FRANCIS KING PARK
 Greater Victoria is replete with parks and trails tucked away; perfect for hiking and walking, but we never gave Francis/King Regional Park, a 91-hectare park, nestled in the rolling farmland of Saanich, a second thought until we drove into it on a whim one idle Sunday to take a peek. To our complete surprise and delight, we were faced with the incredible beauty of a forest full of magnificent Douglas-fir trees, approximately 500 years old, some of the tallest in the region. It instantly became one of our favorite Sunday haunts.
We have visited the park through two seasons so far; winter and spring. Each season, this park provides a new vista. In the winter, everything was cool and wet. Dark columns rose into the canopy above where we heard the scolding call of stellar’s jay. Emerald green mosses grew lushly under the high, verdant canopy. It felt like walking through an emerald gemstone. When we returned in the spring, the forest had come alive with new colors. Wildflowers such as white fawn lily, spring gold and shooting star adorned the forest floor and the scented yellow blossoms of big leaf maple appeared above. Squirrels dashed from limb to limb chased by an abundance of birdlife. It was a wonderful place to go to renew our spirit, to slow down and commune with nature.
At the Nature Centre, CRD Parks staff and volunteer naturalists answered all our questions and pointed us in the right direction on the trails. We found brochures and seasonal displays that focus on the plants and animals of the park.
The Elsie King Trail boardwalk is very friendly to those less mobile. Named after a prominent leader in the Victoria Girl Guides and the wife of naturalist Freeman King, the park includes an access ramp, eight interpretive signs, wooden curbs, benches and a shelter. If your mobility is limited, and if you use a wheelchair, walker or cane, the 550-metre boardwalk of the Elsie King Trail will not fail to bring you into the magic of this woodland park - and closer to nature.
 The area has sheltered generations of people in the past. First the Saanich people of the Coast Salish Nation, and their rich culture. After settlers came into the area, the property on the east side of Munn Road was bought by James Francis in 1840. Thomas Francis, his son, lived there his entire life and bequeathed the land to the Province of BC in 1960. It became Thomas Francis Park. The property on the west side of Munn Road was transferred from the City of Victoria to the province in 1967 and was named Freeman King Park after an early conservationist and naturalist who inspired many young Victoria naturalists. The two parks merged into one, to become known as Francis/King Regional Park and is now managed by the CRD.
You will find it 13 km west of downtown Victoria - about a 30 minute drive. Follow the Trans Canada Highway (#1) to Helmcken Road. Turn right on Helmcken, left on West Burnside, and right on Prospect Lake Road. Follow Prospect Lake Road to Munn Road. When you need a break from the city and want to enrich your soul, we recommend the trip.
Mathieu Powell & Angela Provost
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