Miles of Smiles: Victoria’s Galloping Goose

Victoria’s Galloping Goose provides a rollicking good time

By Jennifer Donahue

The voyage across the Strait of Juan de Fuca didn’t bode well. My husband and I looked forward to spending a weekend cycling around Victoria, British Columbia with our two school-age sons, but in typical Northwest fashion, the weather was threatening to throw a wrench in our plans.

Midway between Seattle and our destination on Vancouver Island, wind and rain rocked our vessel, the Victoria Clipper, leaving many passengers queasy — and me uneasy about our bikes lashed to the deck of the boat.

Upon arrival in Victoria nearly three hours later, we found our bikes unharmed, if a lit-tle wet, and the sun breaking through the clouds.

After a quick trip through Canadian customs, we were on our way, pedaling through the streets of Victoria toward our hotel, an easy urban-cycling experience for our kids, as local drivers seemed accustomed to sharing the streets with cyclists and tourists, not to mention cycling tourists.

We chose to stay at the Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa for its location adjacent to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail. The trail was literally outside the front door of the hotel, which offers locked bike storage in the garage at no charge.

Galloping Goose Regional Trail

With 55km/35 miles at an easy grade, the Galloping Goose Regional Trail offered a kid-friendly way for us to explore the outskirts of this vintage English city on two wheels. The trail meanders west from Victoria toward Sooke; a spur onto the Lochside Regional Trail leads cyclists north to the Saanich Peninsula and Sidney.

Named for gas-powered rail cars from the early part of the 20th century, the trails form part of the Trans Canada Trail, the world’s largest network of trails. When completed, the T-C Trail will link 11,300 miles of trails from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland on Canada’s east coast.

The first few kilometers of our ride led through residential and light industrial areas. With the exception of the Selkirk Trestle, a 300-meter span over the Selkirk inlet where we caught glimpses of harbor seals and a heron, the route is light on scenery. Before long, however, the Galloping Goose led to Victoria’s Switch Bridge. At this point, cyclists can choose whether to continue on the Galloping Goose or take the right fork to the Lochside Trail.

On our first day, we stuck with the Galloping Goose Trail, traveling west through bedroom communities along the Trans-Canada Highway for five kilometers. The route is ideal for commuters (we were passed by a few), but we appreciated the glimpses of Portage Inlet and a playground in View Royal that gave the kids a break from their bikes.

A little further afield, the paved trail ends and the Goose becomes crushed gravel as the residential areas give way to rural. That was far enough for our family outing for the day, but cyclists with stronger legs could continue to the Sooke area and Sooke Potholes Park (40km/25 miles from Victoria to Sooke; 55km/31 miles from Victoria to the end of the trail).

Lochside Trail

Day two’s adventures led us to the Lochside Trail and the Saanich Peninsula. After crossing a few intersections, the trail opens up past the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary and becomes a picturesque gravel lane through the countryside with farms on either side. Horses and cows watch cyclists go by with little interest. The popular trail is shared with walkers and riders on horseback, so pass carefully.

The rural route made it all the more surprising when we found ourselves riding right through a suburban neighborhood! We were rewarded with a stop at Mattick’s Farm, which is not a farm at all, but a small shopping center with a small grocery store and a couple of restaurants. It is a perfect place to grab lunch at Adrienne’s Tea Garden or an ice cream cone at Gramma Fay’s Ice Cream Parlour.

For our small cyclists, it made sense to turn around and head back to Victoria, but I’m hoping with a few more years (and a few more miles) under our belts, we’ll be able to continue all the way to Sidney from Victoria (33km/20 miles) next time.

Our return to our hotel coincided with the return of the rain that had kicked off our weekend. We were ready to head back to Seattle via the Clipper with tired legs and happy memories.

