north and south ends are rocky and hilly; most visitors will be content to explore the trails that run through the middle section of the island.

An old road crosses the island, linking Long and Home Bays.

Unlike many of the nearby islands, Jedediah has never been subjected to wholesale logging; much of the forest cover through which visitors walk is old growth.

Most of the year, those who make the effort to paddle beyond the federal docks soon have the ocean to themselves.

Jedediah’s isolation and tranquility make it an excellent destination for kayaking and wilderness camping.

What sets Jedediah apart is its size (240 ha) one of the largest island parks in the province.

Visitors are free to camp anywhere on Jedediah.

Some of the best sites are near the shoreline around Long Bay, particularly as the drumming sound of diesel-driven marine traffic in Sabine Channel don’t reach this side of the island.

Informal campsites abound around the sheltered shore of both Long and Home Bays.

As well as sites on the clearings above the beaches at both bays, look for a series of trails that runs around Long Bay and a short distance through the forest to several small bays on the east side of the island.

There are more campsites along here that may provide more privacy at the height of kayaking-touring season.

Home Bay is semi sheltered by Mother Goose Island, which lies just offshore, but it lacks the tranquillity of Long Bay.

Both bays teem with shellfish: when the tide goes out, the exposed mudflats are ripe for clam raking.

Jedediah’s north and south ends are rocky and hilly; most visitors will be content to explore the trails that run through the middle section of the island.

An old road crosses the island, linking Long and Home Bays.

Unlike many of the nearby islands, Jedediah has never been subjected to wholesale logging; much of the forest cover through which visitors walk is old growth.

A herd of feral sheep and goats graze in the fields that surround a farmhouse standing above the shoreline at Home Bay.

The weathered house is boarded up now, as are all the outbuildings, but there is still a definite feeling of a working homestead about the place.

A shed houses antique farm equipment beside an orchard of gnarled trees that continue to blossomthat continue to blossom.

The scene is an unusual one to find in a provincial park, and reminiscent of Ruckle Provincial Park at the south end of Saltspring Island, site of one of British Columbia’s first family farms.

Jedediah Island Marine Provincial Park is located in the Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia.

Access to the park is by boat from nearby Lasqueti Island. And if you’re paddling the 18-km route from False Bay on Lasqueti to Jedediah Island, plan on taking six hours.

CHERYL YOUNG REALTOR,

SAANICH PENINSULA REALTY

SIDNEY B.C  www.cherylyoung.ca

WWW.CHERYLYOUNG.

Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria is an imposing Victorian mansion completed in 1890 for Robert and Joan Dunsmuir, Scottish immigrants who made their fortune from Vancouver Island coal.

Robert Dunsmuir died in 1889, just months before his majestic Craigdarroch Castle was completed.

Although he arrived on Vancouver Island a poor coal miner, he built an empire and became the wealthiest and most influential man in British Columbia.

The fortune Dunsmuir amassed is reflected in every piece of the finest wood, stone and glass meticulously tooled to create Craigdarroch Castle, now a national historic museum featuring an extensive collection of stained and lead glass windows, magnificent woodwork, Victorian furnishings and decorative arts.

To tour the Castle, you can park on the Castle lot or on the street where indicated.

You enter through the old coach entrance, pay your admission fee, clean your shoes and are then provided with a floor map, family history and introduction as to how to proceed.

Tours are self-guided, so you can stop where you want.

It should take you 45 minutes to an hour to tour through the Castle.

It is an easy climb up the 87 stairs, stopping on all of the four floors to tour the various rooms and then to the Tower for a panoramic view of Victoria, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the snow capped Olympic Mountains.

There are volunteer docents (information) providers.

 available throughout the Castle.

 If you have any questions, ask someone with a badge and they will be happy to assist you.

A visit to Craigdarroch Castle is essential to truly appreciate the lavish lifestyle Joan Dunsmuir and her family enjoyed.

Opening Hours:
Open daily: 10 am – 4:30 pm
Extended hours from June 15 to Labour Day: 9 am – 7 pm
Closed Christmas Day (Dec 25)
Closed Boxing Day (Dec 26)
Closed New Year’s Day (Jan 1)

Contact Details :
Craigdarroch Castle
1050 Joan Crescent (Off Fort Street)
Victoria
BC, V8S 3L5Telephone: (250) 592-5323Directions:
An easy eight-minute drive from the inner harbour, up Fort Street, right on Joan Crescent. Parking is available.

