I went out solo on Monday planning to give it an hour, and there was far more to it than the old batteries.
Fort Rodd Hill & Fisgard Lighthouse might be the most underrated attraction we have near Victoria, and right now it costs nothing to find out for yourself. I went out on my own this past Monday planning to give it an hour. I was there closer to three.
The best reason to go this summer is the price. Parks Canada has the Canada Strong Pass running again, so admission to national historic sites is free through September 7. There is no reason not to go.
I figured it would be a quick stop. The old gun batteries, a look at the lighthouse, back home by lunch. That is not how it went.
The place is spread out, and you do not realize how much is set up for you to walk through until you are in it. Bunkers, tunnels, and display rooms, from the upper battery all the way down to the lighthouse.
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Give the batteries more time than you think you need, because there is more inside them than you expect. The upper battery alone has rooms and tunnels you walk right into, each one set up to show how the fort actually ran.
Then there is the lighthouse. Fisgard was the first lighthouse built on Canada’s west coast, and you can walk through it, operation rooms and all. Standing in there is the thing that makes the history click.
When you have had your fill of the buildings, take the Historic Nature Trail down toward the water. It is an easy part to miss, and it is the part I would go back for.
The trail brings you down to a quiet beach lined with driftwood and grass. I looked across the water to Esquimalt Lagoon, where the shore was packed with parked cars and people, while the beach I was standing on was nearly empty. If you want a spot near Victoria with room to breathe, this is it.
Timing changes what you get here. I was there at high tide, so there was less open beach and my best photos ended up being the driftwood and the birds rather than wide sand. If you want room to spread out and walk, aim for low tide, when the beach really opens up.
The wildlife made the walk. I passed two deer and a fawn on the trail, and down along the driftwood I watched two herons standing dead still among the logs. None of it rushed, none of it crowded.
The one thing I missed is the cannon, and it turns out you do more than watch. Through July and August, staff run a program where you help fire a 13 pounder field gun, the only one of its kind in the world still firing. It runs Thursdays at 2 and Sundays at 11.
You need to be 17 or older, you book it at the Visitor Kiosk, and you show up 30 minutes early. Space is limited, so do not leave it to chance. I went on the wrong day, so it is top of my list for next time.
Go now while it is free, give it a full morning instead of an hour, and if you can line it up with a Thursday or Sunday, even better.
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