Take A Pic - It is your Pic!

Ron Kirstein
Apr 14, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Apr 27, 2020

Photo Ops in Greater Victoria on Vancouver Island British Columbia

This Blog is intended to be a resource for visitors and tourists who come to Victoria and in particular, for people who like to take pictures.

This Blog will help you discover some amazing sites and capture your own memories! For me, this blog is all about sharing the beauty of our city with our visitors from all over the world!

If you are a person who works in the tourism industry when people are looking for some great places to see, why don’t you show them to this blog?

Our first stop is the giant, ancient sequoia tree found across the street from the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm. This may be the most photographed spot in Victoria. It is hard to imagine how many children have had their picture taken sitting on the branch of this tree!

Giant Sequoia

Well, I was probably wrong! The Mile Zero marker at the corner of Douglas and Dallas Road is one of the most photographed places in Canada. It marks the western beginning of the Trans-Canada Highway that travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean (‎7,821 km or 4,860 mi)!

Near that photo op is the statue of Terry Fox a true Canadian hero! His legacy is that he attempted to cross Canada doing a "Marathon a Day". He captured the hearts with his effort! He was about 1/3 the way, when the Cancer he was fighting, got the better of him! His effort has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the "fight against cancer".

Mile Zero & Canadian Hero Terry Fox

The next stop is Goodacre Lake in Beacon Hill Park. With its stone bridge and beautiful willow tree, it is a picture waiting to be taken. There are always lots of ducks who seem to like sharing a log with lots of turtles. In the spring, there are some 90 heron nests high in the trees right near the lake!

Turtles Sunning in the Park in Goodacre Lake Link to More Info Link to Park Map

Goodacre Lake

There are many other reasons to visit Beacon Hill Park. There are magnificent views of Juan de Fuca Strait from the lookout. Take the road up that is just left of the Children’s Farm to get to the lookout!

Mount Baker provides Victoria with a magnificent eastern backdrop which is best viewed from Cattle Point in the Uplands district of Oak Bay Municipality in Greater Victoria.

Victoria’s Scenic Drive which follows Dallas Road and winds into Oak Bay has some of the best photo opportunities available in Victoria. Just follow the signs.

Gonzales Bay along Victoria’s scenic drive

The Chinese Cemetery along the scenic drive (just off the drive…take Crescent Road where it turns towards the ocean.

Chinese Cemetery

Greater Victoria – Oak Bay – This house at the corner of Dalhousie and Beach Drive has probably the most beautiful flower garden in all of Greater Victoria. While there visit Willows Beach, arguably the most popular beach in Greater Victoria. The garden changes every year but it is always spectacular!

Bear Mountain Golf Course in Langford:

In addition to two 18 hole golf courses, Bear Mountain has incredible views of the south end of Vancouver Island as seen below. Also if you go into the residential areas you can find so excellent views showing most of Greater Victoria.

Market Square Lower Johnson Street – great spot to photo-op some of the architecture of old town Victoria!

Abkhazia Garden Victoria BC

Tucked into this tiny corner of Oak Bay is this beautiful garden. Every step brings another picture! Has a great tearoom and outstanding gardens!

The Royal British Columbia Museum has many great picture opportunities and you can take all the pictures you want indoors as long as you do not use a flash. The “Woolly Mammoth” is a good place to start. Outside visit Totem Park for some good totem pole pictures! Then take in the Imax Theatre!

Butchart Gardens is an outstanding location for picture taking. This is Victoria’s number one Visitor Attraction! This is the spectacular Sunken Garden! It started as a quarry! Ther is so much more! Certainly a "Must Do"!

The photo below was taken from just offshore looking at Victoria with Mount Baker seemingly towering over the City of Victoria while coming back from a whale watch trip! On a good clear day, Victorians can see Mountains North of Vancouver and then all the way down South past Seattle!

Spring in Victoria often can start in January, February, or March and when it starts it blooms! Search online for articles about where the best blossoms can be seen!

Victoria has some other fantastic Gardens where good picture taking is available. They are Finnerty Gardens at the University of Victoria, Hatley Gardens at Royal Roads University, and The Horticultural Center of the Pacific (HCP)

Finnerty Gardens

HCP-The Horticultural Centre of the Pacific

Royal Roads University -Hatley Castle and Gardens

Juan de Fuca Strait separates Victoria from Washington State in the USA. The majestic Olympic Mountains maintain snow throughout the year making this fantastic backdrop!

This is The Fisgard Lighthouse at Fort Road Hill a National Historic Site located next to picturesque Esquimalt Lagoon, a great area for picture taking.

These are the Gate of Harmonious Interest welcoming visitors to Chinatown, the oldest in Canada. The gate stands 38 feet high and was erected in 1981 in commemoration of Chinatown's revitalization by the City of Victoria and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.