Oak Haven Park

Oak Haven Park is a protected 10.2-hectare hilltop nature reserve that rewards visitors with spectacular panoramic views, vibrant spring wildflowers, and a rare Garry oak ecosystem.

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Location

Central Saanich
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About

Traditionally known as SṈIDȻEȽ ŦIŦEL SṈÁNET (meaning SṈIDȻEȽ hill/mountain), Oak Haven Park is a beautiful 10.2-hectare hilltop nature reserve. Created in 1997, the park protects a rare, highly sensitive forested hilltop and provides the community with a peaceful space for walking, hiking, and nature appreciation (source, source, source).
Located just south of Benvenuto Avenue, between Wallace Drive and West Saanich Road, the park encompasses a mossy rock landscape locally known as Benvenuto Hill (source, source).

Hiking & spectacular views

A quick, 15-minute hike to the summit rewards visitors with spectacular panoramic views. From the top, you can look out over the Saanich Inlet, Central Saanich's peninsula farmland, Mount Baker to the east, and Sidney and James Islands (source, source).
Visitor guidelines: Much of the park has been shown to be highly sensitive to wildlife disturbance and has a high potential for sheltering species at risk. When visiting, please stay on designated trails and pack out what you pack in to help protect this beautiful space (source).

A rare and diverse ecosystem

Oak Haven Park is part of a larger natural ecosystem associated with Tod Inlet/Creek and the Gowlland Range. The park boasts a rich diversity of life, featuring over 90 native plant species and acts as a crucial habitat corridor for wildlife in the region, including blacktail deer, black bears, cougars, raccoons, bats, birds, and rodents (source).
The park features two distinct vegetation zones:
- The upper park: A beautiful mosaic of open, scrub, and parkland forest featuring majestic Garry oaks, snowberry, ocean-spray, and native grasses (like bluegrass and California oatgrass). The long-established oak-moss communities on the rocky outcrops create Sombric Brunisol soils, a unique vegetation type in the Salish Sea and Southern Vancouver Island.
- The lower park: Moving downhill, the landscape transitions into an open forest of large Douglas-fir and arbutus trees, complete with a lush understory of hairy honeysuckle, ocean-spray, and moss (source, source).
Spring wildflowers: Late winter and early spring bring an incredibly vibrant, colourful display of blooms to the meadows. Keep an eye out for fawn lilies, camas, sea blush, satin flower, shooting star, harvest brodiaea, nodding onion, and red columbine (source, source, source).

Conservation & stewardship

Due to urban expansion, Garry oak habitats are rapidly disappearing across Southern Vancouver Island and the Salish Sea (source).
To ensure the long-term protection of this ecosystem, halt development, and reduce threats like erosion and species loss from heavy foot traffic, a conservation covenant was placed on the park in 2004. This covenant is held by the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) and The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) (source, source, source).
Today, the park is proudly maintained by HAT in partnership with the District of Central Saanich. The Friends of Oak Haven Park, a local stewardship group that undertakes regular restoration activities to control priority invasive species, such as Daphne, ensures the park thrives for generations to come (source).