Spectacle Lake Park

Highlights in this park

Spectacle Lake Park is home to mature forest, lake and wetlands. Located northwest of Victoria, in the Nanaimo Lowlands Ecosection, this park is one of few accessible freshwater lakes that allows fishing, swimming and in the winter, skating.

This park offers day-use opportunities for swimming in a spring-fed lake. Visitors can also fish for eastern brook trout and cutthroat trout, and enjoy an easy hiking trail that winds around the lake for more than two kilometres. Much of this trail system is wheelchair-accessible.

The main trail also unofficially links up to various regional trails outside of the park boundaries. In the winter, Spectacle Lake is one of the first to freeze, supplying a reliable skating site if temperatures are cold enough.

Know before you go

Advisories

Special notes

No campfires permitted.
Pets must be on a leash at all times.
This park is cooperatively managed by the Cowichan Valley Regional District. Services and facilities may differ from those offered in other BC Parks.

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Maps and location

Getting there

Spectacle Lake Park is located 30km north of Victoria just off Highway 1, on southern Vancouver Island. Nearby communities include Victoria, Langford, Mill Bay and Duncan.

Things to do

Hiking

An easy 2km, well-maintained hiking trail circles the lake. It has wooden bridges which cross the numerous creeks and marshy area feeding into Spectacle Lake. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

Swimming

Although there are no designated swimming areas at Spectacle Lake, swimming is a popular activity at this park.

There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.

Canoeing

There are opportunities for canoeing or kayaking on the lake in this park.

Fishing

This lake offers the only eastern brook trout fishing on Vancouver Island. It is also regularly stocked with cutthroat trout. Fishing is permitted as per provincial and federal fishing regulations. All anglers should check the current regulations issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to fishing.

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Pets on leash

Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. You are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.

Winter recreation

Spectacle Lake is one of the first to freeze over in winter, supplying a reliable skating site in cold temperatures.

Facilities

Boat launch

There is a boat launch at this park.

Picnic areas

This park has a day-use and picnic area with pit toilets and a boat launch.

Pit or flush toilets

Pit toilets are located at the parking lot.

About this park

History

The area around Spectacle Lake was logged prior to 1960, and the region has a rich logging history. An old plant logging road to Oliphant Lake passes to the west of the park. Spectacle Lake was also the site of a sawmill in the 1940s, when the lake was dammed and used to boom logs.

General Wildlife, Marine & Outdoor Ethics Information

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.

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