Where Can I Take My Dog to See Murals and Public Art in Victoria? Photo-Worthy Walks

Victoria has more public art per square kilometre than almost any city its size on the West Coast, and most of it is visible from public sidewalks and park paths where dogs are welcome. I discovered this by accident: I was taking Ziggy for a walk through the Rock Bay industrial area one Sunday and suddenly we were surrounded by enormous murals painted on the sides of garages and warehouses. It was the best photo walk we had done all year, and I had lived in Victoria for years without knowing it was there.

Here is where to find the best public art, murals, and photo-worthy backdrops that actually work with a dog on a leash. I have organized them by route so you can plan a walk rather than a series of car stops.

What is the Concrete Canvas Rock Bay Mural Project?

The Concrete Canvas project is the single best concentration of public murals in Victoria, and it is a hidden gem in the most literal sense. It is not a cliche, it is just a fact that most people do not know about it. In 2018, the City of Victoria commissioned 17 murals across 16 sites in the Rock Bay industrial neighbourhood, east of downtown in the Burnside-Gorge area. The murals cover the sides of auto body shops, warehouses, and industrial buildings, and they are enormous: some are three storeys tall.

The best way to see them with a dog is to park near the corner of Rock Bay Avenue and Bay Street and walk the loop. The key addresses are clustered along Rock Bay Avenue between 2500 and 2551, with additional murals at 2725 Rock Bay Avenue and at the 611 Bay Street parklet. The streets are quiet on weekends, the sidewalks are wide, and there is almost no foot traffic. I took Ziggy here on a Sunday morning and we had the whole street to ourselves. He sat perfectly for photos in front of the massive geometric mural at 2551 Rock Bay, and the light was excellent because the buildings face south.

The City of Victoria publishes a downloadable walking tour map on their website. I recommend downloading it before you go because the murals are spread across a few blocks and some are easy to miss from the street. The whole walk is about 1.5 kilometres if you see all 16 sites.

Are the Chinatown murals and street art dog-friendly?

Yes, Chinatown is public sidewalk space and dogs on leash are welcome. The most photographed spot is the graffiti hotspot mural at 835 Fisgard Street, a wall that local artists rotate with new work regularly. It is a narrow street with a lot of pedestrian traffic, so I would recommend a calm, leash-trained dog for this walk rather than a reactive one.

The real value of a Chinatown art walk with your dog is the combination of the murals, the architecture of Fan Tan Alley, and the surrounding neighbourhood. You can walk from the murals on Fisgard through the alley to Pandora Avenue, where Bolen Books welcomes dogs inside. It makes a good weekend afternoon circuit: park near the corner of Government and Fisgard, walk the murals, grab a coffee at a dog-friendly cafe on Pandora, and browse Bolen Books before heading home.

What public art is in Beacon Hill Park and along Dallas Road?

Beacon Hill Park has several photo-worthy art pieces that work well with a dog. The most iconic is the totem pole near the Douglas Street entrance, carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Mungo Martin in 1956. It stands about 38 metres tall and makes a dramatic backdrop for a dog photo. The park also has the Mile Zero monument at the southern end of the park, marking the start of the Trans-Canada Highway, and several smaller sculptures scattered along the walking paths.

The Dallas Road waterfront, just south of the park, has the Terry Fox memorial statue looking out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Spirit of the Nation sculpture at Clover Point. The off-leash strip along Dallas Road runs right past these markers, so you can combine an off-leash run with a photo stop. The best time for photos here is late afternoon when the light comes from behind the Olympic Mountains.

What about the Arts Victoria Public Art Map?

Arts Victoria maintains an online public art map at artsvictoria.ca that plots every piece of civic public art in the city, plus community-submitted street art. It is a useful resource if you want to plan a self-guided walk with your dog. The map includes sculptures, murals, installations, and memorials, with addresses and photos of each piece. I have used it to find art I had walked past for years without noticing.

Some of the pieces worth seeking out on a dog walk: the Victoria Harbour sculptures along the Inner Harbour causeway, the bronze dog sculpture at the corner of Government and Belleville (a nod to the city's dog-friendly reputation), and the murals in the Fernwood neighbourhood near the Fernwood Inn. Fernwood is also a good neighbourhood for a dog walk because the streets are quiet and the Fernwood Inn has a dog-friendly patio where you can rest between art stops.

How to get a good photo of your dog with public art

I have taken enough photos of Ziggy in front of murals to have a few practical tips:

• Go early. Weekday mornings and Sunday mornings are the quietest times at Rock Bay and Chinatown. You want the background to be clear of pedestrians and cars.
• Use a short leash. A 4-foot leash keeps your dog close to you and out of the frame if you want a shot of just the dog and the art.
• Watch the light. South-facing murals (most of the Rock Bay ones) are best in mid-morning. North-facing art is better in the afternoon. The totem pole in Beacon Hill is best in the late afternoon when the sun hits the front of the carving.
• Bring treats. A high-value treat gets your dog to sit and look at the camera. I use freeze-dried liver for photo sessions and it works every time.
• Respect the art. Do not let your dog touch the murals or sculptures. Some of the paint is delicate and some installations are old. A photo from a respectful distance looks better anyway.

How art walk access shapes your neighbourhood choice

When we help dog owners find a home in Victoria, the quality of the daily walking route is one of the first things we consider. A neighbourhood with interesting public art within walking distance changes the experience of the daily dog walk. The Rock Bay and Burnside-Gorge area, the Fernwood neighbourhood, the Fairfield streets near Beacon Hill, and the downtown-adjacent areas near Chinatown all offer different versions of this: a walk that is visually interesting for you and physically interesting for your dog.

If you love photography and want to include your dog in your creative practice, then the proximity to photogenic walking routes matters more than you might think. A 15-minute walk past murals and public art is a different daily experience than a 15-minute walk past parked cars and chain-link fences.

Next steps

For more photo-worthy walks with your dog, see our guide to dog-friendly sunset spots and our downtown dog walking routes guide.

Thinking about a move to a neighbourhood with great walking routes for you and your dog? The Happy Homes Team knows which streets lead to the best walks, the best photo backdrops, and the best daily routines for dog owners. Let's find the right street for you.