Guide to Bikepacking the Cowichan Valley 8 | Vancouver Island

The Cowichan Valley 8 is a 190 km figure-eight route starting and ending in downtown Victoria, BC. We rode over 3.5 days, covering tough climbs, glorious flat sections, and incredible views. This video shares what to expect on each section including approximate times, tips for food/water/accommodation, and an overview of the terrain.

Link to the official map:

Cowichan Valley 8

Approximate Cycling Time (These are not perfect but I did my best to compile based on my cycling time as a beginner bike packer)
Downtown Victoria → Langford – 1- 1.5 hrs
Langford → Humpback Reservoir/Goldstream Provincial Park Campground – 1.5–2 hrs
Humpback Reservoir/Goldstream Provincial Park Campground → Shawnigan Lake – 4.5–5 hrs
Shawnigan Lake → Stoltz Pool – 2–2.5 hrs (This is based on other reports, I did not go here)
Shawnigan Lake → Cowichan Lake – 4 hrs
Cowichan Lake → Duncan – 2 hrs
Duncan → Shawnigan Lake – 2 hrs
Shawnigan Lake → Mill Bay (Bamberton Provincial Park Campground nearby) – 30 min
Mill Bay → Downtown Victoria – 2 hrs cycling + 25 min ferry (3 hours including the ferry wait)