First inhabited by Wsanec First Nations people, the Saanich Peninsula is a long finger of land that extends north from Victoria toward Sidney, a bountiful countryside where rural and urban lifestyles blend well together.

Flanked to the west by Saanich Inlet and Georgia Strait to the east, the Saanich Peninsula offers a fabulous choice of outdoor recreational activities, including golfing, hiking, cycling, canoeing and kayaking, windsurfing, and freshwater and saltwater fishing.

The Saanich Peninsula is criss-crossed by many country roads, ensuring an interesting and rewarding country drive past parks, bays, beaches, elegant country homes, farmland, and hobby farms.

Roadside fruit and vegetable stands offer locally-grown fresh produce, dairy and poultry products for sale, and a number of marinas offer a host of activities of interest to visitors and locals alike.

The Saanich Peninsula is a cyclist’s paradise, with relatively quiet country roads and the Galloping Goose Trail, which runs from Leechtown near Sooke through Victoria and north on the Saanich Peninsula all the way to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal.

Combined with the Peninsula Trail system, this network of trails offers hikers and cyclists over 100 kilometres of scenic pathways to discover.

Golf Courses on the Saanich Peninsula include the Glen Meadows Golf and Country Club in Sidney, the Ardmore Golf Course in North Saanich, the Sunshine Hills Golf Course in Central Saanich, Cordova Bay Golf Course, Prospect Lake Golf Course, Royal Oak Golf Course, and Cedar Hill Golf Course in Saanich.

Courses in and around Victoria are Gorge Vale Golf Club, Uplands Golf Club, and the Royal Victoria Golf Club.Population: 37,670Location:

The Saanich Peninsula is located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

The Patricia Bay Highway 17, known as the Pat Bay Highway, runs the 20-mile (32-km) length of the Saanich Peninsula, from Victoria in the south to Sidney and the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal on the northern tip.

From Victoria Downtown, travel north on Blanshard Road, which becomes the Pat Bay Highway that ends at the ferry terminal pay booths.

View a Map of the Saanich Peninsula.

The following regions and communities are located on the Saanich Peninsula:

North Saanich
The rolling interior lands of North Saanich afford sweeping views of hills and valleys, and a generous feeling of open space and rapport with nature.

 Said to be the finest rural-residential area in all of Canada, North Saanich boasts a long coastline on three sides, enveloping agricultural farmlands, cosy bays and generous protected parklands.

North Saanich enjoys unexcelled views of water, islands and mountains, along with close proximity to air and sea transportation.

Located in North Saanich is the town of Sidney, the Victoria International Airport, the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal (links to Vancouver and the Gulf Islands), and the ferry terminal for the route from Sidney to the San Juan Islands and Anacortes in Washington.

 Parks in North Saanich include John Dean Provincial Park, Horth Hill Regional Park, Coles Bay Regional Park. Links are provided on the North Saanich page.

Central Saanich
Central Saanich has a rich agricultural heritage, with farmland in the rural community comprising almost two-thirds of the municipality.

While enjoying the benefits of a high-quality rural lifestyle, Central Saanich is within easy access of Victoria, the Victoria International Airport, and the BC Ferries’ terminal at Swartz Bay.

Located in Central Saanich are the communities of Saanichton and Brentwood Bay, the location of the ferry terminal for the Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay ferry route across the Saanich Inlet.

Attractions in Central Saanich include Butchart Gardens, the Victoria Butterfly Gardens, the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society, and the Victoria Estate Winery.

 Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, Mount Work Regional Park, and Island View Beach Regional Park all offer great outdoor opportunities in Central Saanich.

 Links are provided on the Central Saanich page.

Saanich
The largest municipality in Greater Victoria, Saanich offers the charm of country life mingled with the convenience of urban residential neighbourhoods and close proximity to the provincial capital of Victoria.

For thousands of years the Coast Salish people inhabited the Saanich Peninsula.

The Songhees and the Saanich First Nations used the area for hunting, fishing and gathering plants.

The Saanich municipal area is home to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and the University of Victoria, and includes a number of great parks; Mount Douglas Park, The Francis/King Regional Park, Elk and Beaver Lake Regional Park, and Bear Hill Regional Park.

 Links are provided on the Saanich page.

Victoria and Greater Victoria
The southern end of the Saanich Peninsula juts out into Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates Vancouver Island from the Olympic Peninsula in the US state of Washington.

At the extreme southern tip of the peninsula is Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia.

