July 31, 2012 East Sooke Regional Park

Directions for July 31, 2012

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

From the map, I think we can go south on Pike Road Trail to Iron Mine Bay.  We can 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.

The Mount Maguire summit can be optional depending on how tired we feel.




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Report of Sept 27, 2011 hike

Wow - yet another marathon - what's wrong with us - why don't we just do nice gentle walks.?  We pretty well did the hike as it said on the tin.  The trails were well marked, and the map coincided with the trails for once.

We got down to Iron Mine Bay with its fantastic views and the sounds of waves.

This was a great view of Donaldson Island.

It was great to hike along the Coast Trail, and although quite rugged (with a bum sliding technique preferred for descending some of the dips), it was glorious to hear the ocean and catch glimpses of the coastline.

We headed up the Coppermine Trail to the copper mine.  This was fantastic to see without any bars or gates or warning signs. This drift entrance was easy to see from the trail and there were others just further north on the trail.

Apparently the mines were working until the 1970s.

Most of us did the Mount Maguire summit (268 m) which was short and steep from the Anderson Cove Trail.  It was well worth the extra effort so see what is surely the best placed park bench in the province. A good place for a short rest and a little trail mix.

The trek back from the summit was suposed to be downhill but turned out to be a little up and down until we got to Pike Creek and back onto the Pike Road Trail.

Overall we did 9k, but with the elevation change, it was a great hike for exercise and scenic pleasure. Next time we'll do this hike in the reverse direction!