Barber Shop, Shawnigan Lake

The Village is a well-known venue for arts and craft shows, and hosts a small but excellent museum.

Population: 14,040 (Area)

Location: Shawnigan Lake is located on southern Vancouver Island, 3 miles (5 km) west of Mill Bay and 28 miles (45 km) north of Victoria.

• The last spike on the E&N Railway was driven at Cliffside, on the east side of Shawnigan Lake.

• Boat dock on Shawnigan Lake

  Numerous shoreline marshes, an island park, and intriguing old lakeside cabins make Shawnigan Lake an excellent spot for kayaks and canoes.

• Spanning the Koksilah River Valley, the now-abandoned Kinsol Trestle is one of the largest and highest wooden trestle bridges in the world.

• Memory Island Provincial Park is located on the southern half of Shawnigan Lake. It only requires a short 1km paddle to reach this tranquil little park. Come ashore to picnic, stretch your legs and do a little laid-back bird-watching.

• Hike the trails on nearby Koksilah Provincial Park, or pack a picnic lunch and explore West Shawnigan Lake Provincial Park. The beach here is very popular with young families. Shawnigan Lake Municipal Beach is located on Renfrew Rd in the quaint town of the same name beside the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway on the east side of the lake.

• Golf: Golfers have a few golf courses in the area to choose from; Cowichan Golf and Country Club in Duncan (20 minutes from Crofton), Duncan Meadows Golf Course (15 minutes from Crofton), Mount Brenton Golf Course in Chemainus (10 minutes from Crofton), and Arbutus Ridge Golf Club in nearby Cobble Hill. Golf Vacations on Vancouver Island.

• Directly east of Shawnigan Lake and just south of the Mill Bay ferry terminal is Bamberton Provincial Park. A large swath of sandy beach, complete with changing facilities, fronts on the Saanich Inlet here. Dozens of picnic tables sit on the terraces slopes above the beach, shaded by a fir-and-arbutus (madrona) foest. This is one of the more scenic locations on the inlet, and from here you look east towards Mount Baker on the mainland.

• Old Mill Park is located off Recreation Road on the east side of Shawnigan Lake. The park was the mill site of the Shawnigan Lake Lumber Co. from 1881 to 1945. In addition to its extensive industrial heritage, Old Mill Park has become a popular recreation site for family’s and nature enthusiasts.

• The Trans Canada Trail Regional Park follows the abandoned Canadian National Railway (CNR) right-of-way from Sooke Lake Road (at the south end of Shawnigan Lake) to the Holt Creek trestle in the Glenora area. The trail will eventually connect with the Galloping Goose Trail and create a continuous national trail system from Mile '0' at Douglas and Dallas Roads in Victoria to St John’s Newfoundland, with a branch going up through the Yukon, a distance of approximately 17,400 kilometres.