Blenkinsop Lake Park
Blenkinsop Lake Park is a historic Saanich wetland offering excellent year-round birdwatching from a scenic wooden trestle bridge along the popular Lochside Trail.
Location
Saanich
About
Blenkinsop Lake Park is a 4.55-hectare municipal park in Saanich that includes the marshy waters of Blenkinsop Lake. The primary access route to the lake is via the Lochside Trail, a major walking and bicycling commuter route that crosses the lake and marsh over a wooden trestle bridge (BC Nature, Saanich.ca).
Geography and ecology
Blenkinsop Lake and the Lochside Trail are situated in the Blenkinsop Valley, a north-south oriented valley formed by Mount Douglas/PKOLS to the east, and the Broadmead upland and Boulderwood hill to the west. The lake itself is fed by several small creeks. From there, the water flows south into Swan Lake, continues to Colquitz Creek, and ultimately drains into Portage Inlet (BC Nature).
Flora & fauna
The lake features an extensive area of inaccessible marsh surrounding most of it, making it an excellent location for birding. Visitors on the trail and bridge can enjoy year-round birdwatching, which is especially active during the spring and fall migrations. The lake serves as a vital resting and feeding area for waterfowl, ducks, and a variety of grebes (Saanich.ca, BC Nature).
Birds: Pied-billed grebes, Wood ducks, Black-headed grosbeaks, Cooper’s and red-tailed hawks.
The diverse marshy habitat borders both sides of the trail. Aquatic plant species in the lake include cat tail and yellow water lily. The surrounding environment supports a rich mix of trees and plants, including:
Trees: Big-leaf maple, cottonwood, Douglas fir, grand fir, western red cedar, Garry oak, western birch, mountain ash, pine species, red alder, and willow species.
Plants & shrubs: English hawthorn, red-osier dogwood, red elderberry, Nootka rose, Indian plum, snowberry, cascara, ocean spray, hardhack, Himalayan blackberry, trailing blackberry, false lily of the valley, sword fern, stinging nettle, salal, skunk cabbage, horsetail, and bracken (BC Nature).
History of Blenkinsop Lake and the Lochside Trail
From "Lost Lake" to Blenkinsop
In 1858, maps issued by the Victoria District Office labeled the area as "Lost Lake," a name that evokes a time when the waters were completely surrounded by a thick forest. According to one story, the lake was named by a British Naval officer who lost his way. These early maps displayed a line dividing the lake into two properties: a 125-acre western portion owned by Henry Von Allman, and an eastern property of 258 acres (or 96.3 hectares) owned by George Blenkinsop and his family. Sometime in the early 1900s, the name Blenkinsop officially replaced Lost Lake (Saanich.ca, Gov.bc.ca, BC Nature).
A century of farming
The Blenkinsop Valley has functioned primarily as a farming area for over 100 years. The valley "officially opened" in 1906. Early in the 20th century, William Mercer purchased 125 acres from Adam Glendinning to establish a growing dairy business. The Mercers eventually expanded into mixed farming to sell milk on the wholesale market. Although only 5 acres of the Mercer farm were cleared in 1906, William expanded his holdings to 200 acres by 1909. The land was actively farmed by the Mercer family until 1981 when the last portion was sold (Saanich.ca).
The railway and the trestle bridge
The section of the Lochside Trail passing through the park is actually an old railway right-of-way. The original railway trestle over the lake was built during the First World War for Victoria’s third railway line, the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway (C.N.P.R.). The chosen route had originally been surveyed back in 1892 for the Victoria and Sidney Railway (V&S), but the V&S rejected it because it bypassed settled areas like Saanichton, Keatings, and Royal Oak (Saanich.ca).
When railway crews arrived to construct the bridge in the late 19th and early 20th century, all the timber used for the trestle came directly from the nearby Mercer farm. The Gas Electric Locomotive No. 500 started daily return trips along this route in April 1917. However, by 1935, the trackage north of McKenzie Avenue to Patricia Bay was abandoned (Saanich.ca, Gov.bc.ca).
At one time, Saanich was home to twelve wooden trestles, but due to scavenging, decay, and road construction, almost all were destroyed. The original Blenkinsop bridge was torn down in 1954 after it burned. Today, only two original Saanich trestles remain standing at Swan Lake and Brett Street. (Saanich.ca, Gov.bc.ca).
Building the modern trail
Connecting the Lochside Trail at Blenkinsop Lake had been a goal in the Blenkinsop Local Area Plan for years, with some trail upgrades occurring north of the lake in 1990. In May 1998, a decision was officially made to construct a new bridge across the lake, and a task force was formed to develop an environmentally sensitive crossing. Today's current wooden trestle bridge beautifully bridges the lake's marsh by utilizing the remaining pilings of the original pioneer railway bridge (Gov.bc.ca, BC Nature).
Whether you're cycling the historic Lochside Trail, pausing to birdwatch over the marsh, or simply taking in a piece of Saanich's pioneer history, Blenkinsop Lake Park offers a peaceful, natural escape for every visitor.
Lands
The District of Saanich lies within the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples represented by the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations and the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples represented by the W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout), W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum) and MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat) Nations.
Amenities
Walking trail
View/lookout
Online
Blenkinsop Lake Park @Saanich.ca
Blenkinsop Lake @BCNature.org
Videos