Secret Sea Lion Cave Trail

When you travel west past Sooke, between Mystic Beach and Sombrio Beach there is a trail that leaves the Juan de Fuca Marine trail and drops down to the water where there is a land based Sea Lion Cave. The trail to the sea lion cave begins on the Highway to Port Renfrew on a forestry road. There is a bright yellow gate that marks the start of the trail. 2km down the trail you step off into the bush and begin a descent down to the water. It is rugged and has a bit of danger requiring you to be careful. When you get to the water there is a cave that sea lions use during the winter months. They begin leaving the area each spring around April or May. Enjoy the video.

French Beach Provincial Park - a local favourite

If you travel west from Victoria just a short way past Sooke, you will come to one of the most popular beaches in this area. It is popular because it is huge and accessible. It only takes about 2 minutes to walk from the parking lot down a slight hill to the beach. There are a number of picnic tables and grassed areas for people to picnic or play. The beach is gravel at high tide and has wide expanses of sand at low tide. There are cliffs to the right as you enter the beach and a rocky area by the cliffs that has some tide pools to explore. There is a great campground next to the day use area if you want to stay for a while. It is a great place to visit. Check out the video.