Highlands, British Columbia

Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. The park protects 1,219 hectares (3,012 acres) of mixed forest of Douglas-fir, Arbutus, western redcedar, western hemlock, shore pine, grand fir, red alder, and Garry oak within the District Municipality of Highlands and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area. Rocky outcroppings support Manzanita, Scotch broom, and Oregon grape. The peaks of the Gowlland Range, from which the park derives its name, loom over 400 m (1,300 ft) above Saanich Inlet, providing vistas of The Malahat to the west. Farther north, the park curves around inland, bounded to the north by the municipality of Central Saanich. The park also encompasses the rural community of Willis Point. There are 25 km (16 mi) of maintained trails within the park, accessible in the south from roads leading to the park from Highlands, as well as from trails alongside Tod Inlet and McKenzie Bight to the north. Trails connect to Mount Work Regional Park and Lone Tree Hill Regional Park.

The Gowlland Range is a low, small mountain range on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located just east of Saanich Inlet and south of Brentwood Bay. It has an area of 58 km2 (22 sq mi) and is a subrange of the Vancouver Island Ranges which in turn form part of the Insular Mountains. The range's highest peak is Mt. Work.

McKenzie Bight is a feature on the southeast side of Saanich Inlet in British Columbia, Canada. This bight is located in Gowlland Tod Provincial Park directly adjacent to the rural community of Willis Point. McKenzie Bight can be accessed by trail from the Mount Work parking area and trailhead on Ross-Durrance road, or via a short hike from the southern end of Mark Lane in Willis Point. Nearby is a reef which is a popular shore-dive location for scuba diving. Occasionally river otters can be seen in the area.

The Hartland landfill is the waste disposal site for the city of Victoria, British Columbia and the Greater Victoria area. The landfill began operating in the early 1950's under private ownership and management. Phase 1 of the landfill reached capacity in 1996, Phase 2 filled in Heal Lake which was drained and was 2.5-hectares. The landfill was later purchased by the Capital Regional District in 1975 and has been directly operated by its Environmental Sustainability Department since 1985. The landfill, located in the District of Saanich on the southern slope of Mount Work, between Victoria and Sidney, at the end of Hartland Avenue is adjacent to Mount Work Regional Park to the west and the Department of National Defence rifle range is located across Willis Point Road to the northeast. To the east and southeast of the site are residential properties. Undeveloped CRD property (about 198 hectares in total) lies to the west and south of the landfill site and is now being used by CRD Parks as a mountain bike recreation area under a land use agreement (memorandum of understanding). Private residential properties exist to the east and southeast of the landfill. There is a public waste drop-off area, a recycling centre, a household hazardous waste collection facility and an electricity generating station that utilizes a small amount of methane gas as a fuel source under contract with FortisBC. It has won several international environmental awards. At current disposal rates it is estimated that the landfill will be full by 2045. The CRD’s draft November 2020, Solid Waste Management Plan calls for the expansion of the Hartland landfill and the removal of 73 acres of trees in order to allow for the continual dumping of waste by expanding the existing life of the landfill to 2100.

Westshore Motorsports Park (formerly “Western Speedway”) was a race track located just outside Victoria, British Columbia on southern Vancouver Island. It was a 4/10-mile (643 meter) paved oval track founded in 1954 and was western Canada’s oldest speedway until its closure in September 2022. The track was able to seat up to 3,000 fans and park up to 1,500 cars with a season running from April to September. The speedway hosted stock cars, late models, Old Time Racing Association, sprint cars winged and non-winged, demo cars/trucks, dwarf cars, drag races, mini figure eight cars, monster trucks, and more. The track hosted 9 NASCAR Winston West Series events between 1970 and 1982 and 10 NASCAR Northwest Series races between 1986 and 1989. The track also hosted 2 CASCAR West Series races in 2001 and 2002.

Malahat () is an unincorporated area in the Cowichan Valley, with municipal-type services delivered by the Cowichan Valley Regional District (Area A). What could be considered the hub of the community is a small collection of businesses that includes the Malahat Gas station (which also serves as the Malahat Post Office) and the Malahat Chalet and the Moon Water Lodge. A steep and rugged terrain has in the past precluded any significant residential development but new subdivisions are being built around the northern end of the area around the old Bamberton cement works and in the area adjoining Elkington Forest. Most area residents live in isolated homes located off the highway. In this context "Malahat" primarily refers to the Canada Post delivery district. Fire protection to the Malahat area is provided by Malahat Fire Rescue. "The Malahat" is a term commonly applied to the Malahat Drive, a 25 km (15.5 mi) portion of Trans Canada Highway 1 running along the west side of Saanich Inlet and to the region surrounding it. The road was first cut as a cattle trail in 1861 and was then upgraded to wagon road standards in 1884. It became a paved road in 1911. Its name comes from the Malahat First Nation, whose ancestors used the caves for spiritual enhancement. The Malahat Drive climbs to a summit of 356 m (1,168 ft), and the mountain is considered one of the most sacred sites on southern Vancouver Island. The roadway has a mix of 2, 3 and 4 lane cross-sections. The highway through the narrow Goldstream Provincial Park canyon section is 2 lanes. The Malahat portion of Highway 1 has been the location of a number of fatal traffic accidents, caused largely by vehicles crossing the centre line. These accidents have led to lengthy road closures. Closure of Malahat Drive causes disruption to travel and commerce on Vancouver Island as portions of the highway are a single point of failure if closed. Detour routes around the Malahat Drive are available via the Brentwood Bay-Mill Bay ferry and the Pacific Marine Circle Route. As a result of these crashes, the Ministry of Transportation has begun a program to add centre concrete medians to separate north and southbound traffic. Since the section between Finlayson Arm Road to Summit has had a median added, 65% of Malahat Drive is divided with a concrete median.The speed limit of this highway segment is 80 km/h (50 mph) except for a short section of Tunnel Hill where the speed limit is 70 km/h (43 mph).

