Walks in Your Backyard
A pocket guide to Victoria Parks, Playgrounds and Green Spaces
Copyright 2014 Roberta V. Eckard
Victoria illustrates a little bit of old English gardens many with some tall trees making it an urban outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Victoria is a city of the Capital Regional District that is recognized internationally for the district. It is a place where walking is an enjoyable means of transportation. Since half of Victoria is border by the ocean there are many unique ocean view points. From sights of small boats navigating the waters of the Gorge Waterway, float-planes landing in the Inner Harbour, ducks enjoying the waters around Beacon Hill Park to the wind surfers and kite boarders enjoy the waters off of Holland Point, Clover Point and Ross Bay you will have many options for exploring nature on Southern Vancouver Island. For those who enjoy more land based sights the flower displays are wonderful, pretty much year round.
This blog describes the parks, playgrounds, and green spaces within Victoria from north to south and east to west, mostly. Its goal is to encourage you to explore your neighborhood by foot. Beginning at Hillside Mall, on the corner of North Dairy Road and Shelbourne Street, the city of Victoria extends westward to the Selkirk waters of the Gorge Waterway and to the Municipality of Esquimalt. North of Victoria is the District of Saanich, east is the Municipality of Oak Bay. There are 1580 square kilometers forming over a hundred parks, playgrounds and green spaces in Victoria. There are stimulating walks and breathtaking sights in your backyard. These places are described using the areas of Hillside/Sears/Fernwood, Gorge/Victoria West, Fairfield and Downtown/James Bay. Walking in established residential areas has the added bonus of frequent rest stops for young and old. Each place can take less than an hour to explore. A brief description of the nature of each park is provided with directions.
As all else, trails are altered and the conditions of the parks, playgrounds and green spaces that I describe in this book change. As I cannot be held responsible for errors or discrepancies in the text, I ask that you help to keep this book current and useful. For the enjoyment of all parks, playgrounds and green spaces, please carry out any litter, respect adjacent property, keep dogs on a leash, and do not pick the wildflowers, mushrooms or other vegetation. And, of course, the geographical locations provided are dependent on the stability of network that forms the global positioning system.
Exploration is footsteps away in your backyard.
Oaklands Community including Hillside/Sears/Fernwood Area of Victoria, British Columbia
Doncaster Green
Ryan Hill Park
Oaklands Elementary School Green Space
Ecole Quadra Elementary Green Space
SJ Willis Community School Green Space
Emerson Street Green Space
Royal Jubilee Hospital Green Space – Begbie Green
Royal Jubilee Hospital Green Space – Courtyard Garden
Victor Street School Green Space
Victoria High School Green Space
George Jay Elementary School Green Space
Burnside Gorge Community of Victoria, BC, Canada
Point Ellice House and Gardens
Galloping Goose Regional Trail – Victoria
Burnside Gorge Community Center Green Space
Gorge Road Hospital Green Space
Vic West Elementary School Green Space
Fairfield – James Bay – Downtown areas of Victoria, B.C.
Mount St. Mary Hospital Green Space
Christ Church Cathedral Green Space
Christ Church Cathedral Green Space
St Joseph’s Hospital Green Space
Southgate Street – Beacon Hill Park
David Foster Way – Harbour Walkway
Stores Building Green Space
Canadian Coast Guard Rooftop Garden
Ogden Point Breakwater Walkway
James Bay Community School Green Space
Rotary International Welcome Garden
Canadian Coast Guard Green Space
Royal British Museum Sunken Garden
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Walks in Your Backyard 