This hike took me through Gowlland Tod Provincial Park in an engaging and fun loop. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this provincial park, but I was not disappointed by the trail and the views. 

Summary:

Length: 10.1km
Elevation: 455m
Time: 2 hours and 30 mins
Starting point: Gowlland Tod Provincial Park parking lot

The first part of the trail is mostly covered forest walking, with a moderate incline. It wasn’t particularly busy when I went, so I only saw a handful of people during the whole 3 hours I was on the trail. Unfortunately, this included a group of people blasting music from their Bluetooth speaker (a hiking no-no). Thankfully I put some distance between me and them. The rest of the trail on this side of the loop is along a ridge, with lots of viewpoints along the trail.

Not too far into my hike, I reached Holmes Peak, which had a wooden tree swing! It was so cool to swing on the top of the peak and feel like you were flying over the edge. I wish I had taken a photo of it, but on my way back down, a family with two young kids was playing on the swing and I didn’t want to interrupt them.

Sitting at 434m, Jocelyn Hill Peak has a wonderful view of the Saanich Inlet, a bit of ocean separating Saanich from the rest of the island. I ate my sandwich, rehydrated, and petted a dog that came over to say hi. Then, I headed back down, taking the other part of the loop on the way back. It was very peaceful and quiet, as I don’t think many people take this loop way to/from the summit. 

All in all, this hike was really cool and I would for sure do it again (and get some swing photos!). I found myself smiling a lot on this trail, and I think that’s a good sign. 🙂