Victoria has a staggering number of hiking trails that almost always reach something amazing.. and radically different. From Goldstream Park's spawning salmon to the marvellous Goldstream Train Trestle. You can hike dozens of beautiful, coastal kilometres in Juan de Fuca Provincial Park and East Sooke Regional Park. Victoria is a hiker's paradise.
TheWestCoastTrail
The West Coast Trail traces a route along a 75 kilometre section of Vancouver Island's hostile west coast. The trail looks over the Graveyard of the Pacific, home to hundreds of shipwrecks over the centuries. The Graveyard of the Pacific necessitated the construction of the West Coast Trail to save lives from the frequent shipwrecks.
Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is a beautiful park running along the Saanich Inlet just a short drive from downtown Victoria. Accessible from Goldstream Park at one end and Brentwood Bay, near Butchart Gardens at the other. From beautiful ocean views of the inlet to wonderful mountain views from Mount Work, this park has a great variety of characteristically Victoria hiking.
Mount Work is a popular hiking trail in Gowlland Tod and the most challenging trail at 5k from trailhead to summit. Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is quite large, spread out and the trails so varied, that you feel far from the city. The trails and views to and along Finlayson Arm are amazing and breathtakingly serene. An amazing park, so convenient to Victoria. And much like most other Victoria area parks, astoundingly quiet and wild. Naturally peaceful and beautiful in any weather and any month of the year. Over 25 kilometres of trails zig-zag across Gowlland Tod Park connecting Goldstream Provincial Park to Brentwood Bay, home to the world renowned, Butchart Gardens. Gowlland Tod Provincial Park is home to hundreds of plant and animal species and its park status ensures that the area will be forever protected. Finlayson Arm is the fjord that the park overlooks and attracts scuba divers from around the world to its unique habitat. This massive, wild and beautiful park comes alive with wildflowers during the spring and early summer. The geographically protected area encourages species of marine life rare in other parts of the world. The size and location of the park make you feel as though you are far from civilisation.
Directions to Gowlland Tod Provincial Park
There are three main access points to Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. The McKenzie Bight Access: trailhead is located off Rossdurrance Road. This relaxing trail leads to the beautiful McKenzine Bight on Saanich Inlet. The Timberman Trail branches off to the Saanich Inlet Viewpoint and further along the Malahat Viewpoint, Squally Reach Viewpoint and Jocelyn Hill. The Tod Inlet Access: trailhead is located in Brentwood Bay off Wallace Drive. The Caleb Pike Access: trailhead is located on Caleb Pike Road which is just off of Millstream Road near Langford.
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