Touring Victoria
BRITISH COLUMBIA: Exploring the city, its regional trails, and the Vancouver Island rainforest
People ride their bikes everywhere in Victoria, B.C., Canada. Locals commute using protected bike lanes beside downtown traffic. Tourists on e-bikes explore the historic district, the waterfront, and nearby Beacon Hill Park. Recreational riders follow rail-to-trail paths extending into the countryside.
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Patti Rogers and John Haus ride along Prospect Lake Road north of the city.
Victoria may be the most bike-friendly city in the Pacific Northwest and it certainly rivals Montreal and nearby Vancouver for Canadian honors. The provincial capital, famous for its Inner Harbour, Fairmont Empress hotel, and The Butchart Gardens, is also a great cycling destination.
We couldn’t resist, so we packed our bags and headed for Canada. We enjoyed it so much we went back a year later.
Here’s how we did it.
Getting There
We – Bob Cortright, Patti Rogers, John Haus, and myself – drove from Oregon to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Ferries from Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington, travel to and from downtown Victoria every day so we headed for Port Angeles, parked the car, and walked our bikes across the street and onto the Black Ball Ferry Line’s Coho vessel. The Coho also carries vehicles, but we decided not to bother; we had our bikes. We disembarked in Victoria 90 minutes later in the heart of the popular Inner Harbour and walked two more blocks to our lodging, the Royal Scot Hotel.
We enjoy staying at the Royal Scot. It’s a quality, clean, affordable hotel in an expensive location. It’s well-located, and the staff is very accommodating. I’m not paid to say any of this. It’s simply the truth.
Start in the City
Victoria, located on the southeastern edge of Vancouver Island, provides great bike paths and waterfront views without leaving town. We began Day 1 with an introductory ride along the marked Seaside Tour route from the harbor, past docked cruise ships, onto Dallas Road, and eventually Beach Drive. We paused with local cyclists at Clover Point Park to watch whales make their way through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. One friendly rider, Tara, volunteered route advice that we put to effective use throughout our stay.
Beach Drive continues to follow the shoreline, making its way along the city’s eastern edge through affluent neighborhoods and by convenient coffee shops. Watch for one of the area’s popular painted pianos, a dazzling display of red, blue, and green flower-like images, positioned in Loon Bay Park overlooking the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.
Dream Come True
Many of the commuters who pedal into the city each day take advantage of a network of paved regional trails. There are more than 50 miles of paths, all former railroad beds, which serve as bicycle expressways channeling bikers from the Inner Harbour to suburbia and eventually the beautiful and sometimes challenging backroads.
We first tried the Lochside Regional Trail that extends 18 miles north to rural Saanich, Sidney, and Swartz Bay where another ferry terminal is located. Lochside is paved most of the way with occasional packed gravel suitable for narrower road bike tires. Mattick’s Farm grocery, near Cordova Bay Golf Course, serves as a good pit stop for a fresh deli lunch.
The short E&N Rail Trail, meanwhile, heads west and connects with the 34-mile Galloping Goose Regional Trail to Langford, Metchosin, and Sooke before heading into the backcountry where the road favors gravel bikes. We stayed on paved surfaces during Day 2 and turned toward Munn, Millstream Lake, and Prospect Lake roads for what locals consider to be the best riding in the region.
“For me, it’s the Munn Road section in the area known as the Highlands,” says Seamus McGrath, director of the area’s annual Tour de Victoria cycling event. “There’s about 10 miles there where the road goes high up in the rainforest, high up in cedar trees and by the lakes. It’s technical with increasing radius turns. There are small mountain roads like something you’d find in Europe. If you’re an avid cyclist, it’s a dream.”
It’s a dream for anyone who likes to climb. Several short segments ramp up as much as 15 percent, but those fierce spots are out of mind minutes later. Locals like it, too, as evidenced when we again crossed paths with Tara, our Day 1 route advisor.
Find a riding segment from this map that meets your needs.
See the map at Ride With GPS.com
Do It Again …
Day 3 allowed us to explore a few new roads and relive the best segments from our first two days. We found ourselves back on Prospect Lake Road, a favorite of mine, for a sweeping, smooth ride before climbing a steady 3 percent grade for 1.2 miles up to Observatory Viewpoint. We added a lunch stop at Italy-inspired Mosi Bakery only a half mile from the bottom of the observatory hill and then headed for Beach Drive and one last pass by the water.
… And, Again
Our same foursome returned to Port Angeles a year later to sample the Olympic Discovery Trail and climb up to Hurricane Ridge inside Olympic National Park. With an open day in the schedule, we boarded the Coho ferry once more and transferred to Victoria.
This was a one-day, over-and-back excursion. We landed in Victoria by 10:30 a.m. and set out to tackle Munn Road one more time. First, I created a detour to La Roux Patissiere and surprised the group with Paris-Brests, a high-calorie pastry invented more than a century ago to fuel cyclists during French bike races of the same name.
Once into the Highlands, we burned those calories and many more. Climate change was in full effect; it was a very hot September day. Temperatures reached the mid-80s and it seemed even hotter deep in the trees without any wind relief. Each hill felt like a dagger to a weary body, but all was almost forgotten once over each crest.
We also learned a valuable lesson the second time around. Avoid these seemingly remote roads on weekday afternoons. A steady flow of slow yet persistent commute traffic on these very narrow, twisting roads kept us alert.
The City of Victoria installed towers in strategic locations across the area to count the number of cyclists each day.
Get to Know Victoria
Not every ride needs to extend deep into the trees. Consider a guided, narrated family excursion with a local tour company. Not interested in following the leader? Ask a bike rental shop for maps and destination suggestions. They’re ready to help.
“People find a bike tour the best way to get intimate with the city and see places you wouldn’t otherwise see if you’re in a vehicle,” says Jordan Varga, owner of The Pedaler Cycling Tours & Rentals. “Victoria is so condensed, and people are here for such a short time so they want to see as much as they can.”
We took The Pedaler’s guided “Castles, Hoods and Legends” tour during a previous visit and gathered some historical anecdotes, an architectural education, ocean views, and an introductory visit to lush Beacon Hill Park during our two-hour loop.
Tour de Victoria
The Tour de Victoria bicycle event each August offers seven routes ranging from 9.3 miles by the water to 100 miles into the rainforest and back again.
“They shut the city down for the day for bikes,” Seamus McGrath says. “That’s a feat in itself, and that’s the support Victoria fosters for the love of cycling. Bicycles are a huge part of our culture.”
The event, starting at the Inner Harbour surrounded by historic buildings, was designed to capture all of the best back roads Victoria has to offer, Seamus says. “We grew up riding and racing on these roads and we know them intimately.”
The fully supported event welcomes all riders, all ages, all bikes, and all skill levels. “It’s a ride for everyone,” he says.
Complete information and route maps for Tour de Victoria are available at tourdevictoria.com.
Off the Bike
Go for a walk. It’s an easy and beautiful way to enjoy downtown Victoria without a bike. Stroll along Wharf Street toward Fisgard Street and Victoria’s Chinatown National Historic Site. Return via Government Street, a popular destination with several restaurants and taverns.
Local tourism information is available at tourismvictoria.com.
Dan Shryock is a travel writer and career journalist who focuses on cycle tourism. Based in Oregon, his work has appeared in magazines and websites in California and the Pacific Northwest. His book, “Cycling Across Oregon: Stories, Surprises & Revelations Along the State’s Scenic Bikeways” is available on Amazon.