Learn more about our park!
Take part in our historical walking tours
Join us for our Gorge Historical Walk with author Dennis Minaker celebrating the waterway of a century ago - a time of regattas, swimming galas, diving towers, vaudeville shows, taverns, mansions and more.
This event is free but pre-registration is required.
Register by calling Esquimalt Recreation at 250-412-8500 or register online to sign up for a time slot.
Gorge Historical Walk times and registration links
Early days
Esquimalt Gorge Park was first established as BC Electric Gorge Park in 1905, however the site's history is rooted in First Nations history.
The reversing falls spanned by the Gorge Bridge and bordering the park play an important part in Indigenous knowledge with story of Cammosung. Learn more. The Gorge Waterway has been an important place for the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking peoples—now known as the Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) and Songhees Nations—for thousands of years and the connection to it continues today. You can still find ancient shell middens—layers of shells, bones, and tools—that are over 4,000 years old along the shoreline. Important plants like coastal sage and greater camas were also harvested for food and medicine. Esquimalt Parks staff include native plant species in many of the gardens and natural areas.
Opening the tea garden
In 1907, BC Electric officially opened Japanese Tea Gardens there, along with an amusement park and floating sampan tearoom.
Sadly, the gardens were destroyed by anti-Japanese fervor in 1941. Learn more through the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society and Past Wrongs, Future Choices.
The park's popularity went into a decline until the 1950s when it was given to the Township of Esquimalt. It was upgraded through the generosity of the Kinsmen Club, after whom the park was named until 2006.
The gently rolling landscape of the park includes horticultural and forested areas. There are perennial borders, Japanese cherry trees, and many fine heritage trees, including a few hundred-year old umbrella pines. Benches are found along the waterway path, and picnic tables are scattered throughout the lawn areas.
In 2022, the township opened the Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion. The Japanese-inspired architecture and water views have made the venue a popular place for recreation and events.
Gorge Creek was restored in 2005 and is now home to native plants and wildfowl unique to the region.
Visitors enjoy the Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary, which travels along the Gorge Waterway. The area has recently undergone renaturalization through the Gorge Park Green Shores for Shoreline Development Desmonstration project.
Esquimalt's Gorge Park is also home to the Gorge Waterway Nature House. The Gorge Waterway Nature House came to be through a partnership between local NGOs including World Fisheries Trust, the Township of Esquimalt and sponsorship by the Victoria Foundation. The Nature House, which opened on Ocean's day (June 8) in 2008, provides students and visitors with a hands-on opportunity to explore the ecology of our area (specifically the area around the Gorge Waterway).