 Neighbouring Victoria are Oak Bay, James Bay, Esquimalt and View Royal.

Also on the Saanich Peninsula, to the northwest of Victoria, is the rural community of Highlands, located along the eastern shoreline of the Saanich Inlet (Finlayson Arm).

 THIS BLOG IS BROUGHT TO YOU

COURTESY OF CHERYL YOUNG,REALTOR

SAANICH PENINSULA REALTY

SIDNEY, B.C www.cherylyoung.ca

Situated on the spectacular Strait of Juan de Fuca on southern Vancouver Island, the 59-hectare French Beach Provincial Park lies within the traditional territory of the T’Sou-ke First Nation.

The economy of the T’Sou-ke people was based on hunting, fishing and gathering, and extended families among the Strait’s people owned the lands and resources, which could not be sold but only inherited.

Great hiking gathering, and extended families among the Strait’s people owned the lands and resources, which could not be sold but only inherited. trails lead you through second growth forest of Douglas-fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock and Western Red Cedar.

A wide swath of lawn fronts this pea-gravel beach where you can picnic and swim.

 Hundreds of miles of shoreline along the Strait of Juan de Fuca make for some memorable beachcombing.

Expect to be surprised at how easy it is to spot otters, seals and seal lions playing offshore, while bald eagles and ospreys glide the thermals overhead

French Beach is an excellent location for whale watching.

The magnificent Gray Whales migrate to northern feeding grounds in Alaska in the spring and return to their breeding grounds in Baja Mexico in the fall.

Roaming pods of resident Killer Whales are often seen offshore.

There is a 69-site spacious campsite – no showers and no hook-ups.

 There are yurts available, and one can be reserved by phone only through Discover Camping.

The park is open all year.

 Fees for full services collected from March 15 to October 31.

 There is a winter fee with minimal services provided charged from November 1 to March 14; campers must be self-sufficient.

Reservations are accepted and there are some first come first served sites

Facilities include a picnic/day-use area with an adventure playground, picnic tables, fire rings, fresh water taps, and pit toilets.

The day-use area is located next to the sand and gravel beach.

 Nearby is the China Beach Campground in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, located immediately west of the community of Jordan River.

The communities of Jordan River and Sooke provide restaurant and other services for visitors to French Beach.

French Beach Provincial Park is located off West Coast Highway 14, 12 miles (20 km) west of Sooke, on Southern Vancouver Island.

 CHERYL C YOUNG

SAANICH PENINSULA REALTY

SIDNEY B.C  www.cherylyoung.ca

Sooke enjoys a relaxed, casual lifestyle in a rural setting that also affords many of the amenities of city life.

For centuries, this area was a thriving Coast Salish settlement.

The T’sou-ke peoples lived alongside a salmon river and within a sheltered harbor, an area where seafood was in abundance along the seashore, and game, roots and berries were harvested in the forests.

The name T’sou-ke is said to be that of a stickle back fish found at the mouth of the Sooke River.

The T’sou-ke First nation proudly created a valuable and lasting legacy that continues to enrich the community to this day.

Sooke enjoys some of the mildest climate in western Canada, with warm and dry summer months, and wet and mild winter months.

 Sooke’s unspoiled beaches, meandering rainforest trails and breathtaking vistas of Washington State’s Olympic Mountains attract visitors from around the world, eager to catch a glimpse of Vancouver Island’s rugged west coast.

In comparison with the convoluted coastline on the south side of Vancouver Island, the southwestern side to the west of Sooke is positively razor-edged.

So few are the protuberances that it even has a phantom point – Point No Point – that can be seen from certain angles but not others.

In a series of indentations, the shoreline gradually sweeps east from Point No Point to Juan de Fuca Point – the real thing – which makes a bolder impression.Population: 10,436

Sooke PotHoles Regional Park is a swimmers paradise located on the banks of the spectacular Sooke River.

Enjoy the views, explore the trails or take a refreshing dip on a hot summer day!

Just a 30 minute car ride beyond the urban core, the Sooke potholes are one of the more popular swimming spots in the capital region.

Pick any Sunday during the dog days of summer.

Chances are it’s sunny, about 25 degrees outside and you wish you could peel your skin off to beat the heat.

But instead of practicing your Robbie Robertson impersonations, why not just go to the beach instead.

 If you’re willing to travel somewhere picturesque, then the Sooke Potholes is where you should be headed.

