Vancouver Island Activities
Sooke Outdoor Activities
We at the Homestead, Beaches West, want to be sure that your stay is as exceptional an experience as possible. Coming to a beautiful, remote, private beach front cottage is a relaxing and rejuvenating vacation. Being close to world class hiking, ocean kayaking, cycling, whale watching, makes the experience all the better. To help you get the very most out of your visit, here are some of the local attractions.
Fishing on Vancouver Island
Sooke is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles, WA. The fishing is usually a lot better than on the Washington side since most of the big Fraser River runs migrate close to shore as they turn the corner of Vancouver Island. The salmon seasons are longer than in the US and the bag limits are more generous (4 salmon, 2 kings or Coho per day). Non-resident Canadian licenses are not expensive ($7.42 CA per day, $20.14 for 3 days, $32.86 for 5 days – subject to change- ). A Sooke beach house rental on Vancouver Island is the perfect way to enjoy Vancouver Island Fishing, a short drive to Sooke Harbour and charter fishing.
Zack out your front door
Imagine. stepping out the front door of your Sooke Oceanfront Cabin, and having your own local tour guide right there, on the beach, waiting to take you for that perfect salmon, or Halibut, or… whatever your preference. Pacific Ocean fishing, from your front door. Our neighbour, Zack, when available, is not only a great fishing guide, but we can personally attest to his skills as a cook as well!.
It’s hard to say what Sooke and Vancouver are best known for, but somewhere on the top of that list is the best fishing on Vancouver Island. Sooke is located across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angles, WA. The fishing is usually far more exciting than on the Washington side as the big Fraser River runs migrate close to shore as they turn the corner of Vancouver Island. The salmon seasons are longer than in the US and the bag limits are more generous (4 salmon, 2 kings or Coho per day). Non-resident Canadian licenses are not expensive ($7.42 CA per day, $20.14 for 3 days, $32.86 for 5 days – subject to change). A Sooke beach house rental on vancouver island is the perfect way to enjoy Vancouver Island Fishing, a short drive to Sooke Harbor and Charter fishing.
Galloping Goose Regional Trail
This picturesque multi-use trail, formerly a railway line, moves through urban, rural and wilderness scenery on its 55 kilometre journey from Victoria to Sooke. You can cycle, stroll, run, or even ride a horse through the rural sections. Whether you’re commuting to work, meandering on a weekend afternoon or pacing yourself from Sidney to Sooke, the trail is yours to enjoy and yours to protect.
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail was named for the gas-powered passenger car that carried mail and 30 passengers twice daily between Victoria and Sooke during the 1920s. It is part of the Trans Canada Trail, a national multi-use trail system linking trails from coast to coast. “The Goose” intersects with the Lochside Regional Trail, a 29 kilometre former railway line from Saanich to Sidney. Follow this link for a full brochure for the Galloping Goose, and the Lochside Regional Trails.
This picturesque multi-use trail, formerly a railway line, moves through urban, rural and wilderness scenery on its 55 kilometer journey from Victoria to Sooke. You can cycle, stroll, run, or even ride a horse through the rural sections. Whether you’re commuting to work, meandering on a weekend afternoon or pacing yourself from Sidney to Sooke, the trail is yours to enjoy and yours to protect.
The Galloping Goose Regional Trail was named for the gas-powered passenger car that carried mail and 30 passengers twice daily between Victoria and Sooke during the 1920s. It is part of the Trans Canada Trail, a national multi-use trail system linking trails from coast to coast. “The Goose” intersects with the Lochside Regional Trail, a 29 kilometre former railway line from Saanich to Sidney.
Hiking Juan de Fuca Marine Trail
The most famous trail on the island is undoubtedly the West Coast Trail. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail has the wonderful views and venues of the West Coast Trail, without the need for a “Trail Use Permit”, reservations, quotas on the number of hikers, and expensive camping fees. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is only a 15 kilometer drive from Beaches West.
You can hike Juan de Fuca year round, weather permitting. View pretty sea stacks and other fascinating coastal geology. Pass by fascinating tidal pools at Botanical Beach. There are good tent pads, many say that they are far better than on the West Coast Trail. The Juan de Fuca trail is a great hike for those who have not done much multi-day hiking, and is easily hiked in segments, with many easy access points within a short drvie from Beaches West our Sooke beachfront cabin rental.
East Sooke Park
Perfect for easy strolls or serious hiking, East Sooke Park gives you amazing forests, and wondrous ocean views.
The park (~3500 acres) is home to eagles, herons, turkey vultures, otters, seals and occasionally, whales, black bears and cougars. More than 50 kilometers of hiking trails cover rugged coastlines, tucked away coves and thick forests. Long day hikes and short walks are plentiful. From the windswept rocky coast, dry hilltops and dark rainforest, the East Sooke Park, so close to our Sooke Oceanfront cottage, offer you all that you could ask for in a Vancouver Island hiking experience.
