Bylaw 3682 Parks Regulation
A bylaw to regulate the use of regional parks and trails.

Bylaw 3890 Parks Services and Facilities Fees and Charges
A bylaw to amend bylaw no. 3675 which provides for park use permit fees and charges payable for regional parks services and facilities within the capital regional district.

Bylaw 1857 Ticket Information Authorization
A bylaw that authorizes Capital Regional District Bylaw Enforcement Officers to issue tickets for fines for offences against bylaws. See Schedule 18, page 25.

• Parks and Recreation Bylaws

CRD Regional Parks protects and manages more than 13,000 hectares of natural areas in 31 regional parks and three regional trails on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

The parks system covers southern Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.

• Parks System Map (PDF)

In 2016, our parks received more than 6 million visits. Here are the visitation statistics to the most popular parks:

Regional Park/Trail	2016 Visits
Albert Head Lagoon	89,028
Brooks Point	7,659
Coles Bay	31,147
Devonian	59,013
E&N Rail Trail	303,621
East Sooke	184,176
Elk/Beaver Lake	1,462,933
Francis/King	80,207
Galloping Goose	1,909,389
Gonzales Hill	49,060
Horth Hill	74,069
Island View Beach	406,928
Jordan River (Sandcut Beach)	22,398
Lochside	1,182,548
Lone Tree Hill	12,389
Matheson Lake	66,486
Mill Hill	41,500
Mount Parke	12,107
Mount Wells	42,532
Mount Work	185,419
Sea to Sea (Harbourview)	36,672
Sooke Potholes	160,694
Thetis Lake	441,740
Witty's Lagoon	88,421
Total	6,950,136

Effective April 1, 2015 there will be more outdoor clean air spaces available for everyone in the Capital Regional District.

Smoking tobacco is prohibited in all regional parks, beaches that are a part of a regional park, playgrounds, playing fields, public squares, bus stops and bus shelters.

What is considered a park? A park means land acquired, reserved or dedicated as a regional park or community park in accordance with the Local Government Act or Community Charter.

Is smoking allowed in the parking lot of a park? No. However, it is permitted inside a vehicle in a parking lot unless it has a youth under the age of 16 in the vehicle.

Is smoking allowed in a regional park campground? CRD Clean Air Bylaw prohibits smoking anywhere in parks except in private vehicles.

• Clean Air Bylaw Information

Boating is permitted in the following lakes, with some restrictions:

• Beaver Lake: 10 horsepower maximum
• Durrance Lake: electric motors only
• Elk Lake: 10 horsepower maximum (over 10 horsepower in area marked by buoys only)
• Matheson Lake: electric motors only
• Prior Lake: no power boats
• Thetis Lake: electric motors only

Our most popular brochures can be downloaded from this web site. From Find a Park or Trail, click on the park that interests you.

All CRD Parks publications are also available at our office: 490 Atkins Avenue in Langford. Office hours are Monday –- Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm.

CRD Regional Parks operates three self-contained RV and tent campgrounds at Island View Beach Regional Park in Central Saanich, Jordan River Regional Park in Jordan River and Sooke Potholes Regional Park in Sooke.

All other regional parks and trails are day-use only. No overnight camping is permitted.

Cycling is permitted on the 3 CRD Regional Trails:

• The 55km Galloping Goose Regional Trail connects downtown Victoria with Sooke.
• The 29km Lochside Regional Trail begins in Saanich and ends at the BC Ferries terminal at Swartz Bay.
• The 17km E&N Rail Trail - Humpback Connector between Victoria and Langford. This trail is still under development, so gaps exist.

Cycling is also permitted in the following Regional Parks:

• Hartland mountain biking area of Mount Work Regional Park
• western portion of the 10km Trail at Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park
• mountain biking trails in Sea to Sea Regional Park
• Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail, within Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park
• on designated multi-use trails at Thetis Lake Regional Park

Cycling is not permitted on other trails or in other CRD parks. Please lock up your bikes and explore the parks on foot.

For more details, visit the Cycling & Walking Routes page.

Visitors are welcome to bring their dogs to regional parks and trails, as long as the dogs are under control. Owners are required to pick up their pet waste.

Dogs are allowed to pass through but not stay in designated beach and picnic areas during the summer (June 1 - September 15). They are required to be on a leash while passing through.

Dogs are required to be on leash on:

• E&N Rail Trail-Humpback Connector
• Galloping Goose Regional Trail 
• Lochside Regional Trail
• Elsie King Trail at Francis/King Regional Park
• Sea to Sea Regional Park
• Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park

Dogs are not permitted at Ayum Creek Regional Park Reserve.

For more details, visits the Pets in Parks page. Watch for signs on trails and in parks where specific dog regulations apply.

Yes. The CRD allows the use of electric bicycles on all regional trails and on designated cycling trails in some Regional Parks.

• See FAQ “Cycling - Where can I cycle in regional parks and trails?”

Electric bicycles must meet the BC Motor Vehicle Act definition of "motor-assisted cycle" and display the required sticker. For a detailed description, visit the ICBC website.

• ICBC Electric Bikes

No. Open fires are not allowed in regional parks. Check with your local municipality to find out where open fires are allowed in the Capital Region.

Yes. CRD recognizes geocaching as a recreational activity in regional parks and trails.

• Geocaching in CRD Regional Parks Guidelines 

Parking is free in most regional parks and trails. At Sooke Potholes and Thetis Lake regional parks only, pay parking is in effect from May 1 to September 30.

Reservations of group picnic shelters are available at Elk/Beaver Lake, East Sooke Park and Island View Beach. To reserve a shelter, call Parks Headquarters at 250.478.3344.  Read more >>

Each park listing provides directions to the park by public transit where applicable. You can also download the information sheet listing all parks accessible by bus.

• CRD Regional Parks Accessible by BC Public Transit

The Vancouver Island Health Authority is responsible for monitoring the quality of recreational water. They monitor the water quality at beaches in the summer months only and post the reports on the VIHA website.