Located between Butchart Gardens and Durrance Lake, Partridge Hills is an undeveloped area laced with a great, flowing network of trails. Most trails are single track with varying degrees of difficulty. Surface is dirt. Easy connection to Mt. Work, Hartland mountain bike trails and Gowlland Tod trails. Access is either from Durrance Lake, Willis Point Rd. or Wallace Drive. Washrooms available at Durrance Lake only. No water available. Dogs can be off-leash, but watch for mountain bikes!

This is a great trail for longer runs/walks, especially for those who enjoy the challenge of hills and more technical terrain. Stunning scenery overlooking Finlayson Arm and Saanich Inlet. You can also include the adjacent Mackenzie Bight, Mt. Work and the Hartland mountain bike trail network. A connector route will also take you to Thetis Lake Park. Washrooms at Caleb Pike and McKenzie Bight trailheads. No water available. Dogs can be off-leash, but under control.

One of the most beautiful running/walking areas around Victoria, Thetis Lake Park and the adjoining greenbelts/parks make for an extraordinary running - and swimming - experience. This area is blessed with a myriad of delightful trails, stunningly pretty lakes and a great mix of terrain. Most trails are well marked. While the main trails are fairly well maintained, many of the smaller branch trails tend to be more technical “single-track”. Expect hills! Several routes join adjacent parks, such as Francis-King Park and Mt. Work Provincial Park. This particular route starts at the main beach at Thetis Lake, follows delightful single-track back trails to Munn Road (near the trailhead up Mt. Work), then returns. 

It's only 20K, you say? Don't be fooled by the distance...this spectacular but challenging route will feel like a marathon! The first 10+ km takes you along the rugged Coast Trail, a highly technical route that hugs the remote and jagged, wind-swept coastline of East Sooke, offering stunning panoramic views of the Salish Sea and Olympic Mountains beyond. Leaving the incredible ocean vistas behind, the route then turns inland and you make your way back to the start via a network of fairly challenging inland trails guaranteed to raise your heart rate. 

The longest trail route in and around Victoria, “The Goose” is a 57 km rail-trail, connecting downtown Victoria to the Sooke Potholes and Leechtown (an old ghost town). Being an old railway line, the trail is flat and very easy to run. This section of The Goose is the most remote, and is a wilderness delight. Meandering through maple, fir and arbutus-laden forest, the trail takes you over two high trestles (one may still be under renovation, so a 1500m by-pass along a delightful single-track is necessary) and follows the Sooke River inland. The trail is well-marked with directional signs and kilometer markers. The river has several great spots swimming in the summer.

The Kludahk Trail is one of the epic trail runs on Vancouver Island. Privately built and maintained (by the Kludahk Trail Society), it traverses the San Juan Ridge, a high mountain ridge between Jordan River and Port Renfrew, and was originally created for skiers. Several well-equipped wilderness huts, many kilometres of boardwalk over bog, high alpine meadows and picturesque alpine lakes are a few of the key features of this extraordinary route. You will marvel at the engineering feats of the bridges, the attention to detail in hut planning, the extensiveness of the boardwalk and the sheer remoteness of the experience. The eastern half is best to run (the western half towards Port Renfrew is more challenging terrain, the route is harder to follow and not as enjoyable to run), so we recommend an out and back. Note: access is difficult. 

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail is considered one of the most challenging trail runs on Vancouver Island.  We recommend this route only for highly fit runners looking for a true ‘West Coast’ wilderness experience, and who are prepared to battle rooty, muddy trails, rotting wooden boardwalks, slippery boulders, and rocky, ankle-twisting shorelines in a rugged and isolated environment. But…the rewards this extraordinary route offers are enormous and unforgettable!