Fisgard Lighthouse Historical Site - Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC
Built November 16, 1860 Now Automated - Location: 48° 26’ N 123° 27’ W

The Fisgard Lighthouse - a National Historic Site - was the first lighthouse built on Canada’s west coast and has been in continuous operation for 147 years!  There hasn’t actually been a live-in lighthouse keeper here since the light was automated in 1929, but every year many thousands of visitors step inside a real l9th century lighthouse, and capture some of the aura and drama of ships wrecked and lives saved.

Built by the British in 1860, when Vancouver Island was not yet part of Canada, Fisgard’s red brick house and white tower has stood faithfully at the entrance to Esquimalt harbour. Once a beacon for the British Royal Navy’s Pacific Squadron, today Fisgard still marks home base for the Royal Canadian Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

Inside the building are two floors of exhibits, dealing with shipwrecks, storms, far- flung lights, and the everyday working equipment of the light keeper a century ago. Right next to the tower stairs on the second floor, a specially-made video evokes the loneliness and isolation that was the lot of the l9th century keeper.

Photography

The waterfront sites at Fisgard Lighthouse and nearby Fort Rodd Hill are extremely photogenic, especially with the majestic backdrop of the Olympic Mountains in neighbouring Washington state. 

The Strait of Juan de Fuca almost always offers a wide variety of ships, from small sailing vessels, to enormous cargo ships, and the proximity of the Canadian Navy base means that military craft of several nations are often seen at close range. 

Wildlife at the sites includes Columbian black-tailed deer, river otters, mink, raccoons, harbour seals, and sea lions. 

Bird-watching

Birders may be rewarded with a wide variety of both pelagic and meadow birds, including bald eagles, blue herons, harlequin and eider ducks, and many small songbirds.

Picnicking

There are 12 picnic tables, including one for disabled visitors, near the parking lot. You may also picnic inside the sites, under the trees on the main field, or on any of our three beaches. Please note that there are no fires or barbeques permitted in the sites.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is becoming more and more popular in the waters around Fisgard Lighthouse, but divers are advised that there is no vehicle access and that they will have to transport their equipment about 500 metres (1/4 mile) from the parking lot. (Hint: bring a wheelbarrow to move tanks and weights!)

Food Service

The Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse Preservation Society offers light refreshments and souvenirs in the old Canteen building inside Fort Rodd Hill during the summer months.