The Cowichan Valley 8 is a 190km 
figure-eight bikepacking route that starts and ends at the Parliament 
Building in downtown Victoria, BC. This was our first bikepacking trip and we comfortably completed the 
trip in 3 and a half days. Well, not exactly comfortably. Why 
did no one warn us about the chafing? The trail links together well-known multi-use 
trails including the Galloping Goose, Sooke Wilderness Trail, Cowichan 
Valley Trail, and Lochside Trail. The biggest climb is just past Goldstream 
Provincial Park, through the Sooke Hills Park. Most of the route is non-technical 
and rideable on a gravel bike. Generally people complete this 
trail in a clockwise direction because of the difficulty of this section. There is a detailed guide for this route 
contributed by Miles Arbour on Bikepacking.com. I uploaded the map from this website 
into the “Ride with GPS” app. As you watch this video, please keep in mind 
that this is advice from one beginner to another. If I make any mistakes, please 
comment and I will pin any errors! So what are we waiting for, let’s start biking! Finding parking in downtown 
Victoria can be challenging, but we were able to park at the Wharf 
Street Lot, located at 900 Wharf Street. As of 2025, it cost $15 per 
day with a 5-day maximum. On Day 1, we started our journey in downtown 
Victoria. Although the official route begins at the Legislative Building, we started 
from the Wharf Street parking lot. The trail begins on a bike lane 
and soon crosses a large bridge before connecting to the Galloping Goose Trail. Along the way, there are bathrooms 
and rest areas at regular intervals. The path is paved with some gentle ups and downs. The rest area at Atkins Road has 
both a bathroom and a water station. That’s water! After about an hour of 
cycling, we reached Langford. This is a great spot to fill your water bottles and grab snacks for the long 
ride ahead through Sooke Hills. We cracked a couple of cold Bubly’s, forever 
chemicals be darned, and continued on our way. When I’m bikepacking, I 
only drink the best. Bubly. The path eventually transitions to gravel. We found another water fountain along the way. As you move in and out of Langford, 
there are various food options available. Langford and the bike park area felt like a 
bit of a maze; we had to check our map often. That was a wrong turn. That’s the wrong bridge. That was someone’s house. For our next trip, we’re planning to bring a phone mount so we don’t have to 
stop as frequently to navigate. Be sure to fill up on water in 
Langford if you don’t plan to stop at Goldstream Provincial Park for the night. The section through the Sooke Hills 
is long, isolated, and tiring. In hot weather, it’s wise to bring 
at least 4L of water per person. While much of the trail passes near civilization, 
this stretch is remote. Be prepared! Near the Humpback Reservoir, 
there are bathrooms but no water. This was the closest we got 
to Goldstream Provincial Park. To access the Goldstream 
Provincial Park campground, turn off Sooke Lake Road, which 
connects to Humpback Road. Campsites can be reserved online, and there 
are also first-come, first-served walk-in sites From there, we entered the Sooke Hills section. It was a tough stretch. Ahhhhh! The section begins with rolling gravel hills. The first major hill took us 15 minutes 
of pushing our bikes to reach the top. That’s a big hill. I’m sweaty. On day 4, we met a couple doing the 
trail in the opposite direction. They thought that would make 
the Sooke Hills mostly downhill. Oh, how very wrong they were. 
I wonder how they’re doing now. From there, it’s a mix of uphill and flat terrain, with several more hike-a-bike sections, 
although none as long as the first. We encountered more big ups and downs. Woo hoo! Downhill! Awww. The uphill section as uphill and 
flat. And the downhill section is downhill and uphill and downhill and 
uphill I don’t see how that’s fair. At one point, we found a creek 
and were able to refill our water. It’s important to treat this water. We used both a filter and purification tablets due 
to the high level of farm activity in the area. It took us two and a half hours to get through 
this very hilly and exhausting stretch. Eventually, the trail exits briefly onto 
pavement before rejoining the gravel path. From there, it connects to 
the Cowichan Valley Trail. There were some very steep descents, 
followed by a few demoralizing uphill climbs. After that, the trail flattens out for a 
long section along the lake. Despite riding beside it, the lake is 
not easily accessible for water refills. We stayed at a bed and breakfast on the west side 
of Shawnigan Lake at the end of our first day. It took us 8 hours, including 
breaks, to get there from Victoria. We had dinner at The Lake House. Most 
other restaurants and services are in East Shawnigan, which would have added 
at least 15 more minutes of cycling. If you’re planning to head back 
on the trail from Shawnigan, stopping at The Lake House adds about 15 
to 20 minutes each way off the main trail. Day 2 we slept late and rested 
our weary bones (and butts). The day started with beautiful flat 
gravel riding, and we soon reached the Kinsol Trestle one of the largest 
wooden railway trestles in the world. Originally built in 1920 for the logging railway, it was restored in 2011 after years of 
neglect and is now part of the trail. From there, we enjoyed a pleasant 
stretch of mostly downhill riding. There are multiple outhouses along this section. There’s a lot of downhill on this 
section which feels glorious today but this is a section we have to ride back 
up so we’re trying not to think about that. While riding through this section, we 
encountered a Western toad migration. We slowed down to avoid crushing the hundreds 
of tiny toads hopping across the trail. While there are streams available, we were cautious about drinking from them 
due to the number of cows in the area. Moo! From here, you can detour along the 
road to Glenora Café if you’re craving a treat after the long, tiring 
slog through the Sooke Hills. After 1.5 hours of riding, we reached 
Glenora Park, which has washrooms and water. The trail continues with easy gravel riding. You cross several trestles along the way, 
with beautiful views of the river below. I didn’t ride to Stoltz Pool myself 
so the following information comes from helpful folks on the Vancouver 
Island Bikepacking Facebook page. After crossing the 66 Mile Trestle, 
turn right immediately, then right again onto River Bottom Road. Follow it 
to the intersection with Stoltz Road, where it turns to pavement. From there, it’s 
an approximately 1.5 km ride to the campground. Stoltz Pool, like Goldstream, can be 
booked online and also has first-come, first-served walk-in sites. There 
are toilets and a water pump, but the water must be treated or 
boiled. There are no bear caches. It took us four hours to ride from Shawnigan Lake to Cowichan Lake which is 
where we stayed for the night. Cowichan Lake has so many restaurant 
options it was hard to choose. We enjoyd a delicious supper 
at Poblanos Mexican Eatery. Justin liked the mango iced 
tea so much, he ordered two. There are plenty of camping and hotel 
options in the Lake Cowichan area. We stayed at the Riverside Inn, where the 
staff were friendly and accommodating, and they even provided bike storage. Time for second supper. Haven’t you heard of second supper? We ordered pizza from Little Town Pizza. Happy, full of food, and with 
a little less skin on our butt cheeks than the day before, we had a great sleep. Okay goodbye! Day 3. We started the day with 
breakfast at Serious Coffee. If you’re staying at the Riverside 
Inn, you get a discount there. The day began with a beautiful, gently 
downhill ride along the Cowichan Valley Trail. The decent into Duncan, whee! It took us just under two 
hours to reach downtown Duncan. There are plenty of restaurants and 
cafes. Duncan also has many hotels. After a 30-minute lunch break, 
we got back on the road. Riding through Duncan is on pavement. There is a steep uphill push. We’re walking uphill. Alright, that’s it for now. You like hills? How about we put a 
hill on your hill? How does that sound? This section is narrower, rockier, 
and rootier than others. I have no mountain biking experience but managed fine. After 45 minutes, we returned 
to the Cowichan Valley Trail. After another hour of riding, 
we passed the trestle again and shortly after reached the 
junction to enter Shawnigan. The road through Shawnigan starts downhill, 
then continues with rolling hills. It got my heart pumping, but 
I didn’t have to walk my bike. Biking through Shawnigan Lake sucked. The shoulder was narrow and 
drivers were aggressive. It was reminiscent of my Fort McMurray roots. Almost getting clipped by a driver in a large, lifted truck brought nostalgic tears to my 
eyes as I thought of my home in the north. It took 30 minutes from the junction 
to reach East Shawnigan Lake. We enjoyed a delicious meal at R-Harn 
Thai and continued on an hour later. From there, it was another 30 
minutes to our Airbnb in Mill Bay. The route follows a shared road 
with some nice downhill sections. I think we’re descending to sea level! Look at their fuzzy little heads. Altogether, it took us five and a half hours of 
riding to get from Cowichan Lake to Mill Bay, not including our 1.5-hour restaurant breaks. Including stops, it was a seven-hour day. The Mill Bay ferry is a bit 
further from where we stayed. Slightly north of Mill Bay 
is the Beehive Campground. Day 4 From Mill Bay to the ferry, the route features some big downhills 
followed by gentle rolling hills. These hills felt mean. I was very tired, as I was kept awake by our 
neighbour’s healthy snores all through the night. So how do you feel about your sleep last night? It was terrible. Our neighbours 
were snoring all night. My dad told me a story about an outlaw 
who murdered someone for snoring. I can relate to this sleep deprived murderer. It took us 20 minutes to arrive 
at the ferry from Mill Bay. Bamberton Provincial Park is nearby the Mill 
Bay ferry area and involves a big climb. Campsites can be booked online. I’ve heard it is less likely to get first 
come first served spots here. You don’t need to book the ferry in advance, 
but it’s important to check the schedule. Service runs about every hour and 10 minutes. You pay once on board, and the ferry 
ride is a beautiful 25 minute cruise. After the ferry, there’s more road 
riding and another steep climb, which left me huffing and puffing. The scenery is pretty, rural, and agricultural. After about 30 minutes of cycling, 
we reached the Lochside Trail, an interesting mix of shared roads and bike paths. Eventually, the trail reconnects 
with the Galloping Goose Trail. We arrived at the legislature building 
three hours after leaving Mill Bay, including a 45-minute ferry wait. With perfect timing, the wait could be shorter. We capped off our trip with a hot dog a piece. I’m a sucker for a street veggie doggie. If you made it this far, thanks for 
watching this cycling guide. Please like and subscribe for more outdoor 
adventures on Vancouver Island. My gooch hurts but I’m doing okay!