Beacon Hill Park is Victoria's parkland centerpiece. Biking and hiking trails weave through carefully tended gardens, open green spaces and gentle hills. The Strait of Juan de Fuca and the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in Washington State provide a scenic backdrop to the southern end of the park.
Trails lead to the water's edge along Dallas Road, which borders the park. The shoreline south of Dallas Road, from Douglas Street to Clover Point, is a designated off-leash area. It provides almost a mile of open running space along the coastline.
This off-leash area is open year-round and clearly marked by green signs with a silhouette of a well-behaved sitting puppy. To get here, take Douglas Road south and follow it to the water's edge, past the Mile One marker of the Trans Canada Highway. Make a left on to Dallas Road and park in any of the designated areas on the ocean side of the street.
Several kilometers east of Beacon Hill Park along the shores of Gonzales Bay is another scenic shoreline that allows dogs to be off-leash from September 1 to May 31 each year. Dogs are not allowed on the beach June 1 to August 31. The stretch--part sandy beach and part rugged coastline strewn with driftwood--provides open space to enjoy the ocean and Olympic Mountain views. To get here from downtown Victoria take Fairfield Road east to Beach Drive. Follow Beach Drive to Gonzales Beach and park in designated areas.
Located within two blocks of the Mayfair Shopping Centre and several of Victoria's North Douglas Street hotels, Topaz Park provides two off-leash areas for the pets of visitors staying in the northern part of the city. The off-leash area on the Topaz Avenue end of the park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The second designated area is closed to off-leash dogs during the midday hours.
Local residents and teams gather to play baseball and lacrosse in the park, and dogs must be leashed around either playing field. The park borders Blanshard Street between Topaz Avenue and Finlayson Street, one block east of Douglas Street.
