Visiting Victoria or Vancouver Island for the first time? Looking to get into hiking or for a new place to hike? Try out one of WEA's Vancouver Island BC and Victoria BC hiking tours or courses. For that classic west coast rainforest hike, we take clients to popular places like the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. But maybe those popular spots aren't for you? Maybe you are looking for something a little higher up and off the beaten path? No problem, we have that too! Hike to beautiful, less known hikes like Peden Lake, Mount Quimper or Mount Empress. These hikes have amazing views of the Olympic Mountains, the ocean, Victoria and the Southern Vancouver Island Mountain Ranges. Contact us for more info today!
| AGE | # OF PEOPLE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 - 65 years | 2 - 12* | ||
| TOUR | LENGTH | PRICE/PERSON | DIFFICULTY |
| Juan de Fuca Trail Intro Hike | 3 hr | $115 + GST | Easy-Moderate |
| Peden Lake | 4 hr | $135 + GST | Moderate |
| San Juan Ridge Tour | 12-14 hr | $250 + GST | Moderate |
| Mount Manuel Quimper | 4-6 hr | $145 + GST | Moderate-Challenging |
| Grass Lake | 7 hr | $205 + GST | Challenging |
| Mount Empress | 8.5 hr | $225 + GST | Very Challenging |
| Multi-Day Tours | 2-9 days | $450-$2,100 + GST | Moderate to Very Challenging |
*All day program fees do not include transportation or meals and are based on 4 people. Group sizes less than 4 may be chagred an additional fee. Meals & transportation are available for an extra fee. Overnight programs include meals. Make sure to check out the difficulty scale on this page.*
| SHARE | BOOKING | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Call us now at 250-888-1622 and talk to a real person!! or, if you can't talk now, please click on the following button to take you to the contact information survey (takes 1 to 2 minutes to complete) and we will get back to you within 2-5 business days.
We primarily offer our hiking tours within 2 hours driving distance of Victoria BC. This includes hiking tours in Victoria BC, Sooke, Port Renfrew, Juan de Fuca, Cowichan and more.
WEA runs many day and multi-day wilderness hikes like those on the Juan de Fuca trail or in the Sooke Hills. Below are some of our more popular day tours. Let us know if you have anything else in mind or are interested in multi-day tours.
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy-Moderate | 4km | 50-100m | 2hr |
An amazing rainforest, coastal Sooke area hiking trail located in between Jordan River and Sooke BC about 1.5hrs west of Victoria BC. Come exprience a small taste of a breathtaking, coastal backcountry area complete with beaches, suspension bridges, creeks, rivers, waterfalls and some old growth trees just steps off the beaten path. This hike is a great intro to wilderness hiking. Come try out a section of the trail and see if west coast hiking is for you! Tihs is our easiest Victoria BC hiking tour.
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 4.5km | 250m | 4hr |
Peden Lake is nestled in the west side of the Sea to Sea Regional Park in Sooke. A rare gem located just over 2 km from the Sooke Potholes. Explore the local Sooke BC temperate rainforest, 3 waterfalls, a historic pipeline and enjoy the views and swim in a beautiful backcountry lake. A great step 2 Vancouver Island hiking course or tour.
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate | 8-14km | 250-400m | 12-14hr |
With connections to a wilderness backpacking trail, the San Juan Ridge is a little known, unique, sub-alpine environment with pristine lakes, alpine meadows and views of the ocean 800m+ below. This hiking tour is incredibly challenging to access making it an unbelievable wilderness area. Come join us on this guided South Island tour and see this awe-inspiring place that you've never heard of. Only 1.5 hrs away from Victoria BC.
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate-Challenging | 9km | 400m | 4-6hr |
Located right near Sooke BC, is a historic fire lookout perched on top of Mount Manual Quimper. The old building was used to spot fires for a good chunk of the 20th century. Mount Quimper has some exceptional hiking and mountain biking trails with varying terrain and difficulty. Are you new to hiking in the last few months and looking for that next challenge? Mount Quimper has some great challenging sections with several viewpoints along the way. Try our guided tour up Mount Quimper today!
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Challenging | 13km | 420m | 7hr |
Grass lake is another amazing lake located in the Sea to Sea Wilderness Park. This lake has a beatufil view of two smaller peaks and is plenty warm come summer time. Ever seen a Vancouver Island Rough Skinned Newt before? Grass Lake has them! Join WEA on an all day adventure two a little-travelled backcountry lake and see some amazing views along the way!
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very Challenging | 17km | 600m | 7hr |
Mount Empress is the highest peak within the Capital Regional District's park system sitting at 680m above sea level. From up top you can see Victoria, Sooke, The Olympic Mountain, Sooke Lake, Mount Baker and more. Empress has arguably the best 360 degree view of the Victoria area that you will find. Along the way enjoy swimming in beautiful Peden or Grass Lake on this long, full day adventure with WEA.
| Difficulty | Distance | Elevation Gain | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate-Very Challenging | 9-49km | 500m+ | 2-9 days |
Looking for something not listed above? Or maybe you are keen on doing a multi-day hiking trip like the West Coast Trail, Juan de Fuca Trail or similar? These big trips can be a lot to handle for your first time. Contact us to arrange your custom single or multi-day hiking tour today!
