July 3, 2012, Mount Wells Regional Park

Directions for July 3, 2012

Our hike on July 3, 2012 will be in Mount Wells Regional Park.  Click here to see and or print the information sheet.

How to get there from Victoria:

Follow the Trans-Canada Highway from Victoria, and turn left on Sooke Lake Road. Turn left on Humpback Road. At the intersection with Irwin Road, stay right. Follow Humpback Road to the park

entrance on the right. Allow approximately 30 minutes driving time from Victoria.

Google map with directions from the centre: (Approximately 20 minute driving time from the centre)

View Larger Map

The hike to the summit is 1.3 km.

Hike Description from the official guide:

Hike on a steep and challenging trail to the 352-metre summit for sweeping views of Juan de Fuca Strait, Victoria and the Sooke Hills. The trail climbs through Douglas-fir forest and sensitive Garry oak ecosystems to open rocky hilltops dotted with arbutus trees, hairy manzanita and a mosaic of lush mosses. In the spring, native wildflowers such as camas, shooting star and satin flower carpet the slopes. Mount Wells is the only place in Canada where the endangered prairie lupine grows. Please stay on the trail and keep pets on the trail to protect this fragile habitat. Even if wildflowers are not visible, walking off trail can damage bulbs that lie dormant under thin soils. On your journey to the summit, you may see turkey vultures and band-tailed pigeons, or hear the drumming of ruffed grouse. The park is also an important wildlife refuge for animals such as black-tailed deer, red squirrels and alligator lizards.

Car poolers will be at the centre ready to leave at 9:15. If meeting at the car park next to Humpback Reservoir on Humpback Road - please be there at 9:35.

Description of Tuesday July 26, 2011 hike

We arrived at the Mount Wells Regional Park at around 9:35, having set off from the centre at about 9:15 as planned. We travelled via the highway, turning off at West Shore Parkway and turing on to Humpback Road at Ma Miller's Pub.

From the car park we crossed two bridges and Humpback Road following the large diameter concrete water pipe on the way to the ascent.

 The first part of the hike was through forest until we came out above the trees and started to get the excellent views.

We noticed this camas (Cammasia quamash) as we we making our way up from a viewpoint close to the summit.  The $30 guide we bought to identify this plant indicates that while the bulbs of the blue camas are edible, one should avoid eating the meadow death-camas bulb (for obvious reasons). Never having had much of a taste for lily bulbs, I won't find avoiding this one a great problem.

At the summit we saw two survey markers..

and took in the 360 panorama.  The summit was especially satisfying as it was a large flat rock forming an excellent congregating area and viewing platform.

This survey marker was within a few feet of the other one and seemed in much better condition.

We noticed the ghostly-looking Indian Pipe (monotropa uniflora)

and the more robust Oregon Grape (mahonia aquifolium) as we were making the descent.

Although only 1.3 k each way, this seemed a much longer hike, which makes sense considering the approximately 1000 feet we climbed. As Dwayne said - you know you've climbed a fair way when you can look down on planes! We arrived for coffee at Ma Miller's at around 11:50.

Some of us decided to try out the winding and narrow Humpback road on the return trip, meeting up with Sooke Road.

Overall a satisfying shorter hike with good cardio exercise and excellent views.