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The Lochside Regional Trail begins where the Galloping Goose trail crosses Douglas Street on the Switch Bridge. On the north side of the bridge, the 4 km signpost marks 4 km from the “beginning” of the Goose. The paved trail off the Switch Bridge forks. One fork is the continuation of the Goose westward on the north side of Douglas. The other fork is the Lochside trail, which runs north and east toward Mount Douglas. The 4 km post is also point zero, or the “beginning” of the Lochside. In places the trail runs on Lochside Drive in Saanich, Central Saanich and North Saanich. There are sections of paved cycling trail, gravel trail and paved road (some smooth asphalt, some chipseal) shared with motor vehicles. The trail has signs, marked with distance.
The trail can be followed to BC Ferry terminal at Deep Cove. The CRD publishes a web page and brochure. The brochure says there was a rail line or street car from Saanich to Deep Cove in the early 20th century.
The signs along the Lochside trail are at 1 Km. intervals, and measure distance from Switch Bridge. The signs are mainly on the east side of the trail (a few on west noted”*”). The signs face both directions, and read the same each way. They may be on posts, or bolted to light standards, traffic signs, or street signs. These distances are rough, on the basis of GPS readings while riding. The first 16 posts, south to north:
| Km. | Surface | Attached to | Location |
| 1 | Paved trail | Post | 100 meters south of Saanich Road |
| 2 | Paved trail | Post | 50 metres south of McKenzie |
| 3 | Gravel trail | Post | 200 metres north of the beginning or gravel at: Rest stop beside the Don Mann office building, and The junction with paved trail east to Blenkinsop Road & San Juan route |
| 4 | Gravel trail | Post | 200 metres north of N. end of wooden bridge Blenkinsop Lake |
| 5 | Gravel trail | Post | 200 metres south of south end of asphalt trail or service road S of Royal Oak |
| ≟5.6 | Paved trail | Cross Royal Oak at Lochside School | |
| 6 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Light standard | North of Royal Oak. Opposite to intersection of Lochwood Place. |
| 7 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Sign post | Warning of speed bump. Posts on private property indicates treet addresses of house ≻4711, ≺4731 (odd # on east side). |
| 8 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Street sign | Intersection with Abbey Road |
| 9 | Paved trail | Steel post | Trail junction at Lochside Drive, at Hanover Place; the start of a paved trail parallel to Cordova Bay Road leading to controlled crossing of Cordova Bay Rd. at Sayward Hill Cr. |
| 10 | Gravel trail | Post | Beside trail north of Lochside Park and Cordova Bay Golf course, 200 M. north of gravel parking lor |
| 11 | Gravel Trail | Post | Beside trail 500 M. North of Hunt Rd. crossing |
| 12* | Single lane asphalt meets gravel Trail | Trail sign | At bollards, N end of paved Lochside Drive N of Dooley Rd. |
| 13 | Chipseal Road | Speed limit sign | First sign north of Martindale Rd. |
| 14* | Chipseal road | Post | South of intersection of Ocean View Road, beside Michell’s Farm store. |
| 15 | Chipseal road meets paved trail | Steel post | End of section of Lochside Drive at S. end of Heritage Acres site. Lochside Dr. meets paved trail beside Highway 17 |
| 16 | Paved trail | Post | Along paved trail beside Highway 17 |
| 17 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Traffic sign | Corner of Mount Newton X road E of Lochside, N of MNX |
| 18 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Light stanchion | At parking lot for Newman Farm in Central Saanich |
| 19 | Lochside Dr. asphalt | Boundary sign | North boundary of Central Saanich, at intersection of Lochside with Fentress Rd.; on S curve in Lochside . |
There are water stations and other amenities:
- beside the Don Mann Excavating’s yard (north of McKenzie), There is a concrete brick municipal pit privy here too.
- McMinn Park (north of Royal Oak),
- washroom if the building at Lochside Park is open,
- privy in Fowler Park, west of trail, south of Hunt Road,
- portable privy in the Michell’s Farm parking lot, south of the buildings,
- water and flush toilets in the building in Tulista Park (Sidney).
Saanich
The trail is a paved trail from the Switch Bridge, passing under Blanshard Street & Vernon Avenue in tunnels parallel to Ravine Way. It passes through the area south of Swan Lake and crosses Saanich Road (at about 1 Km.). Cyclist have stop signs and motorists on Saanich Road have crossing signs. Cyclists have a crossing with a traffic light at Quadra Street , and another light at the intersection of Borden and McKenzie (at about 2 Km) , where the trail becomes a separated bike lane for a few dozen metres. The trail is well marked and separated from vehicles along Borden, the west end of the Cedar Hill Cross Road, and the south end of Lochside Drive. Motorists should yield to cyclists on the trail
The trail is paved through that section, and becomes gravel at the hydro substation, beside a contractor’s yard (Don Mann Excavating). It is gravelled to Blenkinsop Lake, and crosses the narrow part of the lake on a wooden bridge. It continues as a mix of gravel trails, asphalt streets, chipseal roads, and gravel roads. The gravel is good – depending on traffic and grade. The surface is paved – Lochside Drive from Royal Oak to Cordova Bay Road.
There is a paved dedicated cycling/multi-purpose trail at the end of Lochside Drive just south of Cordova Bay Road. The rider going north turns up Hanover but immediately turns onto the paved trail parallet to Cordova Bay.
The paved sections of trail parallel to Cordova Bay Road are messed up by tree roots. I ignore the turn. and go to Cordova Bay Road. I turn when it was clear, and ride the bike lane to (the resumption of) Lochside Drive (which seems to be an accress road into the parking area of of the Lochside Park complex). Vegetation in including prickly fast-growing Himalayan Blackberries encroach on the bike lane. This route along this section of Cordova Bay Road works going north or south.
Central Saanich, Sidney & North Saanich
A rider can take a short side trip on the chip seal roads in rural Central Saanich through Hunt Valley. Hunt Road is parallel to the trail. There is access to this route off the trail at Sayward north of Lochside Park and the Cordova Bay Golf course or Dooley following Hunt Road, to Martindale, coming back to the trail near Michell’s Farm at Island View. The Hunt Valley part is chipseal (some sections affected by more “chip sealing” as of summer 2019) with some climbs, but some nice downhills and views.
There is some loose gravel and dirt on a working farm between Dooley and Martindale. The surface is chipseal from Martindale to Island View. North of Island View, it is a combination of chipseal to Heritage Acres, an asphalt trail along Highway 17 past the Tsawout First Nation lands to Mount Newton Cross Road. The trail runs in painted bike lanes along Mount Newton Cross RoadLochside Drive resumes there and continues north to Sidney. There is a bit that requires caution to the road approaching a roundabout on Highway 17 at McTavis near the airport.