Sooke Marine Boardwalk
The bottom of Ed MacGregor Park is one of best places to get on to the beautiful Sooke Marine Boardwalk. The boardwalk is an easy walk, tracing the harbor, and ultimately joining the Rotary Pier.
Your walk on the boardwalk is high above the ocean,with vistas across the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Mountains. From the pier you are as likely to see harbour seals, or bald eagles, or even our signature Killer Whales. Watch the locals catching crabs and reeling in their crab traps.
Ed Macgregor Park and the Sooke Marine boardwalk are wheelchair-friendly.
Whale Watching in Sooke
Whale watching, on a scale that will leave you breathless. While most people are well aware of the Orcas that travel by Sooke and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, many are not aware that the area is also inhabited by Porpoises, as well Minke, Gray and Humpback Whales, Harbour seals, Steller and California Sea Lions, bald eagles and countless species of other native marine birds. Many of these can be seen right off the front porch of Beaches West. A short drive to Sooke Harbour, and there are many outfitters to chose from to help you build the ultimate eco adventure whale watching on Vancouver Island, BC.
Sooke Potholes
The famous Sooke potholes are another Sooke attraction not to be missed. They lie slightly north of the town. These deep water pools, the “potholes”, were naturally carved by the Sooke River into its sandstone bedrock during the last ice age. In the summer the potholes are a favourite with swimmers, and in the fall and winter months you can watch the salmon spawning, you can run, or just walk alongside the river trails to see the waterfalls, canyons and temperate river rainforest all around.
Juan de Fuca Marine Trail
The most famous trail on the island is undoubtedly the West Coast Trail. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail has the wonderful views and venues of the West Coast Trail, without the need for a “Trail Use Permit”, reservations, quotas on the number of hikers, and expensive camping fees. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is only a 30 kilometer drive from Beaches West.
You can hike Juan de Fuca year round, weather permitting. View pretty sea stacks and other fascinating coastal geology. Pass by fascinating tidal pools at Botanical Beach. There are good tent pads, many say that they are far better than on the West Coast Trail. The Juan de Fuca trail is a great hike for those who have not done much multi-day hiking, and is easily hiked in segments, with many easy access points within a short drvie from Beaches West our Sooke beachfront cabin rental.
Pacific Marine Circle Route
Literally passing by the back door of our private beach house rental on Vancouver island on the outskirts of Sooke, BC is the Pacific Marine Circle Route. Recently opened, the Pacific Marine Circle Route is a maze of unique and breath taking old logging trails, never before accessible to the public. These have been refurbished for year round access and take you through the wonder of a lush coastal Vancouver island rain forest, and on the same drive, breath-taking views of the ocean along the Juan de Fuca Strait.
Beaches West provides the perfect jumping off point for a gorgeous day trip, followed by an ocean front cottage evening.
Vancouver Island Arts Scene – Sooke BC
Metchosin and East Sooke are located in a beautiful coastal area of Vancouver Island near Victoria, BC. Many artists and artisans have chosen to live and work here, finding inspiration amidst the rolling landscape and lush rain forests near the sea. The Stinking Fish Studio Tour features the best of fine art and fine craft on the southern island, surrounded by its natural beauty.
Come explore one of the richest “art trails” on the island – meet the artists, see their work and take some home with you! Admission is free. All are welcome. Artworks are for sale.
Stinking Fish Art Tour
Sooke Region Museum
Telling the story of how nature has continuously shaped the peoples of the area, is the mission of the Sooke Region Museum. This facility speaks to the lives of the native peoples of the region, the T’Sou-ke First Nations Peoples at the Sooke Harbour and the Sooke River at our eastern boundary to the Pacheedaht Peoples at the San Juan River Valley in the western region. Then in the late eighteenth century came the search for the famed northwest passage and Spanish explorations. The mid-nineteenth century saw the arrival of immigrant settlers from the British Isles, and from French Settlements in eastern Canada.
The Sooke Region Museum is a short drive and a “must visit” to truly appreciate the unique intercultural relationships, and how we have all been molded by the nature and the sea.
Sooke Region Museum
Through the centuries, nature has shaped the people and the history of the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. Presentation of this fascinating story, where the rainforest meets the sea, is the mission of the Sooke Region Museum.
It is a people’s history, set in a land where a rainforest of infinite majesty matches the awesome grandeur of the Pacific Ocean breaking upon the western shore.
For the T’Sou-ke First Nations Peoples at the Sooke Harbour and the Sooke River at our eastern boundary to the Pacheedaht Peoples at the San Juan River Valley in the western region, it was the forest and the sea that sustained and sheltered them.
In the late eighteenth century it was the search for the famed northwest passage that brought Spanish exploration, followed in the mid-nineteenth century by the arrival of hardy immigrant settlers, some arriving by ship from the British Isles, some overland across the continent from the French settlements in eastern Canada.
The ongoing saga of the pioneer families as the new society developed, the intercultural relationships, the neighbourly spirit that was nurtured throughout the region, and the natural resources that built the economy, are all reflected in the history of Sooke, East Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley, Jordan River and Port Renfrew.
