No, the hike up PKOLS is not hard, and that is exactly why half of Saanich is up there on a sunny weekend. The summit of this 188-hectare municipal park in Saanich sits at 225 metres, and you can reach it on a paved park road, a steady forest trail, or a longer climb from the Cordova Bay side. What actually gets hard is the parking, so the real question is not can you do it, but when.
How Do You Get to PKOLS?
The main summit access is from Churchill Drive, which branches off Cedar Hill Road and winds up the mountain to a parking lot near the peak. From that lot, a short trail takes you the rest of the way to the top. The other big entrance is off Cordova Bay Road on the east side, where there is a beachside parking lot with washrooms, a picnic area, a playground, and tennis courts, and where the longer Irvine Trail begins.
Parking is free at both lots. One honest local warning: Saanich has been doing work around the telecommunications tower near the summit, and the Churchill Drive gate has had periodic closures, so check the District of Saanich page before you plan a drive-to-the-top trip. The trails themselves stay open.
Why Is Everyone Calling It PKOLS Now?
Because that is the mountain's actual name. PKOLS is the W̱SÁNEĆ name for the hill, usually translated as white rock, and it connects to the oral history of the last glaciers on southern Vancouver Island. The colonizers called it Mount Douglas, and that name stuck for generations, which is exactly how names work when they get applied without asking.
In August 2022, Saanich Council voted to officially restore the name PKOLS, and in July 2025 the district held a sign-rededication ceremony with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council. Around town you will hear both names, with long-time residents still saying Mount Doug and everyone under 40 saying PKOLS. Either way, you are talking about the same mountain and the same view.
How Hard Is the Hike, Honestly?
The simplest route is a cheat code: drive to the summit lot and walk the short, easy trail to the top. That is a ten-minute stroll. If you want an actual hike, come up from the Cordova Bay entrance on the Irvine Trail, which is longer and climbs steadily through classic coastal forest. Depending on your pace and route, plan for 30 to 60 minutes, and know that none of it is technical. Families with kids do this. Retirees do this. The hardest part of PKOLS is never the hill, it is the crowd.
The park's 21-plus kilometres of trails connect out toward the Blenkinsop Valley and Cedar Hill, so if you live in the neighbourhood, PKOLS is less a destination and more a daily walking loop.
What Do You See From the Top?
A 360-degree view that still surprises people who grew up here. On a clear day you can pick out downtown Victoria, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Olympic Mountains to the south, and the Gulf and San Juan Islands across Haro Strait. Early morning is the local move, when the light comes in low and the air is still. The summit also catches the sunset, and the fall hawk migration passes over the hill, so October is a genuinely good month to be up there.
How Busy Does PKOLS Get?
Busy is the honest word. The summit lot fills by mid-morning on sunny weekends, and the Cordova Bay lot is packed through the summer. Locals know the workaround: go on a weekday morning, or time a weekend visit for the shoulder hours. Once you are on the trails, the crowd thins out fast, because the network spreads people across a big park. The parking is the bottleneck, not the mountain.
Can You Bring the Dog?
Yes, with a rule attached. Saanich requires dogs to be on a leash in the park except on a specific 2.3-kilometre leash-optional trail network, part of which is fenced. Dogs are not allowed in the playground areas. It is one of those bylaws that gets enforced sporadically and argued about constantly, so keep the leash handy and read the signs at your trailhead. The beach side and the summit side both handle dogs fine when they are on the line.
What Does It Mean to Live Near PKOLS?
The neighbourhoods that ring the park, Gordon Head, Broadmead, Cordova Bay, and the Blenkinsop Valley side of Saanich, are built around it in a way that is rare on Vancouver Island. Homes on the east slopes get the ocean light, higher lots on the west get the downtown views, and a surprising number of streets have trail access a short walk from the front door. If you hike this hill once a week, you will never want to move somewhere the nearest walk is a sidewalk.
It is also a good filter for buyers. Homes in the Gordon Head area generally feed Mount Douglas Secondary, and the park itself is the unofficial amenity that shows up in nearly every listing in the area. If the park matters to you, the question is not whether to live near it, it is which side of the hill you want your mornings to start on.
Ask Us About Buying Near PKOLS
The Happy Homes Team at eXp Realty works every side of this hill, and the views are different on each one. Anna will tell you which side matches how you actually live, whether that means walking the dog on the leash-optional trail every morning or having the summit as your after-work reset. Perry will tell you what the houses are made of and what the market has been doing street by street. Map the park to your lifestyle first, then let us find the house that fits it.
Compare the neighbourhoods around the hill with our Gordon Head guide and our Broadmead guide, or start with the neighbourhood guides and find the side of the mountain that suits you.
About the Author
Anna Hakim & Perry Fanthorpe, Happy Homes Team
Anna Hakim and Perry Fanthorpe are AI Certified Agents helping people build lives on Southern Vancouver Island. Perry builds financial roots through mortgage helpers and investment strategy. Anna builds emotional roots through community and belonging.
