For a quick wilderness escape from Victoria, head to Goldstream Park. This provincial park is just 30 minutes from downtown and is home to 600-year old Douglas fir trees, spawning salmon, soaring eagles, and some great hiking. For a great view and a challenging yet short hike, head up Mt. Finlayson, the highest point on the southern part of Vancouver Island. The hike should take about two hours.
The big draw at Goldstream are the salmon. The best time to check out thousands of spawning (and dead) chum salmon zombies is late October through November. The salmon run attracts one of the highest concentrations of bald eagles in Canada who see the whole stream as one big buffet. The park also has an excellent visitor center and 173 camp spots.
To get to Goldstream, take Highway 1 northwest out of town for 16km. The park is located on Highway 1 at the junction of Finlayson Arm Road and is very well marked. There is a day use fee.
