Beach Bonfire

April 29, 2009 5:01 PM

Where's the best beach in the Victoria area to have a bonfire?

Bonfire would happen sometime in the evening and then carry on into night. There would only be 8-10 persons max, so size is not so much the issue but somewhere away from houses, public, and legal is what I'm looking for. Thanks.

posted by ageispolis to grab bag (9 comments total)

Victoria, Texas, or Victoria, BC, or Victoria, AUS?
posted by KokuRyu at 5:15 PM on April 29

I might be dense, but the Victoria area in which country?
posted by michswiss at 5:16 PM on April 29

tags say BC and vancouverisland, KokuRyu.
posted by fake at 5:17 PM on April 29

I am dense. Ignore my comment above, I just saw the tags on the post.
posted by michswiss at 5:18 PM on April 29

Sayward Beach off of Parker Avenue, behind the Cordova Bay Golf Course, are open to burning. It costs $10.00. The Saanich page I linked to has another couple of spots in Saanich which permit beach fires (with a permit).

I've held a beach bonfire there in the summer a few times, and it's pretty nice. I'm not sure if there are any other places in Greater Victoria that allow fires any more, although you could try Esquimalt Lagoon in Colwood, or Whiffen Spit in Sooke.
posted by KokuRyu at 6:14 PM on April 29

Esquimalt Lagoon no longer allows fires.
posted by Savannah at 6:34 PM on April 29

Re: Sayward Beach. It's great for bonfires, but the residents on Parker will pick up the phone and call the cops for noise issues with no hesitation. (Experience, here.) But if you're not going to be noisy, I second this location.
posted by meerkatty at 7:31 PM on April 29

It depends what you mean by "Victoria area." I would leave the city and head slightly up the Juan de Fuca trail (northwest of Sooke) to Mystic Beach. The hike from the parking lot down to the water is steep but beautiful, and it's completely worth it. Fires are allowed there (as well as China Beach, which is a bit closer but it's an actual campground, so a bit more domesticated of a feel).
posted by Beardman at 9:08 AM on April 30

Agate Lane, just before you get to the Parker Avenue beach, with the requisite permit from the Saanich Fire Department. I've never had a problem with the neighbours there, at all. Only problem is it faces east. It is easy to get to and all but it can be crowded and has a suburban feel. So I will second China Beach -- Mystic Beach is great, but if you want to go for an evening then you'd probably want to camp since it is about a 2 k walk (on a pretty good trail, but dark even at dusk). Even French Beach would be pretty good, and you can drive right to the beach itself, whereas at China Beach its a bit of walk (again, at night and all, or, just schlepping down your goodies).

Those French-China-Mystic-Sombrio beaches are great and they face SW so nice in the evening.
posted by Rumple at 11:58 PM on May 3