In order to have a succesful hiking experience, you need to have a base level of fitness and physical ability. This scale is intended to give clients an idea of the challenges they face while on our guided hikes.
| RATING | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Easy | These hikes are relatively flat with level, gravel trails most of the time and are no longer than 3km. They may have some uneven surfaces but not for very long. Easy hikes are a great introduction to hiking and are typically suitable for most people that have some physical fitness. If you can walk 5km on flat terrain and up the occasional small hill in the city, you should be able to do this hike. |
| Moderate | A moderate hike has some flat and some steep sections with loose rock and an uneven trail surface. Distances are usually 4-9km. Steeper sections are often short with a flat section not far away. These hikes are the next step in physical challenge and are typically suitable for mostly active people that walk longer distances or jog weekly. Find a steep hill in the city that is at least 200m long. You should be able to walk up and down it at least 8 times to enjoy this hike. |
| Challenging | A challenging hike is typically longer than 10km and has several steep, rocky and uneven sections. On a flat surface in the city, you should be able to at least run 3km. You should be able to do a moderate hike without being very tired at the end before attempting this hike. |
| Very Challenging | These hikes are typically longer than 16km and have longer, more exposed sections compared to challenging-level hikes. You should be able to run more than 5km in the city and should have significant hiking experience on a regular basis before attempting this hike. |
Maybe you have done day hikes in the past (or not at all) but never an overnight backcountry trip. The idea of a backcountry trip on a trail like the Juan De Fuca Marine Trail sounds daunting. What kind of water filter do you bring, how do you work it....what is a water filter? Gaiters, what are those?? I thought those were only in Florida? It all seems a little overwhelming so you decide to give WEA a call asking for a custom Juan de Fuca trail tour/instructional program. WEA will assess your experience and work with you to create the best guided Juan de Fuca trail hike tour vacation/learning experience possible on your terms. A guided Juan de Fuca trail tour could be for a group of friends, your family, a corporate group or anything.
• Juan de Fuca trail hiking or backpacking tour • Forbidden Plateau hiking tour • Guided Mount Albert Edward hiking tour • Sooke Hills wilderness guided hike
Hiking tours and courses give clients the opportunity to experience those out-of-the-way wilderness areas on South Vancouver Island. With experienced and certified guides, you will get to explore true wilderness with amazing views, pristine creeks, wilderness swimming lakes and beautiful forests. In many locations, you will often not see another person all day. Ever gone swimming in a wilderness lake with no one else around? This is your chance!
• Leadership • Proper outdoor gear • Decision Making • Group Management • Route Planning • Navigation • GPS Navigtaion • Compass Use • Triangulation • Pacing • Map Reading • Distance Units • Wilderness Camping Skills
Western Educational Adventures takes safety seriously. Not only do we want our participants to have an exceptional time, but just as importantly, we want them to return home safe and sound. All of Western Educational Adventures staff are certified in high level first aid and have years of experience managing risk in the outdoors. You won’t find a more qualified staff team anywhere else!
"Landon took our family on a sea kayak paddle starting out of Victoria. This was our first time sea kayaking but we felt confident in Landon keeping our trip safe and enjoyable. In little time we were safely paddling and navigating the water. It was a great day!"
-Alex Damjanovic
We believe that a good experience starts with good nutrition. Proper diet and eating habits are lacking in today’s society - a result of readily available fast foods, processed foods and a lack of nutritional education. We strive to provide quality, simple, wholesome meals with limited processed ingredients – in addition to the occasional smores and limited other tasty treats. This is part of why we include our participants in all meal planning, purchasing and cooking.
We are also very experienced in dealing with dietary restrictions and serious food allergies. Great care is taken to avoid serious participant food allergens whenever possible. Where this is not possible, we take great care to avoid cross contamination of ingredients.
"Landon guided an overnight trip for our family on the Juan de Fuca trail. Healthy eating is important to us. Landon helped our kids build an outdoor oven and they were soon baking an amazing dinner. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that you can look after yourself in the outdoors."
-Carole Damnjanovic
**All personal information provided will not be shared with third parties unless it is relevant to the participants well being or quality of experience**
Historic Fire Lookout on Mt. Quimper
Amazing west coast tidal pools.
Botanical Beach, Port Renfrew BC
Crabapple Lake, Sea to Sea Park
Grassy Lake
Juan de Fuca Trail beaches
Marine Life
Climbing Mount Empress
Sombrio Beach, Juan de Fuca Trail
Juan de Fuca Trail suspension bridge
Botany Bay Trail Loop