This cool swimming spot is a scenic half hour drive from the city centre.

 Most traces of Victoria disappear the closer you get to Sooke and are rreplaced with lush forests and single lane traffic each way along Sooke Road.

The water is clear and cool, and the scenery looks a lot like a Tourism B.C. brochure photo shoot.

 But just because this place is tucked away off the Sooke River, and is at least half an hour outside of Victoria by car, that doesn’t mean it isn’t popular with locals.

Parking can be a problem during the peak of summer.

 Either get down to the river early or be prepared to park further up the road.

There’s more to the Sooke Potholes than just swimming.

A small creek runs under a wooden bridge on the way from the parking lot.

Further upstream along the creek, there is a modest, but photo worthy spot, complete with a waterfall, mossy rocks and shallow pools of clear water.

Since most people will be heading for the beach, there’s a chance that you will have this waterfall to yourself for a while.

CHERYL YOUNG, REALTOR, VICTORIA B.C

WWW.CHERYLYOUNG.CA

Juan de Fuca Provincial Park is located near the community of Port Renfrew and north of the community of Sooke on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

 The rainforest and waterfront park is 1,528 hectares of forested hiking trails, rocky cliffs and sandy beaches.

The wilderness park is separated into four sections – China Beach, the Juan de Fuca Marine Hiking Trail, Sombrio Beach and Botanical Beach.

All are top notch sightseeing and adventure destinations creating opportunities for various outdoor adventures.

Some of the activities enjoyed in the Juan de Fuca Provincial Park include hiking, backpacking, swimming, beachcombing, picnicking, sightseeing, wildlife watching and wilderness camping.

China Beach and Sombrio Beach are day use areas located in the park.

 Plenty of opportunity for beautiful marine scenery and… possibly, a wildlife sighting.

There are picnic areas and pit toilets.

The beaches are covered in sand and both link up to the backpacking Juan de Fuca Trail.

China Beach is the southern trailhead to the trail and is accessible by a vehicle.

Their is a campground onsite.

Botanical Beach is a destination full of marine discovery and beachcombing opportunities.

The beach is mostly covered in flat sandstone rocks not sand.

At low tide the ocean pulls back revealing a field of tidal pools.

 All are filled with miniature marine communities.

Nearby is Botany Bay. It is another cove in the region with marine views.

 Both, Botanical Beach and Botany Bay are connected by a loop hiking trail.

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail in the park is a 47 kilometre backpacking trail that explores the forest and coastline.

There are four trailheads accessing the route – China Beach (south trailhead), Sombrio Beach, Parkinson Creek and Botanical Beach (north Trailhead).

It can take from 3 – 5 days to enjoy.

The Juan de Fuca Trail is typical of a west coast backpacking adventure – the weather changes quickly and the route is considered extremely tough.

 It can be sunny one moment and then wet, muddy and damp the next.

It is an adventure for the rough and rugged only.

Storms hit the coast every year and leave many messages behind for backpackers.

There are deadfall trees blown over, some barely standing, some have fallen on the trail.

Driftwood logs are piled high on the sandy beaches.

All thrown a shore by the storm’s giant waves and powerful winds.

The route explores kilometres of thick forests climbing up and over rock cliffs and then back down into sandy beaches.

There are suspension bridges, climbing ladders and sometimes rope to aid backpackers along the route.

Two of the more unique spots to stop for views include the Loss Creek Suspension Bridge and the Minute Creek Suspension Bridge.

Along the entire trail there are opportunities to spot wildlife.

When exploring along the ocean look for whales, seals, herons, eagles and sea lions.

When hiking in the forests keep an eye out for song birds, raccoons, wolves, cougars and bears.

This is their home too. It is bear country.

Camping is permitted at China Beach, Sombrio Beach and Parkinson Creek access points to the trail.

 Beach camping when backpacking along the trail are at Mystic Beach, Bear Beach, China Beach and Sombrio Beach.

Forest camping is at Little Kuitsche Creek and Payzant Creek.

How to Get to Juan de Fuca Provincial Park

Travel to the community of Sooke, BC on Vancouver Island.

From Sooke continue on Highway 14 for 9 kilometres to Jordon River.

Just west of the community of Jordan River is China Beach (south trailhead) or continue 16 more kilometres to the community of Port Renfrew and Botanical Beach (north trailhead).

CHERYL YOUNG, ONCE BABY, REALTOR  AND BLOGGER

WWW.CHERYLYOUNG.CA