A Weekend in Sooke: Coast Trails, Sauna, Breweries and a Rainforest Spa

Plan my Sooke weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Sooke

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Two days in Sooke cover a wilderness coast trail, a wood-fired sauna, a string of small breweries, a spa with an outdoor rainforest room and a wine bar with over a hundred pours by the glass. Day 1 starts in East Sooke and finishes with dinner on the harbour. Day 2 drives west to a long beach, then comes back for a swim or a massage and the evening. It suits a couple or two friends who want a hike and a drink in the same day.

Start at East Sooke Regional Park, 1,474 hectares with about 50 km of trails through forest, marsh and field. The Coast Trail runs 10 km past pocket beaches, rocky bays and tide pools, with views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Mountains. Aylard Farm, the gentlest of its three entrances, has a pocket beach where river otters turn up.

Midday belongs to Tugwell Road, where two stops sit a few doors apart. Walk On Water Spa has a six-person wood-fired sauna, two jetted cold tubs, an outdoor hot and cold tub, lounge areas with fire pits and an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue. Sessions book online. Then cross to Bad Dog Brewing Company at 7861 Tugwell Road, which pours pints and flights and fills cans to take home. The Hot Diggity Dog food trailer feeds the taproom.

For dinner, book Wild Mountain Food & Drink on Maple Avenue South. The menu follows the slow food philosophy and changes daily with the harvest, from local farmers, fishers and foragers, and the room looks over Sooke Harbour. Book a table on its own site.

Find a place to stay in Sooke

Drive west on Highway 14 to French Beach Provincial Park. The beach runs about 1,600 metres in sand and pebbles, with a wide green lawn behind it and about 2 km of trails through salt marsh and second-growth forest. Gray whales pass in spring and fall, and resident killer whales are often seen offshore.

Back along the highway in Shirley, Checkerhead Brewing on Sherburne Drive makes craft beer inspired by people the brewer met while touring as a comedy juggler.

Back in Sooke, SEAPARC Leisure Complex on Phillips Road is the wet-day stop, with a pool and an arena. Tickets for upcoming events are on its page.

Late afternoon is for West Coast Esthetics Studio & Rainforest Spa on Robinson Road. It runs massage, facials and pedicures, and its open-air rainforest spa sits beside a quieter indoor treatment room. Book online.

Before dinner, stop at the tap room of Sooke Oceanside Brewery on Sooke Road, where the year-round list runs from a pale ale and a red ale to a lager and an IPA.

End at Pourhouse Wine Co. on Otter Point Road, a tasting room with over a hundred pours by the glass, a rotating list from small producers and small plates built for sharing: charcuterie, a cheese trio, skewers and dips.

• East Sooke Regional Park has three entrances, Aylard Farm, Anderson Cove and Pike Road, each with its own parking lot.
• French Beach is about 20 km west of Sooke on Highway 14, and the park stays accessible year-round with limited services in winter.
• Walk On Water Spa, West Coast Esthetics and Wild Mountain all book through their own sites, so reserve before the trip.

See what's on this weekend

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

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