Park overview
Spectacle Lake Provincial 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, fishing for Eastern brook trout and Cutthroat trout, and an easy hiking trail that winds around the lake for more than 2 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.
Please note: This park is cooperatively managed by the Cowichan Valley Regional District. Services and facilities may differ from those offered in other BC Parks.
Established Date: November 13, 1963
Park Size: 67 hectares
Advisories
Safety info
Special Notes
- No campfires permitted.
- Pets must be on a leash at all times.
Facilities
Some facilities in the park are wheelchair-accessible.
Activities
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 or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
Maps and location
Spectacle Lake Provincial Park is located 30 km north of Victoria just off Highway 1, on southern Vancouver Island. Nearby communities include: Victoria, Langford, Mill Bay, Duncan.
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: November 13, 1963
- Size: 67 hectares
Park contact
Nature and culture
- 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.