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Whalebone area community parks and beaches

GaLLT Walk  —Whalebone area community parks and beach

The five community parks with shore access steps in the Whalebone area are best visited at lower tides. The main park is Joyce Lockwood Community Park with trail access (a wooden bridge) at the east end of Whalebone Drive. Follow this woodland trail as far as a boardwalk, and take the steps down to Whalebone Beach. This long sandy beach (at low tide) is a favourite with locals for swimming, sandcastle building and tidal pools. After exploring the beach, walk to the western end of the sandy beach, cross a seasonal creek and follow the rocky shoreline around a cove with waterfront homes on the ledge above. As you round the headland at the end of the cove look for a yellow painted marker. This marks the access trail up the slope into Blue Heron Park. At the top of the slope is a grass area and a sitting area overlooking the water. Seals often use the offshore rocks as a safe sleeping spot. With your back to the sea, cross the grass area and look for a short trail on the right that leads to a gravel road, turn left to Whalebone Drive.  The trails to the other three community parks are clearly marked along Whalebone Drive. Each park has a trail to a grass area, a lookout, and steps to the beach. For your first trip it is best to access each park from the road, as this will allow you to become familiar with the location of the beach steps from the waterfront.