Off the beaten path with a city view: Devonian Regional Park

When I moved to Victoria in my 20's, I had some really cool roommates.

My roommates were a couple of guys who were into hiking, gardening and wearing sandals all year. Not only did they give me the most amazing hand-drawn maps to find trails but they also inspired me to explore the incredible west coast that I had just landed on.

Twenty-five years later or so, and in the middle of a pandemic, I'm still game to explore. Let's face it, unless you keep scrolling through Netflix or Prime, there's not much exciting going on these days. So sometimes I just get in my vehicle and see where I end up. And that's how I arrived at this Pandemic Walk at Devonian Regional Park.

This CRD park is just another 10 minutes or so past the popular Witty's Lagoon, famous with locals for those long tides that you can wade around in for hours looking for crabs and creatures.

However, Devonian Regional Park is a totally different vibe. It's a short woodsy walk that lands you on a secluded beach, that sports an amazing view of downtown Victoria. I didn't spot any sea creatures, but there's much potential to see wildlife if you sit quietly long enough.

Taylor Beach is pebble beach with one of the greatest views of the city across the water. Plus the Olympic Mountains are looming across the Juan de Fuca strait -- and interestingly if you zoom in to the right, a Federal minimum security prison. Now that's something you just don't see everyday. Speaking of things you don't see everyday, I witnessed a big party hosted by a group of turkey vultures.

One of my favourite features of this easy to moderately rated approximately 2km hike, is that it's a loop. You can start from the parking lot and come back a whole different way with a totally different type of ecosystem. From the thick Douglas Fir woods, to a birdwatching spot called Sherwood Pond, big green farm fields with flocks of sheep and rocky Garry Oak sections, it's pretty diverse.

Which brings me to my new favourite tree that appeared while walking back along the Helgesen Bridle Trail ...

And there it is, the perfect reason to go exploring, embodied in a confident Garry Oak in the middle of a field.

Till we walk again,

Mel Z