Where It Is and How to Get There
The SkyWalk sits on the Malahat, the stretch of Highway 1 north of Victoria that climbs steeply above the Saanich Inlet before dropping down into the Cowichan Valley. If you've driven between Victoria and Duncan, you've already passed the turnoff. It's about 30 minutes north of Victoria and makes a natural stop, whether you're heading up to the valley for the day or on your way back down.
Parking is on site. The entrance and welcome centre are straightforward. If you're coming from Victoria and doing it as a standalone trip, a half day is plenty. If you're folding it into a longer day in the Cowichan area, budget two to three hours and plan around it accordingly.
Parking is free, and there is a massive lot with even more overflow parking available. It is a paid attraction, so tickets are required for entry. As of Summer 2026, the prices are as follows:
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult Single Admission Ticket (18 - 64) | $49.95 |
| Senior Single Admission Ticket (65+) | $45.95 |
| Child/Youth Single Admission Ticket (6-17) | $35.95 |
| Child Single Admission Ticket (0-5) | $0.00 |
You can check their website for up to date prices.
Where to Stay (Before It’s Fully Booked)
What It Actually Is
The site already has a significant natural advantage: it sits on a cliff that towers over the Saanich Inlet, which means even before the structure was built, the location had something going for it. The SkyWalk builds on that rather than ignoring it.
The experience begins with a 600-metre elevated walkway made of timber and steel that lifts you roughly 20 metres above the forest floor. It winds through a mature stand of arbutus and Douglas-fir, and the design is thoughtful enough that you spend most of it actually looking at the trees rather than at the structure you're standing on.
The grade is gentle throughout, between 5 and 8 percent, which means it works for wheelchairs and strollers. That's not an afterthought here; the whole walkway was engineered with accessibility as the main constraint, with individually designed footings that respond to the specific contours of the land underneath.
The walkway brings you to the base of the Spiral Tower, which is the centrepiece of the whole thing. Ten storeys of steel base plates and Douglas-fir columns wound into a corkscrew design, rising to 250 metres above sea level. You spiral up through the levels, and the views open incrementally as you climb, which is a better experience than arriving at a single dramatic reveal.
By the time you reach the top, you've had time to get your bearings. The panorama from the summit takes in Finlayson Arm, the Saanich Inlet, the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands across the border, and on a clear day, Mount Baker and the coastal mountain range stretching into the distance. The views are amazing, and the gentle grade means you hardly realize how much elevation you're gaining with each lap.
The Things Worth Your Time
Throughout the walkway and at various points up the tower, there are interpretive stations covering the region's geography, indigenous culture, and natural history. Some attractions do this, and it feels obligatory and dull, but here it is done much more skillfully and thoughtfully, and all the information weaves together in a great way.
The section about the marine dead zone in the water directly below is interesting and is actually a brand new phenomenon I'd never heard of before. The information about the large birds, like eagles and turkey vultures, is especially fun since you will likely see some circling overhead.
And there are plaques about some of the figures who shaped the Malahat itself, including an account of an old man with an iron will and a compass who essentially mapped the only viable route for a road through this terrain on his own and then badgered the government into building it. The highway has been there ever since. That one I didn't know, and it's a great story.
One of the more thrilling elements is a glass box mounted at the edge of the summit called The Overhang. You step out into it and look straight down at the drop below. The whole structure moves a little with the wind and shifts slightly underfoot as people walk around inside it. It has been engineered and certified, and it is perfectly safe, but that doesn't fully neutralize the feeling of stepping out into a glass box at 250 metres.
The Overhang is actually the newest addition to the SkyWalk, launched in spring 2026, and it's the first enclosed glass cube of this kind attached to the summit of an outdoor spiral tower anywhere in the world. The five-sided design means you have glass above you, below you, and on every side. If heights bother you even a little, this is going to freak you out.
At the top of the tower, there's also the SkyWeb, an 84-metre steel mesh net you can step out onto and look straight down through the open centre of the tower to the ground far below. Good if the glass box alone didn't fully satisfy the part of your brain that wanted to be alarmed.
Then there's the slide. Yes, a real slide and probably the most fun you will have on your trip.
A 20-metre enclosed spiral slide winds back down through the inside of the tower, and it is my favourite part of the whole experience. They hand you a cloth sack to sit in before you go, which reduces the friction enough that you build some serious speed on the way down.
On the climb up, we kept hearing screaming echoing out of the slide shaft from somewhere below us, and I assumed people were just performing excitement for each other or being a bit dramatic. I was wrong. When my turn came, I literally could not keep the giggles in. If anything is going to bring your inner child to the surface, it's a 20m slide that you complete in about 5 seconds. It is an essential part of the visit. Do not skip it, and do not let anyone in your group skip it either.
Food and Everything Else
At the base of the tower, there's a canteen-style food setup called Base Camp Bites, doing local food and Vancouver Island drinks: beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options. The seating area has patio tables and Adirondack chairs with a view into the forest, and in season, there's an outdoor fire pit that makes the whole plaza feel like somewhere you'd actually want to sit for a while rather than just pass through.
Outside, near the welcome centre, there are two additional spots worth knowing about. Happy Camper is a cart doing warm churros alongside coffee from Drumroaster, a roaster out of nearby Cobble Hill in the Cowichan Valley.
Softy's does dairy-free soft serve made from Vancouver Island ingredients in rotating flavours. The food situation overall is significantly better than you'd expect from a highway tourist attraction, and I say that as someone who has eaten at a lot of overpriced and disappointing meals at highway tourist attractions.
The wildlife art sculptures placed along the walkway are also worth mentioning. They're created by Vancouver Island eco-artist Tanya Bubb using driftwood and other natural materials, and they fit into the forest well enough that you notice them without the whole thing feeling like a scavenger hunt. They add to the atmosphere rather than cluttering it.
If you want to extend the time before or after the main attraction, Luke's Lane is an 800-metre nature trail through the surrounding arbutus and Douglas-fir forest that was added in 2024. It takes about ten minutes and is a calmer, quieter way to move through the trees at ground level. A seven-foot driftwood Sasquatch stands at the trailhead, and he is ready for a photo if you are inclined.
There's also a gift shop near the entrance with locally made jewellery, clothing, and food items if you're looking for something to bring back.
Practical Notes
The SkyWalk is on Highway 1 on the Malahat, about 30 minutes north of Victoria. If you're already planning a day in the Cowichan Valley, it fits naturally at the start or end of the drive. Budget two to three hours to do everything properly, including the walkway, the tower, the slide, and a stop for food.
One thing worth planning around: the Malahat gets fog. Not always, and not unpredictably, but it sits at elevation, and the views from the top are significantly better when the inlet is visible below you. Check the forecast before you go. A clear morning is the ideal time to be up there.
Accessibility is well handled throughout. The walkway grade, the tower design, and The Overhang are all wheelchair and stroller accessible.
Final Thoughts
If you're using it as a gateway into the Cowichan Valley rather than a standalone stop, even better. The valley has a lot more going on than most people realize: lake beaches worth spending a full day at, hiking that ranges from easy waterfront walks to proper summit efforts, and enough food and drink to fill the gaps in between.
We've put together guides to all of it. Our Cowichan Lake Beach Guide will help you figure out which spot on the lake suits your group and your time of day.
Our hiking guide covers the trail network with honest notes on what to expect.
And if you're still figuring out how to structure the whole trip, our Things to do in Cowichan guide is the right place to start.
Between the SkyWalk on the way up and everything waiting on the other side of the Malahat, you've got an amazing trip coming together.
FAQ
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