Where Canada Ends: A Walking Tour of Victoria's Wild Southern Shore
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About the Tour
About the Tour
Victoria's southern shoreline offers one of the most scenic urban walks in western Canada. On this walking tour, you'll follow the Dallas Road waterfront into Beacon Hill Park, tracing stories of Indigenous land, ocean wildlife, and the remarkable Canadians who shaped this city's identity.
The tour starts at the Ogden Point Sundial, near the cruise ship terminal, where you become the timekeeping device yourself. From there, you'll walk along the Strait of Juan de Fuca – keeping an eye out for humpback whales, harbour seals, and orcas – before crossing into Beacon Hill Park, a 190-acre green space that has been protected from commercial development since an 1884 Supreme Court ruling.
Along the way, you'll pass the Mile Zero monument, where Canada's Trans-Canada Highway begins, and hear the stories of cancer fundraisers Terry Fox and Steve Fonyo, both of whom ran at least part of the country's 7,500-kilometre breadth under their own power. Inside the park, you'll encounter formal rose gardens, camas fields that fed Indigenous communities for centuries, a colony of 80–100 Great Blue Heron nests, and the quietly sleeping Moss Lady. The tour ends at the Beacon Drive In, a walk-up snack institution that has barely changed since opening in 1958.
On this 75-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:
- Scan the Strait of Juan de Fuca for humpback whales making their seasonal return after near-extinction
- Learn how swimmer Marilyn Bell crossed this same stretch of water in 1956, guided in by two bonfires
- Admire the 127-foot Beacon Hill Totem Pole, carved by master carver Mungo Martin and funded by 10,000 community donations
- Walk past Goodacre Lake, watching for Red-eared Slider turtles basking on exposed logs
- Cross the 1910 stone bridge designed by Francis Rattenbury, architect of the Empress Hotel and BC Parliament Buildings
- Discover how Emily Carr – artist, writer, and owner of a monkey named Woo – spent her life in this neighbourhood
Lace up your walking shoes and discover why Victorians have been fighting to protect this park for over 140 years.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
City Walk Tours
Currently based in western Canada, where she lives on a re-built lifeboat, Dani has lived in three countries, world cities including Tokyo and Toronto, and, together with her husband Toryn, has been lucky enough to spend time in dozens of countries. Favourite travel memories include having a herd of horses stolen by a sheepdog in Iceland (definitely more enjoyable to look back upon than in the moment!), pushing her grandfather in a wheelchair across the Camino from Sarria to Santiago, and exploring the small towns of the Netherlands via self-drive canal boat.
Dani has a BA in Cultural Anthropology and is currently working on an MA in Liberal Studies, with an interest in psychogeography and how places influence the way we think, feel, and act. The author of three non-fiction books for young readers and dozens of magazine articles on topics ranging from finance to travel, Dani loves to share information with others in an accessible, engaging manner.
Having previously led small group walking tours and worked as a pedicab driver, Dani parlays her experience as a tour guide, traveller, author, and researcher into richly woven tales of the world around us.
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Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 43
Stone Bridge
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Stop once on top of the bridge while I finish telling you about this iconic structure in the park, which is a popular spot for wedding and celebration photos.
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Built in 1910 from locally-quarried stone, the bridge ... Read More
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Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
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Ogden Point Sundial
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Mile Zero Monument
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Dallas Road
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Beacon Hill Park
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Beacon Hill Children's Farm
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Sun Clock
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Stone Bridge
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The Moss Lady
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Beacon Drive In Restaurant
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start location211 Dallas Rd, Victoria, BC V8V 1A3, Canada
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Total distance4km
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Final location126 Douglas St, Victoria, BC V8V 2N8, Canada
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Distance back to start location1km
Directions to Starting Point
The tour begins at the Ogden Point Sundial, which is slightly south of the Cruise Ship Terminal and at the intersection of Dallas Road and Dock Street. The sundial itself is slightly below street level, easily accessible as part of a pedestrian walk way, and roughly in line with the entrance to the Breakwater.
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Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
The Beacon Hill Children's Farm is a fun stop, especially for those with kids, and is open seasonally during the day. This petting zoo is by donation and highlights include visiting with the baby goats and watching the 'goat stampede' morning and night as they head in and out of their barn into the visitor's area.
Children and families might also enjoy a stop at the playground just after the second sundial. There are also public washrooms at that point in the tour.
Our tour ends at the Beacon Drive In, which offers ice cream, burgers, fries, and similar fare, year-round.
Best time of day
This tour can be completed at any time during daylight hours, and all times of the year. That said, in the winter, do not do the tour during a major storm. Not only is it unpleasant, but water washing over the road can be dangerous as well. Remember that night comes early in this part of the world, and prepare for dark to fall at 5pm in December. On the other hand, it stays late well into the evening in the summer months.
Precautions
This is generally a safe area, but please watch for cars, bikes, and horse drawn carriages. There is a brief portion of the walk which moves through an area designated for off-leash dogs. We will always stay in the 'leashed' area, but as there is no barrier, off leash dogs may cross over to the path.
Remember its almost always cooler by the ocean, so you may wish to pack an extra layer compared to 'inland.' Opportunities for food and drink are limited for most of the tour, so be sure to pack water and a snack if you'd like to have anything along the way.
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