Malahat:

Traveling up Vancouver Island from Victoria B.C. is one of the most beautiful scenic tours that our island has to offer. Named after the Malahat First Nation, this rugged region is thick with forest and surrounded by steep cliffs.

First cut as a cattle trail in 1861, it was upgraded to wagon-road standards in 1884, and became a paved road in 1911 - the Malahat Drive climbs to a summit of 356 meters (1,156 feet).

This mountain is a very sacred site on southern Vancouver Island. The Malahat is of great ceremonial significance to the Malahat First Nation, whose ancestors used the caves for spiritual purposes.

The Malahat is located south of Duncan, and north of Victoria, about 30 drive minutes from either.

Some of the local attractions worth seeing include Goldstream Provincial Park, the Aerie Resort, Spectacle Lake Provincial Park, and Bamberton Provincial Park. It is very worthwhile to stop at the Malahat Summit and enjoy the view of the Saanich Peninsula across the water, and stunning ocean far below.