Monday March 20, 2023 | SOOKE, BC [Updated March 21, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Gateway access to the Sooke Potholes tourist attraction will see improvements shortly. Crews will be mobilizing on site the week of March 27 with the goal of having substantial work completed before the May-long weekend, says the District of Sooke today.
Disruptions to park access while work is completed are anticipated to be minimal (if any), says the District of Sooke.
However, those visiting in the coming weeks can expect to see construction underway in the lowest parking lot (District of Sooke portion of the Park) before entering the Capital Regional District (CRD) portion of the Sooke Potholes Regional Park.
The May Long Weekend in 2023 runs Friday May 19 through Victoria Day on Monday May 22.
In the gateway parking lot:
The improvements, all in the District of Sooke’s gateway parking lot off Sooke River Road, will include:
- additional parking,
- widening two staircases that access the beaches in the area,
- constructing two accessible pit toilets, and
- adding wayfinding and visitor information.
Wide regional use:
Sooke Potholes has had a reputation for decades as a go-to tourist and regional recreation spot. The 63.5 hectare (157-acre) spot was established in 2005 and now features:
- Spring Salmon Place (KWL-UCHUN) Campground
- Spectacular views of the Sooke River
- Freshwater swimming
- Access to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail
- Hiking on forest trails
Funding the project:
The project budget is $403,449.
- The District of Sooke received a $353,449 Community Economic Recovery Program Grant from the BC Government (announced February 9, 2023) to revitalize the property at the park entrance at the first parking lot of the popular destination.
- At the February 27, 2023 Regular Council Meeting, Council allocated an additional $50,000 from the Canada Community Building Fund for the upgrades.
Project management:
District of Sooke Parks and Environmental Services staff will manage the project.
Pay parking:
Pay parking at Sooke Potholes regional park (and Thetis Lake regional park) is in effect for the summer season from May 1 to September 30.
At Sooke Potholes pay parking is at parking Lots 1, 2 and 3.
Revenue collected from parking fees helps to offset the costs of park services for visitors. Parking is free at all other regional parks and regional trails.
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===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends is a professional news portal at islandsocialtrends.ca .
Fully online since mid-2020, Island Social Trends emerged from the extensive groundwork of previous print publications in the west shore, all similarly published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc: MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (2014-2020).
Since 2008, journalist, photojournalist and editor Mary P Brooke has taken a socioeconomic lens to news analysis about the west shore and south Vancouver Island region, including BC provincial news, and national news impacts. She is a professional communicator, with a Certificate in Public Relations and career-long credentials in journalism and publishing.
Ms Brooke has been covering news of School District 62 (SD62) at the board and committee level, including attending nearly all of their meetings since 2014. Mary P Brooke was a school trustee candidate (SD62 Belmont Zone – Langford, Colwood, Metchosin and Highlands) in the October 2022 election, as a service to community.