John Dean Provincial Park

Fantastic views and hiking trails. Wonderful place to spend a few hours.
This really is a hidden gem on the Saanich Peninsula. We were there for about 3 hours on a August weekend in beautiful weather and saw at most 15 other people.
If you are looking for a heavenly nature escape, you can't go wrong with this place.

John Dean Provincial Park is a wonderful destination for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse themselves in nature. Its serene beauty, coupled with its historical significance, makes it a must-visit location for outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

Beautiful, well maintained trails. We did a 5km hike with family and it was awesome. If you’re looking for views this hike is it. We went to pickles bluff and it was a great view.
Would recommend for sure.

John Dean Provincial Park is a must-visit for anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and immerse themselves in the tranquility of nature. Its beauty lies in its simplicity and the serenity it offers to its visitors.

Wow. What an interesting hike. Beautiful trees and stunning look out points. This place feels magical. I’m going to deep dive it’s history for sure.

This is a beautiful park! Well signed, amazing wild flowers and great views. The main trails are wide enough for two people to walk beside each other. I also appreciated the sign that indicated a steeper route. I delighted seeing the examples of Cedar stripping done the indigenous people.

Parking can be a challenge in winter as the gate is shut and so street parking is the only option. Please be respectful in your parking and leave room.

Walk up the hill past the gate and you come to two staircases, one heads up and one heads down. If you head up that extends the walk on the Montfort trail but eventually loops back on the road you are standing on.

For simple access to the radar tower, Abraham Collins Lookout and the Pickles’ Bluffs, head left down the stairs or just stay on the newly paved road.

If you stay on the road you eventually reach a turning circle with a Park sign - 100 years ago this year - the park opened in 1921 thanks to John Dean. There is a pit toilet here too.

Great west coast hiking trail. It is very quiet. When hiking you can't hear cars, and airplanes most of the time, just the Forest. The little lakes are great, and the view points have many different options. With different sides of Mt Newton giving great, very different views. Give yourself around 2 hours to hit one lookout or lake if you go west into the park, your choice. Or take longer and explore more options and views.

Really nice local park with lots of trails. We did the Barret Montfort loop trail, about 5 1/2km. A good mix of elevation change for a good workout. Densely treed with access to viewpoints along the way. Will definitely go again and do some of the other trails. I used the AllTrails app which is really helpful when you get to junctions without trail markers. Lots of green foliage to see and birds to listen to.

What a gem. There are so many different trails. Not overly busy. Several different biomes. Most people on the trails are very nice. For a harder hike start of alex rd or Thompson, or for a flatter walk, start up at the parking lot at the top. Recommended!

A really nice park with various trails. We hiked Pickles Bluff and loved the view (despite there being some smoky air today).

Natural spaces get a lot of stars by default. This park adds some beautifully maintained trails and nice connections to neighbourhood paths.

Great park with view points. Trails are clearly marked and you can get a good work out with some stairs and elevation but not steep and scary. I would make this a frequent place to visit.

A beautiful park for a hike. Excellent extensive nature trails with great views of the Saanich peninsula. Parking is limited though so definitely carpool!

This was a tough hike straight up! I struggled with it due to a bad back and my doggo couldn't make it up, I had to put him in his bag. Once to the top, the view was breath taking! I plan to return to this place again before I leave the island!

This 174 hectare park is a little bit a paradise only 30 minutes from downtown Victoria! HIke through the last stands of old growth douglas fir on the Saanich Penninsula, walk through Garry Oak meadows and take in some spectacular views of the Saanich Pennishula and Haro Strait from the top of Mount Newton. Trails are well maintained, and well marked...well worth a visit.

A great place to hike if you're in the area. Trails are well maintained and well marked, other than the ones that cross into the reservation. Not clear on if it's ok to use those trails or not.

They close the park gate in to off season so you need to park in the residential area below the main entrance. You'll see some people park on the side of the road between the no parking signs but a waiting officer told us the adjacent resident doesn't like that and called it in. 5 tow trucks were on their way as we were leaving.

There are many trails for hikers to do of different levels. I like to just wander and pick random trails. I have never been dissapointed. My dogs loved the forest parts and open land. Beautiful views. Would reccomend!

Wonderfully maintained paths by volunteers. Lots of great trails for all levels of activity

Beautiful park that has some great views that is easily accessible