February 04, 2010 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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I found myself in Victoria recently, and with a bit of time to explore I headed out with a friend to East Sooke Regional Park.
Our hike started from Aylard Farm, a 40-minute drive from downtown Victoria. After a short walk through open fields, we merged onto the Interior Trail and had an uphill slog for about 30 minutes. The uphill section was a bit of work, but the absolute silence, dense forest and moss-draped trees provided a very calming, Zen-like vibe. After a short downhill section we merged into the Coast Trail, which is where the real beauty of the hike lies.
The trail meanders along the shore; the scenery is classic west coast: wind, waves, ocean, mossy rainforest and gnarled arbutus trees growing out of the rocky shoreline. There is even an old trapper’s cabin at the aptly-named Cabin Point. The cabin is just walls, floor and a roof, but is in good shape and provides an excellent spot for a picnic lunch – or to just relax and admire the view.
From Cabin Point the Coast Trail follows the shoreline north-west (towards Sooke) and south-east (back towards Aylard Farm and the parking lot). If you travel west, you would need to have transportation at the other end – hiking the entire Coast Trail from end to end (10km) typically requires a car at each end of the trailhead.
There are some interesting petroglyphs in the rocks at Alldridge Point, a reminder of the Coast Salish people who inhabited the area. Sea life abounds – seals are commonly spotted bobbing among the kelp beds and eagles and seabirds are everywhere. Our round trip hike took about four hours at a fairly easy pace.
Practical Points: The Coast Trail may be a “walk in the park”, but it is not a hike for beginners. There are some rocky scrambles and moderately-challenging sections, so a decent pair of hiking shoes is recommended. The trail is generally well-marked, but it can be easy to lose at certain points. If your path runs out just backtrack, look around and chances are you’ll spot the yellow trail markers.
East Sooke Regional Park is a must-visit area for any outdoor enthusiast. There are trails for every skill level, including wheelchair-accessible picnic areas and easy walking (but very scenic) trails.
November 14, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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Did you know we have over 76,000 dog owners in the Greater Victoria area? With over 60 parks and amazing hiking trails, there are some pretty great places to go with your pooch on holidays. I’ve asked my two Jack Russells and we agree on these must-dos when in Victoria:
#5 East Sooke Regional Park’s coast trail – so rugged and enough ups and downs to tire even the most manic Jack Russell. Believe me; it works.
#4 Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park's beach trail – start in the rainforest, end up on the beach. When tide is out, compact, flat sand as far as your dog can run. Caution: may have to carry your dog back to the car if severe fatigue sets in.
#3 Matheson Lake Regional Park: does your dog have an in-and-out-of-the-water kind of persona? Do Matheson – water access around the entire lake while hiking through a fern-laden rainforest.
#2 Island View Regional Park: A super long stretch of sand halfway between Victoria and the BC Ferries terminal – great place to poop out the pooch before/after a long travel day.
And the #1 place to go for you and your furry friend(s)….
Galloping Goose Regional Trail: We’ve covered every last metre of this 55km (34mi) multi-user trail many times over. There are places near downtown Victoria where you’ll meet lots of people/dogs/bikes and other spots further towards Sooke where you probably won’t see anyone. Hook up with the Lochside Regional Trail and you have a total of 84km (52mi) to explore. Are your dogs tired yet?
November 13, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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Tofino seems to get all the attention when it comes to storm watching and yet Victoria and southern Vancouver Island has some spectacular winter weather too.
I love to head to the beach right after a blast of windy weather – enormous drift logs have been tossed up onto the shore, some as long as 15m (50ft). Hiking trails along the jagged coastline are ideal for watching big waves crash onto the rocks, shooting salt spray high into the air.
Some of my favourite storm watching spots are: the city’s breakwater and Esquimalt Beach in Victoria, East Sooke Regional Park near Sooke and China Beach on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail.
Have fun and always view from a safe distance.
October 15, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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This weekend my wife and I challenged ourselves to the Mt Finlayson trail in Goldstream Provincial Park. Caution: ditch the runners and don the hiking boots; this trail is not for the unprepared…think steep, think loose gravel, think rock face. What starts as an unforgiving vertical pathway under a rainforest canopy quickly morphs into slabs of rock where you find yourself on all fours trying to navigate your way to the summit. But alas, it’s all worth it as the panoramas of Victoria, the Olympic Mountains and surrounding waters come into view.
About half way down, we were both in desperate need of a reward so we took a side trail to Bear Mountain Resort where we found the new café, Mountain Bean Coffee. Wow, this place is over the top: leather chairs, stone fireplace, post-and-beam construction, naughty specialty coffees like Sticky Bun Latte and home brews like the Griz.
