Are Dogs Allowed on the Lochside Regional Trail in Victoria?

Yes, dogs are allowed on the Lochside Regional Trail, but they have to be on leash at all times. This multi-use corridor is shared with cyclists, runners, dog walkers, and the occasional horse rider, so walking your dog off leash here will get you a fine. It runs about 13 km of paved and packed gravel through farmland, wetlands, and the edges of Cordova Bay, from the Saanich end up toward Sidney and the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

We are on this trail most weeks in fall, usually with Ziggy on a standard leash and Sahara taking the slower lane. It is flat, wide, and easy on old joints, which makes it one of our go-to walks when we want a proper distance without mud up to the knees.

Where exactly does the Lochside go, and how hard is it?

The trail follows the old rail corridor up the peninsula. Much of it is straight, dead flat, and about three metres wide, with open sightlines that let you spot a cyclist coming from far off. That makes it a comfortable pick for leash-reactive dogs who need space, and for senior dogs who want an easy stride on a packed surface.

The view changes as you go: farm fields and fence lines, wetland edges around Elk and Beaver Lake, then glimpses of the ocean as the route bends toward Cordova Bay. There are road crossings at a few points, so shortening the lead at every crossing is a habit we keep with both dogs.

What are the actual dog rules on the trail?

Dogs must stay on a standard hand-held leash along the whole route. The CRD trail rules also ask everyone to keep right except to pass, control your speed, yield to pedestrians and horse riders, alert others when passing, and pick up after your dog. And because much of the route sits in Saanich, the municipal layer applies too: retractable leashes are banned in Saanich parks, so use a fixed-length leash from the trailhead.

Where can my dog run off-leash near the trail?

The easiest answer is Elk and Beaver Lake Regional Park, which the trail passes straight through. Dogs are allowed off-leash on the park's trails and open fields, so you can do a long on-leash walk down the rail bed and then duck into the woods for a proper off-leash spell. Keep off the designated swim beaches (Hamsterly, Eagle, and Beaver Lake) and the picnic and boardwalk areas, which carry seasonal dog restrictions through mid-September.

Near the Cordova Bay section, Mount Douglas PKOLS offers a large off-leash trail network. The north-side trails are on-leash May through August, and that window lifts in September, so fall is a good time to do an off-leash loop up the mountain again. If your dog is shy or easily overwhelmed, our off-leash park etiquette guide has pointers on timing and reading a crowd before you go.

One honest note: there isn't a wide-open off-leash field right in Sidney town, so plan the off-leash part of your outing around Elk Lake, PKOLS, or another park on the way north rather than expecting it at the Sidney end.

Why the Lochside matters when you are choosing a neighbourhood

In our experience, the trailheads people actually use matter more than the trail itself. A home five minutes from an access point means you can be walking the trail before your coffee cools. A home on the far side of town means the drive becomes the reason you skip it.

Saanich neighbourhoods along the corridor mix fenced yards with smaller bungalows, so the dog space varies a lot from block to block. That is something we look at with clients who own dogs: where the nearest trailhead is, and what kind of yard comes with the house. Our Saanich neighbourhood guide covers parks, schools, and walkability, and the Sidney guide does the same for the north end.

Next steps

For more places to let your dog run free, see our complete off-leash park guide and the Mount Douglas PKOLS guide.

Thinking about a move where the trailhead is a short walk from your front door? The Happy Homes Team knows the peninsula block by block. Let's talk about the right neighbourhood for you and your dog.