Go ahead… hop on a bike (or just put your walking shoes on). South Vancouver Island’s Lochside Trail has been made smoother with 1.7 kilometres of paved pathway between Island View Road and Mount Newton X Road.
“It’s like a super highway as far as I’m concerned,” said cyclist Chark Nipp with a laugh.
The Lochside Trail runs 29 kilometres from the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal, parallel to Patricia Bay Highway 17. By improving trails like this, we hope to encourage more people to leave their cars at home and practice their pedal power.
On a warm, sunny morning, we visited the paved trail (it used to be gravel) to film cyclists, walkers and runners. Some people were biking to work, others were pedaling to the ferry for a Gulf Islands vacation, and more still were just enjoying the exercise.
Have a look for yourself. If you’re in the area, why not hop on your bike and ride it for yourself, too?
can I ride a road bike on the trail or is there too much gravel?
Hi there anonymous, thanks for your message.
The Lochside Trail is paved (although the sides have some gravel on the shoulder).
I just rode this trail today and it is a fabulous way to get out and enjoy! We passed the Saanich Historical Artifact Society’s Heritage Acres which has a fascinating collection of buildings, logging machinery, steam engines, etc. There were plenty of places to stop in Sidney for a bite to eat.
This trail is superb.
Great way to see the area. Glad you enjoyed the trail and thanks so much for sharing your experience. 🙂