Maltby Lake is located in South southwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is located 10 km north of Victoria, British Columbia in the Tod Creek Watershed. The lake is the headwaters for the watershed, which eventually feeds the world class Butchart Gardens. Named after Thomas and Richard Maltby, original owners of West part of Sec. 118 Lake District; Crown Grant 3882/3." Paid $22.00 in full for 22 acres September 22, 1873. Old name Highland Lake. Maltby Lake is a pristine freshwater source in the middle of a semi rural developing area on the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. The lake and the surrounding area of pristine land hosts an abundance of wildlife, exotic aquatic life (including freshwater jellyfish) and one of the largest Douglas fir trees in the Greater Victoria area. For over a century the lake and surrounding lands have been owned by a single extended family, which developed the property minimally. The first dwelling, an 1860s hunting cabin turned farm house, still stands. Motorized watercraft have been banned by the family since the '50s; the lake provides a potable drinking water source for the few residents there. As land taxes continue to rise (in the order of 500x in the last 40 years), the owners endeavour to maintain this idyllic setting. Maltby Lake is an important water body in the Tod Creek Watershed. It contributes to the catchment area of Tod Creek which is estimated to be 22.8 km2 (8.8 mi2). Maltby Lake, Prospect Lake, Durrance Lake and Quarry Lake are all in the Tod Creek drainage area. Several studies have been conducted on the lake, including a Camosun College environmental study, a PhD on frogs and an ongoing study on the hydrology and hydrogeology of the lake. Excellent for swimming with access off Munn road.

The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada, located near Victoria on Vancouver Island. The gardens receive over a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Thetis Lake is a name that refers to two freshwater lakes (Upper and Lower Thetis) connected by a narrow culvert in the 834-hectare (2,060-acre) Thetis Lake Regional Park outside Victoria, British Columbia, about 12 km (7.5 mi) from the city centre. The lake was likely named for the frigate HMS Thetis, which had been assigned to Esquimalt as part of the Royal Navy's Pacific Squadron. The two lakes are extremely popular as a swimming destination in the summer.

Willis Point is a small, rural community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area within the Capital Regional District and Greater Victoria. It is located on the Saanich Peninsula and faces north toward the Saanich Inlet. The community is bounded by the District of Highlands to the south, the District of Saanich to the southeast and the District of Central Saanich to the east. It is located west of the village of Brentwood Bay and north of the city of Victoria. Willis Point is known for its natural beauty, including many hiking and biking trails that offer direct access to one of the last remaining enclaves of Douglas-fir forest on the Saanich Peninsula. The community is entirely surrounded by Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, Mount Work Regional Park and Durrance Lake Regional Park. The community is also a popular destination for local and international scuba divers and offers multiple shore-dive locations including the Willis Point Dive Site known for its easy entry and quiet, sheltered waters. The population of Willis Point is estimated to be between 440 and 450 people, living in approximately 150 homes. It is home to one of Vancouver Islands' oldest volunteer fire departments, the Willis Point Volunteer Fire Department established in 1977. A history of the community has been documented and published by local historian Bill Wright.

Bear Mountain is a golf resort and adjacent community straddling the boundary between the City of Langford and the District of Highlands, in the Western Communities of Greater Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It is located on and adjacent to Skirt Mountain.Located on southern Vancouver Island, Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa offers two courses for a combined 36-hole design by Jack Nicklaus. The Mountain Course, a par 70 playing at 6,900 yards, sets atop a 1,100-foot mountain and has been assigned a slope rating of 142 from the back tees. The 18-hole, par 71 Nicklaus Design Valley Course measures just under 7,000 yards. Bear Mountain is also home to the Canadian training center of Golf Canada's National Development team, the high performance training centre of Canada's National Mountain Bike team, and Canada's largest indoor/outdoor clay court tennis facility supported by Tennis Canada and Tennis BC. Plans are also in the works for a professional disc golf course. The existing community alongside the resort contains approximately 1,150 homes with 3,000 people, and at build-out over 4,000 homes and the community could exceed 10,000 residents, and has been zoned for 645,000 square feet of commercial space.Bear Mountain was purchased by B.C.-based Ecoasis Developments LLP. in 2013.

The Goldstream River (Saanich: sʔə́ləq̕ʷtəɬ) is a river northwest of Victoria on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada . The river's name derives from a small gold rush in its basin during the 1860s, and was originally Gold Stream.