Monday, January 30, 2012

East Sooke Regional Park - September 24, 2013

East Sooke Regional Park


Directions
Car poolers will be leaving the centre at 9:15 and leaving the Pike Road Car Park at 10:00 to begin the hike.

Park map.

Park info

How to get there

Google Map

Track for November 20, 2012


View East Sooke Park Nov. 20, 2012 in a larger map

Hike description
Go south on Pike Road Trail to Iron Mine Bay.  We then hike east along the coast trail for a short distance, taking the second left turn on the map to Coppermine Trail (NE).  We then hit Anderson Cove Trail and turn left on it travelling South West to the Mt. Maguire summit trail ( right turn - N).  A leisurely break and then back down to Anderson Cove Trail (turn right) to travel westerly (SSW) to hit Pike Road Trail - turn right (north) and back to the car park. It seems to be about 9k.




















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Feb 7, 2012 Cedar Grove Hike - Roche Cove Regional Park


This is a great walk but on Feb 7, 2012 the trail had turned into amphibious assault course in places. This hike finally confirmed that I need new hiking boots that are at least water resistent. 

Here is our track for the walk. This time we didn't do the detour to the viewpoint that would add a little to the total distance.


Name:Roche Cove Cedar Grove
Date:Feb 7, 2012 9:45 am
Map:
(valid until Aug 5, 2012)		View on Map
Distance:5.23 kilometers
Elapsed Time:1:04:27
Avg Speed:4.9 km/h
Max Speed:11.1 km/h
Avg Pace:12' 19" per km
Min Altitude:2 m
Max Altitude:92 m
Start Time:2012-02-07T17:45:06Z
Start Location: 
 Latitude:48.374624º N
 Longitude:123.633206º W
End Location: 
 Latitude:48.374639º N
 Longitude:123.633559º W

We did this walk on August 16, 2011.  As I recall, it is a great hike and should be safe even if the surfaces are wet.

Journey to park is about 30 mins.  Car poolers should leave the centre at 9:15.  Those meeting at the car park should be there at 9:45.


Directions Map

Google Map


View Larger Map



Click for map


Roche Cove Regional Park 
Cedar Grove Hike
Trail Rating: Easy to Moderate
Approximate Hiking Time: 2 hours
Highlights
This hike will take you through classic temperate rainforest, with lush vegetation, oldgrowth cedar trees, and moss-covered big leaf maples. Enjoy spectacular views of Roche
Cove and look for huge banana slugs!
The Hike
Begin your hike in the Roche Cove parking lot. The trailhead for the Cedar Grove Trail is
on the north side of the parking lot, well before the pit toilets and picnic tables. 
Follow the trail along dry, rocky outcrops and up a moderate incline into the lush
temperate rainforest. Continue on the well-established trail down through large big-leaf
maples. Make sure to look up into the canopy, where the limbs of these giants support a
microcosm of licorice ferns, mosses and lichens. 
Once you start heading uphill again, the viewpoint sign may tempt you to follow a short
trail to the right. The end of this trail is a peaceful place to stop and have lunch, although
trees now obscure the view. Keep heading north and at the first fork in the trail, go right
(left will take you to Gillespie Road). In approximately 15 minutes you will encounter a
huge fallen cedar, one of several cedars in this grove that are well over 500 years old. 
Continue past the Cedar Grove and you will find the trail less travelled. An alder forest
on your left is an excellent birding spot in the fall and spring. Keep following the trail
until you start to descend and you will come out onto the Galloping Goose Regional
Trail. To return to the Roche Cove parking lot, follow the Galloping Goose Trail to the
right. Take the time to look at the road-cuts that made this abandoned rail line possible.
You will find patches of stonecrop, a native succulent that blooms in late spring/early
summer. 
If you have a few extra minutes and are craving more forest, turn right at the To
Viewpoint sign. This trail will take you up through the forest and eventually loops back
onto “the Goose.” This scenic route takes only an extra 10 minutes.  Before you reach the
parking lot, turn to your left to enjoy the stunning view of Roche Cove.

Getting there from Victoria


Follow the Trans-Canada Highway fromVictoria, and take Exit
14 south to Langford. Follow Veterans Memorial Parkway, then
turn right on Sooke Road. From Sooke Road, turn left on Gillespie
Road, which leads to the park entrance on the left. Allow
approximately 45 minutes driving time fromVictoria.
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Witty's Lagoon Regional Park, Beach Trail, Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012

This was a great walk.  We had never been on this part of the trail system, and it is very scenic. With quite full waterways...



..and good views at the sandspit end of the walk.  This was Parry Bay...


... from a couple of angles..


.. including some nifty driftwood, 

and this was the staircase that led to the other car park and a loop back to our vehicles in the SItting Lady Falls car park.


Maybe Big Brother was watching?



