Activities
Winter Storm Watching
Winter storm watching at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse
© Parks Canada
Grab your warmest coat, rain boots and scarf and come storm watching at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Sites. As you approach the water's edge, you taste the air filled with salty droplets, and feel the powerful waves crash on the nearby bluffs. Nature's winter storms are so invigorating!
Look up, Fisgard Lighthouse stands tall beside you, sending its message of warmth and safety. Stepping inside brings welcome relief from the whipping winds. Rain splattering against the windows, you enjoy a game of checkers, and muse on the lonely life of Fisgard's keepers, working here day and night, in all weather.
Playing Games at the Lighthouse
From vintage to new high-tech games
© Parks Canada
Unleash your inner child when stepping inside Fisgard Lighthouse. Find the old trunks; one of them reveals a game of checkers—or “draughts” as the old British lighthouse keepers would say. Place your pieces and find a valiant opponent to take on the challenge. After this “old fashioned” diversion, proceed to the new state-of-the-art video games and see if you have what it takes to steer a 19th-century schooner or a present-day naval patrol vessel into the harbour. Grip the wooden spokes or the steel helm, set the difficulty level for “new recruit” or “master mariner,” and manoeuvre safely or crash onto the rocky shore... it’s all up to you.
Oh, and once you’re done, don’t forget to let the kids play too!
GPSpy
Let Explora guide you through the latest spy game.
© Parks Canada
Underground tunnels, camouflaged searchlight emplacements, hidden inscriptions, secret signals... you’re on the hunt for adventure. Forget your old spy games and gadgets, you are now equipped with Explora, a handheld GPS device to help you unfold the most challenging enigmas. Tread carefully while infiltrating the fort, Explora will secretly tell you when and what to look for from your precise global coordinates. Be ready to detect facets of Fort Rodd Hill you would have never guessed existed.
Currently the use of an Explora handheld GPS device, while visiting Fort Rodd Hill National Historic Sites, is included with your admission fee.
Wildlife Watching
A river otter resting on the rocky shore
© Parks Canada
What an amazing feeling to encounter wildlife in their natural environment. Elusive and quiet, when you spot one behind a Garry oak tree, on the rocky shore or between two waves, it will come as a surprised… a rewarding surprise! One that will put a smile on your face, because you know it’s a privileged to have seen a Columbian blacktail deer, a bouncing mink, a conniving raccoon, a playful river otter, a lurking harbour seal, a robust sea lion or maybe even a dorsal of a whale passing in the far distance.
Birdwatching
The majestic Bald eagle finding small animals to prey on
© Parks Canada
Stick your nose up in the air; bald eagles are often soaring above the hills at Fort Rodd or catching the uplifting ocean air by the lighthouse. Seagulls, turkey vultures and occasionally golden eagles do the same. While they conquer the heights, pelagic and meadow birds take on the calm waters. Great blue herons tip-toe in the shallow shorelines, harlequin and eider ducks rock to small waves, and delicate colourful songbirds scatter to their busy life.
Photography
The waterfront sites at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Lighthouse are extremely photogenic, especially with the scenic 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.
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.