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The Lochside Trail begins at the Switch Bridge over Douglas Street, as a fork of the Galloping Goose. It runs north and east toward Mount Douglas. It follows Lochside Drive in Saanich. There are sections of paved cycling trail, gravel trail and paved road shared with motor vehicles. The trail has signs, marked with distance. The post at the Switch Bridge over Douglas Street is marked as 4 Km. – the Switch Bridge is at the 4 Km. Galloping Goose post. The post is on the north side of Douglas Street, on the east side of the trail, at the base of the Switch Bridge. (I have mistakely referred to the Switch Bridge as the Swingbridge some times in logs and tables, some of which were published on the web. I have not tried to find and edit all the errors).
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 |
| 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 posts at 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 |
There are water stations and other amenities:
- beside the Don Mann Excavating’s yard (north of McKenzie), There is a concrete brick muncipal 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 inTulista 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 rtrail 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 rootes. 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). This also works the other way,
Central Saanich & northern sections
There is some loose gravel and dirt on a working farm south of Island View. North of Island View, it is a combination of Lochside Drive, a trail along Highway 17, and some streets through Sidney. There is a section of chip sealed tarmac, and an asphalt trail along Highway 17 past the Tsawout First Nation lands to Mount Newton Cross Road. Lochside 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.
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.