Here's our track including the loop return.


Name:Beach Trail
Date:Jan 31, 2012 9:35 am
Map:
(valid until Jul 29, 2012)		View on Map
Distance:4.21 kilometers
Elapsed Time:51:22.9
Avg Speed:4.9 km/h
Max Speed:19.9 km/h
Avg Pace:12' 12" per km
Min Altitude:0 m
Max Altitude:53 m
Start Time:2012-01-31T17:35:16Z
Start Location:
Latitude:48.389164º N
Longitude:123.524788º W
End Location:
Latitude:48.389191º N
Longitude:123.524817º W


Directions
How to get there: Carpoolers should meet at the Senior's Centre at 9:15. Arrive at the Witty's Lagoon Sitting Lady Falls parking lot at about 9:35.






This time we'll take the beach trail - turning right at Sitting Lady Falls. It's an easy walk - about an hour there and back again. Should be good in either clement or inclement weather.






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Saturday, Jan 21, 2012 Ed Nixon Trail

Three Ad Hoc Hikers braved the thawing snow on Ed Nixon Trail on Saturday, Jan 21, 2012.

We saw some anglers and plenty of dog walkers and managed the walk without any broken limbs despite the somewhat slippery conditions. The thaw was so fast that we could swear there was less snow on the boardwalks as we made our way back along the trail.

This is a pretty good short walk on flat terrain, and it can be extended at the highway end of the trail if desired.



Name:Ed Nixon Trail
Date:Jan 21, 2012 9:29 am
Map:
(valid until Jul 19, 2012)		View on Map
Distance:5.37 kilometers
Elapsed Time:57:53.5
Avg Speed:5.6 km/h
Max Speed:52.4 km/h
Avg Pace:10' 47" per km
Min Altitude:15 m
Max Altitude:69 m
Start Time:2012-01-21T17:29:52Z
Start Location:
Latitude:48.444277º N
Longitude:123.525810º W
End Location:
Latitude:48.444294º N
Longitude:123.525942º W
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Bear Hill, Dec 4, 2012

Bear Hill, Dec 4, 2012


Car poolers will be leaving the centre at 9:15 as usual, and we'll be leaving the boat launch parking lot at 9:45

Bear Hill is a 4km hike with 156m elevation gain. Time is about 1 hour, depending on hiking speed. At the top, hikers are rewarded for their efforts by a 180 degree panoramic view to the north.
Starting from the boat launch parking lot at the north end of Elk Lake, take the the lake trail clockwise. After about 5 minutes you will see, to the left, a clear path to Brookleigh Rd and a Bear Hill sign. Follow Brookleigh Rd to the right for another minute or so, then cross the road to pick up the Bear Hill trail as indicated by another sign. After about 20 minutes you will reach the communication tower. To the right there is a short path to a viewpoint. Getting back on the main trail, follow the sign to the summit, then take the trail to C Saanich Rd. After a short trek you will see another summit sign. A short path leads to the best viewpoint on the hike. The summit is about 10 minutes past the tower site.
Backtrack to the C Saanich signpost and keep right to descend. The descent may be hazardous because it has a few rock faces and can be rugged. Descend down to Bear Hill Rd, then go left. Bear Hill Rd ends with a short trail that opens up to Bear Hill Rd again. Continue down Bear Hill Rd, crossing Brookleigh Rd. Keep going until you see a steel gate on your left. Past the gate you will see the Elk Lake trail. Follow the trail clockwise back to the boat launch parking lot. Note: You can shorten the hike by turning left at Brookleigh and following it to the parking lot.
How to get to the parking lot (driving time is about 26 minutes):
Hiking route map:
Elevation profile (it's not really that steep, it just feels like it):
Stats:

Bear Hill December 4, 2012. GPS stopped recording near the end, probably due to a low battery:
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=209938729472309822028.0004d00f8c3f2f6c2d651&msa=0&ll=48.540208,-123.404059&spn=0.012261,0.027874

Bear Hill January 16, 2012:
https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid=209938729472309822028.0004b6af7715a691fbd88&msa=0
Bear Hill December 4, 2012. GPS stopped recording near the end, probably due to a low battery:
 
Bear Hill January 16, 2012:

Pics from our  December 4, 2012 hike
 
Let the sun shine through!
 
The trail up was a little wet, 
 
Rainbows were everywhere this day. This one was spotted on the way up.
 
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign. If you can't find any, you are lost; definitely a bad sign.
 
So, I forgot to actually take a picture of the view from the top. Duh! I'll just slip one from last year, no one will notice.
 
Make sure you look up once in a while, or you may miss this.
 
No horses today.
 
Almost back. The sign says Elk Lake Trail.
 
Some attendees at the Coot convention going on at Elk Lake.






Previous hike pics
































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