The Provincial government manages parks throughout the province of British Columbia.  One of these Provincial parks, John Dean Park, is located in the southerly portion of North Saanich.

John Dean Provincial Park

John Dean Provincial Park is a 430 acre park with approximately 6 kilometres of hiking trails, ranging from easy walks, to more difficult hikes through the beautiful old-growth Douglas Fir and Garry Oak ecosystems of Mount Newton.  An information shelter is located in the main parking lot at the west end of Dean Park Road.  A park map is located at the information shelter and trail maps are placed at various points along the trail system.  Portions of the trail system can be steep and are geared to more advanced hikers.  Early pioneer John Dean donated the first 32 hectares of property for the park in 1921.  Four other settlers also contributed adjoining lands and remnants of their homesteads remain in the park today.

Wildlife abounds in the lush forest of this park and from the top of Mount Newton you can watch ravens, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, and turkey vultures put on a display of soaring techniques.  The summit of Mount Newton is an excellent location to enjoy spectacular views of the Saanich Penisula and surrounding area.

This park is closed to vehicle traffic from November to March.