WITTY’S LAGOON REGIONAL PARK

One of Victoria’s gems is Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park

Witty’s Lagoon is located in Metchosin, one of the Westshore communities in Victoria. It is a very pleasant drive through rural farm land to get here.  You can begin your exploration of Witty’s Lagoon at the Nature Information Centre where you can check out the interpretive displays on the lagoon’s natural and cultural history, and find out what’s in season. When on site, the  CRD Parks Naturalists will give you a sense of what to watch for before you hit the trails.

Witty’s Lagoon

The trail down to the ocean winds through luxurious woodland of immense Douglas Firs, Cedars and Broadleaf Maple. You will cross Bilston Creek, which flows towards Sitting Lady Falls spilling over the volcanic rocks into the lagoon below.  In the summer months the falls are just a trickle but it become a raging torrent during winter rains.

Bilston Creek

Sitting Lady Falls

The lagoon is formed in an area where fresh water meets salt water, and the wind, tide, and current create an environment teeming with life. The calm, nutrient-rich waters are warm and shallow, creating valuable nurseries for animals which tolerate both salt and fresh water and feed on the microscopic life flourishing here.  Further on lies the salt marsh, a tidal zone bordering the lagoon. Many of the plants found in the saltmarsh are critical for wintering wildfowl which feed in this area.  Finally, you will come to the long sandy beach with spectacular views of the Juan de Fuca Strait and the Olympic Peninsula. At very low tide the sand flats extend a long long way making for great exploration and great fun on warm summer days!

Salt Marsh at Witty’s Lagoon

Walking along the Saltmarsh

The beach at Witty’s Lagoon

Sand Flats at Wittys Lagoon

Amenities