Swan Lake-Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society

This lake is a nice lake and meadow right in the city. It a nice walk around the lake with nice scenic meadows and birds. Even though it's called Swan Lake, there are no swans but a variety of birds are around. I walked around the trail and didn't see any birds besides robins but I'm sure if we sat on the various benches around, we would have saw more.

The lake has a few docks a bridges. The lake has cute ducks swimming and I didn't see any fishes. The lake had a lot of green algae and it was pretty thick around certain places. The ducks were swimming in it and seems perfectly fine. It was still kind of gross...

There's a Nature House that is close to the parking lot. In the Nature House you'll find a gift shop and a few stuffed animals there. There are two educational classrooms that you can sign up for classes.

I think that Swan Lake is a lovely location for a walk, and with Spring here and the beautiful weather coming back, I highly recommend going to check it out. There are times when the path becomes tunnel-like under the trees and it really helps to fully immerse yourself in the beauty that the nature in Victoria has to offer. Plus, there are lovely bridges and wooden peninsulas so you can look out at the water from a bit closer.

Despite its name, I didn't see any swans, but there was a quite large amount of ducks when I was there. And, as I have to sadly admit, there was also a large number of dead fish in the water. I believe the excess amount of algae in the water is to blame, however, I can imagine that the litter I saw occasionally strewn about the pathway doesn't help. Due to this, there is a bit of a stench when you're right above the water, which really put me off from lingering too long by the water. The surrounding greenery, however, was still as stunning and pleasing to the nose as you'd expect.

I'll be going back soon for another stroll and hopefully, the stench has cleared up a bit by now.

Many amazing programs for kids offered here throughout the year as well as summer. Really wonderful place right in the city to get out with your kids and learn about native plants and animals.