View Royal
View Royal was first settled in the 1850s when Dr. John Helmcken purchased 640 acres of farmland from the Hudson's Bay Company. Incorporated in 1988, modern-day View Royal is a predominantly residential area.
At the foot of present-day Helmcken Road, a concrete marker and bronze plaque commemorate the days when crews from passing ships replenished their water supplies from a natural spring.
View Royal is one of the West Shore municipalities of Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, and the Highlands, located to the west of Victoria. This region is known as the Western Communities, or West Shore, and stretches from Esquimalt Harbour to Rocky Point, along the shoreline of Juan de Fuca Strait.
The Gorge in Victoria is a meandering waterway that leads from Victoria's upper harbour through a landscaped urban environment, before finally widening into Portage Inlet in View Royal. A daily tidal surge occasionally creates near-whitewater conditions in the narrowest passages, a thrill that kayakers will particularly enjoy.
Location: View Royal is located about 6 km west of Victoria city centre via Highways 1 or 1A.
