The 52-hectare Island View Beach Regional Park is nestled along the eastern shore of the Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria on Vancouver Island. This long, sandy beach is perfect for bird watching, exploring, picnicking and swimming, and features a fragile sand dune area that is home to rare and beautiful plants. A self-contained RV and tent campground with beachfront views lies in the heart of the park.

This gentle cobble and driftwood-strewn beach provides good views of Haro Strait, James Island and Sidney Island, and beyond that to Mount Baker. An unbroken string of small islands seems to fold into each other offshore. If you get bored watching the action from the shore, there is wildlife viewing in the open fields behind the beach. Seabirds and shorebirds land at Island View Beach during migration times in the spring and autumn. Migratory seabirds graze on the eel grass beds at low tide or probe for worms, clams and other creatures in the sand.

Island View Beach with James Island in the rear

Your route to the park, as you follow Island View Road east from Highway 17, takes you through the Martindale Flats, an excellent observation area for ducks, Peregrine Falcons and Trumpeter Swans. There are also numerous free guided nature outings throughout the year.

Island View Beach Regional Park Campground is open from the Victoria Day long weekend in May to the Labour Day long weekend. The campground has 18 beachfront RV sites, 5 treed tent trailer sites, and 24 treed tent sites. All the camping sites are self-contained and operate on a first-come first-served basis. Campground services include garbage bins, toilets, drinking water, picnic areas, and a group fire ring.

James Island shelters the waters of Cordova Channel in front of Island View Beach Regional Park. A boat ramp is conveniently located at the entrance to the park. Paddle over to nearby James Island, and from there to Sidney Island and beyond.

RV at Island View Beach Campground

A series of rough roads and dike trails doubles as bike pathways in the marsh inland from Island View Beach Regional Park. Just begin pedalling out along one of the trails that lead from the beach into the marsh.

Some of the trails eventually lead through the marsh back out onto the north end of Island View Beach. Unfortunately, once there you won't make much headway, as your tires sink into the sand.

Locals use the beach area north of the park fronting Indian reserve land for discreet, clothing-optional tanning. The beach leads a long way north to the tip of Cordova Point.

Facilities within the park are picnic tables, pit toilets and a boat ramp. Activities include hiking, swimming, beachcombing and boating.

These lands and associated nearshore waters are of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Tsawout people. They also contain endangered and ecologically significant sand dune, salt marsh, Garry oak, and eelgrass ecosystems, as well as a very high concentration of plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate species at risk. The shoreline is an important bird area. Please stay on the trails and keep your dog on a leash to help protect these sensitive areas.

Island View Beach Regional Park is located south of Sidney and north of Victoria on Southern Vancouver Island. Access to the park is via Island View Road and Homathko Drive off Highway 17, 10 miles (16 km) north of Victoria.