East Sooke Park on southern Vancouver Island is a quiet coastal paradise with plenty of walking and hiking trails. Located on the East Sooke Peninsula, the park is home to a thick, second-growth rainforest that sweeps down to the rocky shores of the Sooke Basin and the Juan de Fuca Strait. Most people neglect to visit this natural gem even though it’s only 40 minutes from downtown Victoria.

This large wilderness park is approxiamately 3500 acres and is home to eagles, owls, and cougars; seals, sea-lions and whales frequent the local waters off its shores. The park has over 50 kms of hiking trails ranging from expert, wind-swept coastline hikes to easy walking trails. Plenty of exciting coastal views await.

Aylard Farm (Easy Hike)

Easy hiking trail in East Sooke park

Easy hiking trail in East Sooke park

The Aylard Farm Trail offers an easy and picturesque pathway to the shores of the Juan de Fuca Strait. A quick 5 minute walk will take to you a white sand beach covered with giant husks of drift wood. Plenty of couples enjoy bonfires and picnics on the beach. Evenings are cool, quiet and secluded.

Follow the signs and walk to the Crekye lookout point and watch the expansive views of cargo ships heading out to the open Pacific Ocean with the magestic Olympic Mountains in the background. Here you’ll be able to watch seals hunt, birds soar and maybe even a humpback whale or orca playing offshore.

Video – East Sooke Park Aylard Farm & Crekye Point

This short walk is fairly flat and can be completed in about 20 minutes. Running shoes are sufficient but the rocks leading up to Creyke Point could be slippery when wet.

This coastal hike is easy and scenic.

This coastal hike is easy and scenic.

For more coastal hiking around Victoria and Sooke, BC visit Comfort Cove Cottage. Plenty of romantic getaways are available at Heavenly Hideaways.

There are plenty of romantic things to do in Sooke and the rest of Vancouver Island.