Sooke Potholes from Swartz Bay: A South-Island River Day

I was at Sooke Potholes on 6 April 2024. Gateway sign, kiosk, gorge. Parking was free because it was April. From May through September the CRD machines and the ZipBy app are the day.

The same calendar day I also photographed Little Qualicum Falls, coming off a Tofino trip. That is a stacked Island day, not a plan. Qualicum to Sooke is a few hours of pavement and it only makes sense if you are already southbound toward Swartz Bay. The schedule below is the version you should run: Sooke as its own south-Island day from Victoria. The Pacific Rim itinerary is the Tofino trip those Qualicum frames belong to.

The day

Swartz Bay, Highway 17 through Victoria, Highway 14 to Sooke, Sooke River Road to 3500 Sooke River Road. Lots 1, 2 and 3 along the river. Lot 3 is closest to the potholes viewpoint. Lot 1 is Crescent Beach swimming. A day pass covers all three in summer.

Time	Where	Notes
Morning sailing	Into Swartz Bay	Or start from Victoria if you stayed the night
Late morning	Sooke Potholes Gateway	Establishing frame, then Lot 3
Midday	Potholes viewpoint	The gorge. Stay on the deck
Afternoon	Optional swim at Crescent Beach, not at the viewpoint	Lot 1
Return	Victoria or Swartz Bay	Budget the evening sailing

The walk itself is the Sooke Potholes guide: riverside trail, where to swim, where not to, polariser and overcast, the viewpoint as the photograph. This page is only the day that holds the walk.

Pairing it

Overnight in Victoria and do parliament and downtown the other day. I shot those on 23 October 2022. Two visits, one south-Island habit: Swartz Bay, then either the harbour or the river, not both in a panic.

April 6, 2024Hiked it myself

Sooke Potholes in April. Gateway and kiosk, gorge from the official viewpoint. Parking free that month. Little Qualicum was the same calendar day on the way south from a Tofino trip. Do not copy that stack unless the ferry is already Swartz Bay.

Reported by Parveen Singh