Bonus: it is peak salmon spawning season in Goldstream Creek – viewing from the bridge near the parking lot is excellent.
Goldstream Provincial Park is located approximately 20 minutes outside of downtown Victoria via Hwy 1.
March 05, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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This oasis is one of 60 or so parks in the Greater Victoria area and if you are into waterfalls and bird watching, it is a great discovery. I like to visit soon after a rainfall as Sitting Lady Falls is at its best, cascading over the dark rock face into the lagoon below. Moss and ferns cover much of the cliff so you get dramatic contrasts between greens, whitewater and black rock.
The Lagoon trail meanders through the forest and along the waterfront with various viewpoints and benches ideal for watching the variety of birds that seemingly make this their all-inclusive holiday.
If you opt to take the Beach trail and time your visit at low tide, you’ll be rewarded with sand that stretches almost ½ km (1/3 mi) wide along with amazing views of the Olympic Mountains and Juan de Fuca Strait. As well, seals love to play in the waters just off the beach and I’ve seen as many as 30 or so flip-flopping around.
February 28, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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January has come and gone and I have to admit that, not unlike other years, most all my New Year’s resolutions have failed miserably. That is, except my determination to conquer all 55 km (34 mi) of Victoria's Galloping Goose Regional Trail with my own two legs.
Perhaps you can relate, but to get up the motivation to start running, I needed something to entice me: some good company, scenery etc...this is where the Goose comes in. So together with my two Jack Russell Terriers, we are hitting a different segment of the trail each week. The goal: shrink my love handles while taking in some spectacular surroundings.
Now, during my “getting back into shape” phase, I try to avoid other fit runners as much as possible so I start my jaunt safely outside of the downtown core near the km 15 marker, close to Hatley Park. One of the first things I noticed was the flora along the Goose: the thousands, no, millions of ferns that line this trail. If you are into ferns, welcome to your own personal grotto heaven. In Victoria, not only do we have the evergreen deer and sword ferns that line the sides of trails but also a unique seasonal fern that pops up in autumn and sprouts a much welcomed bright green foliage over the winter months. The Goose is a converted railbed so many parts of the trail cut through towering rock slabs which are now home to these delicate hanging beauties. Complementing these is the thick, green, fluffy moss, rounding off the sharp edges of the rock’s surface (kind of like how my love handles look when I stare in the mirror). It is hard to believe it is winter in Victoria when I am surrounded by such lush greenery.
I think the stupendous scenery is working….I hardly noticed the pain. Stay tuned…as soon as I can walk again, I’ll be out for more.
P.S. The Goose is a great place to take your dogs.
April 13, 2006 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to hike the famous West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. For one week we were completely disconnected from everything. Just 75KM of nothing but rain forest, beach and the most awesome scenery imaginable.
We hiked the trail from Port Renfrew to Bamfield (south to north). It's supposed to be a little easier because you're still fresh when you do the hardest part first. Others argue it's better do start north so your pack is lighter near the end. The trail leads you along the ocean shoreline, either on the beach, or up on the cliffs. So the only climbing is up and down cliffs. This often involves wooden ladders, some very high and steep. And because you're in a rain forest, you have a fair chance you'll get (you got it) RAIN. That makes the ladders a little more challenging but after climbing a few of them we got the hang of it. we just took our time. We got our fair share of rain during the trip, but it didn't bring our spirits down at all. The scenery and the experience of being in the middle of nowhere made it all worth while.
You're allowed to camp almost anywhere so you can isolate yourself from all other hikers if you like. We chose the safety of the bigger campsites, equipped with bear locks and outhouses. We're not the most experienced multi-day hikers so we liked to stay close to people who knew what they were doing better than us. The bear locks in particularly are very useful because a couple of times we had to hang our food up in a tree to make sure the bears wouldn't get to it. And performing this activity in the dark and rain is not ea
August 26, 2005 | Tips from Us >
Victoria, Hiking
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There are no restaurants awaiting you at the top, no bars or Gondola rides down; in that sense nothing compares with the Grouse Grind, one of the more challenging
hikes in Vancouver. But if you are looking for a similar, steep, high-cardo hike in Victoria, head out to
Goldstream Provincial Park and take on the Mt. Finlayson Trail. This steep, rugged trail challenges hikers with varied terrain before rewarding them at the top with a sense of accomplishment and amazing views of the Juan de Fuca Strait, Finlayson Arm and surrounding areas. And while there is no snack bar at the top, you'll get twice the workout (because you have to hike back down), it's much more scenic and you'll avoid the commuter-like crowds that plague the Grouse Grind. The average hiker should be able to hike up and back in about three hours. Proper footwear is essential.