Sooke Mountain Provincial Park, Nature reserve in Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, Canada.
Sooke Mountain Provincial Park is a nature reserve covering about 450 hectares of forest on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. The terrain includes dense woodlands, natural waterways like Shields Lake, and a network of hiking trails through undeveloped terrain.
Sooke Mountain Provincial Park was established on 25 June 1928, among the ten oldest provincial parks in British Columbia. The Canadian Pacific Railway used it as a wilderness destination where guests stayed at a private lodge overlooking Sheilds Lake; the lodge burned down in the 1960s, leaving only its brick foundation. The park and neighbouring properties were logged in the 1950s.
The park lies within the traditional territory of the T'sou-ke First Nation, for whom the area was hunting and fishing ground long before European settlement and before it became a park. The T'sou-ke name connects to the Sooke Inlet and the stickleback fish found there.
The park has minimal facilities and no developed infrastructure, so visitors should come prepared for backcountry conditions and bring their own supplies. Access is best gained through hiking trails that begin at nearby trailheads or with knowledge of local routes into the area.
This reserve forms part of the Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt, a network of protected lands that encircle Greater Victoria with interconnected green and blue spaces. This connection allows visitors to explore multiple linked natural areas across the wider region.
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