Sunday, June 20, 2010

Prospect Lake's Whitehead Park

Saanich Parks has plans that kayakers will like! They're making a few changes in the little park at the north end of Prospect Lake, where Tod Creek exits the lake and begins its run down to Tod Inlet at Brentwood Bay on Saanich Inlet. This little park was previously called Lakeshore Park, but in 1997 Saanich Parks accepted the recommendation of local residents to name it Whitehead Park after the Whitehead family, who sold the land to Saanich in 1960 to be used as a park.
This little park, 2.99 acres or 1.21 hectares, used to be a popular picnic and swimming beach. The plans for the park have some very sensible elements that will be of particular interest to kayakers and other users of small boats.
Scroll down to the map of the park and check it out – there are two areas to park along Goward Road and Prospect Lake Road, and a bike rack! And from each of the wide road shoulder parking areas, there are footpaths down to the water. At the lake shore, there’s a “multipurpose floating boardwalk/dock” shown on the map.
I haven’t paddled at Prospect Lake in three years. But this little dock is good reason for me to set up a kayak outing there! This lake is just big enough for a nice time on the water, and it's pretty sheltered when the ocean is subject to windstorms.

It would be a particularly nice place for a combination bike and kayak day... a group of people could bike out to Prospect Lake and be met by someone with a vehicle carrying the kayaks. Or perhaps, if my friends and I drive there, there might be a bike or two on car racks, for riding in a loop around the lake. The golf course at the south end of the lake is worth checking out also>

1 comment:

  1. The dock has not been built as of yet but is in the plans...

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