Keep in mind:

The Victoria Clipper charges $10 per bike each way; call in advance to reserve space, as bicycles are stored on deck and the Clipper has limited bicycle capacity.
www.clippervacations.com

Cyclists can arrive at Sidney’s Swartz Bay B.C. Ferries Terminal and follow the Lochside Trail on a southern route all the way to Victoria.
www.bcferries.com

BC Transit buses are equipped with bike racks so you can incorporate bus travel along the route.
www.bctransit.com

For more information about cycling on Vancouver Island, the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition’s Web site has maps, resources, and more.
www.gvcc.bc.ca

The Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort and Spa is located one mile from the Victoria Clipper ferry terminal. Locked bike storage is provided for free.
www.deltahotels.com

Want more?

Here are other rail-trails to explore around the Northwest. Next time you visit one of these areas, bring your bike along and get a whole new perspective.

Sacagawea Heritage Trail

Tri-Cities, Wash.
Twenty-three miles of paved multi-use trail loops curve along the banks of the Columbia River through the cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Benton.
www.visittri-cities.com

Springwater Corridor

Portland, Ore.
This scenic, multi-use segment of Portland’s 40-mile loop is 21 miles long and passes through several parks and open spaces as it meanders through the Johnson Creek watershed.
www.40mileloop.org/trail_springwa tercorridor.htm

Burke Gilman Trail

Seattle, Wash.
Originally 12 miles of converted rail bed, the Burke Gilman now extends from Ballard to Kenmore, and then continues through more rural and suburban territory east another 11 miles to Redmond as the Sammamish River Trail. www.burkegilmantrail.org;
Sammamish River Trail Info

Centennial Trail

Snohomish, Wash.
This popular trail stretches 23 miles from Snohomish to Bryant through rural Snohomish County, with picnic and re-stroom facilities in Machias.
www.traillink.com/trail/centennial-trail.aspx

Spokane River Centennial Trail

Spokane, Wash.
The paved, 37-mile Spokane River Centennial Trail begins at the Idaho state line and travels west, ending at Nine Mile Falls. Following the meandering banks of the Spokane River, the trail includes 30 miles which are on safe, separated trail. The Centennial Trail connects with the 23-mile North Idaho Centennial Trail for a 60-mile all-paved contiguous route (see page 19).
www.spokanecentennialtrail.org

Cedar River Trail

Renton, Wash.
The trail follows the Cedar River from Lake Washington in Renton to the Landsburg area at the Cedar River Wa-tershed. It’s paved for 12.3 miles, then soft surface for the last 5 miles of the route.
www.traillink.com/trail/cedar-river-trail-(wa).aspx

Iron Horse Park/John Wayne Pioneer Trail

North Bend, Wash.
Offering more than 100 miles of gravel and ballast trail from Cedar Falls to the Columbia River near Vantage, the trail features high trestles through mountain passes as it travels two-thirds of the way across Washington state. Tunnels 46 – 50 are closed, but detours are possible.
www.traillink.com/trail/john-wayne-pioneer-trail.aspx

Bellingham Interurban Trail

Bellingham, Wash.
This picturesque crushed gravel trail begins at Old Fairhaven Parkway in south Bellingham and meanders south through the woods along Chuckanut Mountain for nearly six miles to Larrabee State Park off Chuckanut Drive.
www.co.whatcom.wa.us/parks/trails/interurban.jsp

Along the 24-mile North Idaho Centennial Trail. Photo courtesy of North Idaho Centennial Trail Foundation, (208) 292-1634, www.nictf.org

North Idaho Centennial Trail

Near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The 24-mile North Idaho Centennial Trail hooks up with the Spokane Centennial Trail (p. 17) at the Idaho State line and heads east through Coeur d’Alene, ending six miles later at Higgins Point, an Idaho State Park. Check out the migrating Bald Eagles at the park in the fall and early winter. Ride four more miles on the Prairie Trail spur starting at Higgins Point.
www.northidahocentennialtrail.org

Willamette River Trail

Eugene, Ore.
The Willamette River Trail encompasses over 100 miles of paths and multi-use trails along the Willamette River and connects to neighboring Springfield’s 29 miles of dedicated bike routes.
www.travellanecounty.org/cycling/

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