Otter Point Park is in the seaside community of Sooke, one of thirteen communities that form the Capital Regional District of British Columbia and is part of the Juan De Fuca Electoral District Parkland. This park is south of the West Coast Road at Otter Point, a small promontory that projects southward in to the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The shore line is rocky, composed of black igneous rocks that are part Crescent terrane combined with metamorphic rocks of granite and gneiss. There is a bench and picnic table. The promontory lies between Orveas Bay and before Gordons Beach. Sheringham Point light house can be seen to the west. The point was named Otter Head after Commander Henry Charles Otter who, in eighteen forty six, was a surveying officer of the H.M.S. Herald. Mr. Otter went on to become a captain and Rear Admiral before retiring in eighteen seventy. The point had been named Punta de San Antonio in seventeen ninety by Manuel Quimper during his survey of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The book on the history of Otter Point mentions that a petroglyph is found in this park. This is a place to walk in your backyard.
Geographical location N48º 21’ 26” W123º 49’ 16”
Otter Point Park can be reached from the Trans Canada Highway. Take the Langford Parkway exit and follow along to reach Sooke Road (Hwy 14). Follow highway 14 past the center of Sooke town area. Look for West coast Road home 8299. The park is to the west of this private property. There is limited roadside parking in this area and safe alternative is park at the end of Otter Ridge Drive and walk the pathway to the roadway. Safely cross the West Coast Road to reach the park. City buses travel along Sooke Road.
Additional Information:
Otter Point History on the Capital Regional District website and Sooke Museum website: http://www.sookeregionmuseum.ca/otter-point-history/
Audio and video of the ocean shore at Otter Point Park, Sooke, B.C.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjpNbReMEso
Walks in Your Backyard 