Sooke Potholes Regional Park is a 63.5-hectare (157-acre) nature park along the

Sooke River Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke B ...

, near

Sooke, British Columbia Sooke is a district municipality on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, by road from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Sooke, the westernmost of Greater Victoria's Western Communities, is to the north and west of the Sooke Ba ...

. It is known for its rocky pools and canyon-like features and is a popular destination for hiking and swimming.

The Land Conservancy The Land Conservancy of British Columbia is a not-for-profit, charitable land trust based in British Columbia, Canada. The purpose of the Society is to protect plants, animals, natural communities and landscape features that represent diversity o ...

of British Columbia (TLC) and the

Capital Regional District The Capital Regional District (CRD) is a local government administrative district encompassing the southern tip of Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The CRD is one of several regional d ...

(CRD) purchased the Sooke Potholes property from private owners in 2005 and 2007. The two organizations work together to manage, plan and develop the park's resources. The 67-site Spring Salmon Place Campground (KWL-UCHUN), located at the northern end of the park, is operated seasonally by the

T'Sou-ke Nation The T'sou-ke Nation of the Coast Salish peoples, is a band government whose reserve community is located on Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. In February 2013, the T'sou-ke Nation had 251 registered members, with two r ...

. The smaller

Sooke Potholes Provincial Park Sooke Potholes Provincial Park is a 7.28 hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is adjacent to the Sooke River and Sooke Potholes Regional Park, near Victoria, B.C. Intended primarily to provide access to the Sooke River and th ...

abuts the southern boundary of the regional park. The westernmost portion of the

Galloping Goose Regional Trail The Galloping Goose Regional Trail is a rail trail between Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and the ghost town of Leechtown, north of Sooke, where it meets the old Sooke Flowline. Maintained by the Capital Regional District (CRD), the trai ...

can be accessed from the park. The

Sooke Flowline The Sooke Flowline is an abandoned concrete aqueduct that snakes through the Sooke Hills from Sooke Lake to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt. Wells Regional Park. From this reservoir, a buried, riveted steel pressure main transported water to ...

, constructed in 1915, snakes through the nearby hills around the Sooke Potholes and travels all the way to the Humpback Reservoir near Mt. Wells Regional Park. It can be found east of the Sooke River.

History

The geologic formations that the park is named for are the result of glacial action around 15,000 years ago. Ice melt from receding glaciers left boulders that then, in concert with rushing waters, carved "potholes" into the sandstone of the river valley. The area is within the traditional lands of the T'sou-ke Nation. Following European colonization in the nineteenth century, the land was used for farming, fishing, mining, and logging, and later for recreation. Much of the park area was part of the failed Deertrail Resort development, which was proposed in the 1980s. The remains of one of the resort structures can be found in the park.

References

External links

CRD: Sooke Potholes Regional ParkThe Land Conservancy: Sooke Potholes
Capital Regional District Parks in British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-geo-stub