Trip 299 - September 4, 2023 (Monday)

Ogden Point Breakwater Visit

By Dallas Road Waterfront Trail

Victoria, BC

Page 3 of 3

Dallas Road Waterfront Trail Location: Along Dallas Road in Victoria BC, between St. Charles Street and Lewis Street (about 3.5 km one way).

Liked: Wonderful views of the waterfront and shoreline. Colourful tower at Spiral Beach. Excellent murals at the Dallas Rd Staircase (past the end of the shoreline trail – at the foot of San Jose Ave), Ogden Point and a nearby information stand.

Of Note: The trail is popular, some homeless people hanging out, no shade, nudists could be present, uneven ground / rocks – hiking boots are recommended, a used condom observed at the Dallas Rd Staircase past the end of the shoreline trail.

Vancouver Island, Victoria & Gulf Islands Backroad Mapbook (9th edition) Coordinates: Page 5 (Victoria) A4-B4.

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Dallas Road Waterfront Trail is a very impressive easy hike with minimal elevation change and numerous fine views, and it is located right by the downtown in the city of Victoria, running alongside Dallas Road from St. Charles Street in the east to Lewis Street in the west. The distance via Dallas Road is about 3.5 km one way, but the actual hiking distance is longer because the trail meanders via several lagoons, so it's not a straight line. Dallas Road is never too far, especially in the east, and the trail does get just a touch wilder in the west, if not for too long. Several staircases are available in the "wilder" part of the trail to get back to Dallas Road.

Other than a few homeless people hanging out here and there (they were keeping to themselves), another item of note is that there is a totally unmarked nudist beach right at the trail. It is located at Finlayson Point (just east of Dallas Road at Douglas Street), and featured about ten mostly older men in their birthday suits, though we did observe a rather large woman as well.

Dallas Road Waterfront Trail can be accessed at numerous points. Washrooms are located in several places. Parking is plentiful along Dallas Road, but we left our vehicle at Gonzales Park, several blocks east of the trail, and walked along neat Victoria streets to the beginning of the hike at the foot of St. Charles Street.

Ogden Point Breakwater is located a few hundred meters past the western end of the trail, and is covered on this page of the trip report.

* All trail distances are based on a GPS odometer and are approximate.

57. About 370 meters from the western end of Dallas Road Waterfront Trail, we have reached Ogden Point Breakwater.

Ogden Point Breakwater Victoria BC Canada

58. Here is some info about the breakwater.

Ogden Point breakwater information sign

59. Aerial view (lower right side of the photo located on a nearby info stand).

Ogden Point breakwater aerial view photo

60. Looking back from the start of the breakwater.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

61. Starting our Ogden Point Breakwater visit. The breakwater is about 1.2 km long.

Victoria BC Ogden Point breakwater

62. Looking right at the Victoria cruise ship dock.

Victoria BC cruise ship dock

63. Colours.

Cruise ship dock in Victoria British Columbia Canada

64. Ogden Point Breakwater 510 meters from the start.

Ogden Point breakwater

65. Fishing in progress.

Fishing off Ogden Point breakwater

66. Looking back at 1.05 km of the breakwater.

Ogden Point breakwater off Dallas Road in Victoria BC

67. Approaching the end at 1.1 km.

Ogden Point breakwater on Vancouver Island BC

68. A beacon and some benches at the end of Ogden Point Breakwater.

Ogden Point breakwater beacon

69-70. A view on the way back. The wall of the breakwater is decorated by indigenous art.

Ogden Point breakwater murals

71. Just to the west of breakwater, there is Ogden Point Walking Route. We walked the first 200 meters of this route.

Start of Ogden Point walking route

72. At the 30 meter mark.

Victoria BC Ogden Point walking route

73. At the 180 meter mark of Ogden Point Walking Route. A piece of the roof of a very fine information stand is seeing on the right side.

Ogden Point walking route in Victoria British Columbia

74-75. We then reached this gate in front of a barge.

Barge by Ogden Point walking route

76. And here is that impressive information stand.

Ogden Point walking route information stand

77. In addition to the information seen in photos #55 and #56, there is a whole lot more at that stand, including: a 1912 photo of Victoria Harbour, and...

Victoria BC harbour 1912 photo

78. ...a photo of an early ferry with vehicles.

Old British Columbia ferry photo

79. On the way back to Dallas Road Waterfront trailhead we found this very cool truck parked on Dallas Road.

Colourful truck in Victoria BC

Dallas Road Waterfront Trail is a fantastic hike full of great views (albeit with nudists), and Ogden Point Breakwater is a very good place to visit too. Highly recommended.