Out for a … Wild Ramble – Browns’ Wood Trail

story and photos by Scottee Giles – 

Mount Newton’s southern slope is home to a network of hiking trails that weave through coastal forest, offering beautiful views of the Saanich Peninsula. The Browns’ Wood Trail is a great place to start exploring.

Our little group met at Thompson Place where the trail entrance is well marked with a sign. Locals Dorothy and Bill Brown generously donated this corridor of land for public hiking access so that generations to come could connect with nature. We headed east along a sturdy boardwalk through cedar, Douglas fir, grand fir and alder, birds chattering overhead and a squirrel scampering away through the salal. The peaceful feeling of the woods quickly settled in to lift our spirits.

The Saturday morning conversation oscillated between our upcoming plans and the scenery all around: the many shades of moss, tiny mushrooms, a tenacious arbutus sapling, a large Garry oak in a clearing, and oemleria buds unfurling – a sure sign of spring.

The boardwalk ended, giving way to an earthy trail with plenty of roots and rocks to clamber over, and we began to rise in elevation. We passed some marshy ponds, sword ferns and snowberry, and hopped over a stream that cut several paths down a rocky hill, rushing full after recent rains.
The face of a hand-carved bear at the base of a tree peered out at us, perhaps just waking up from a long winter nap. Around another bend we caught glimpses of the distant ocean, and a neighbour’s sweet donkeys watched us curiously from their pasture, the pair of them nuzzled together like the best of friends.

After half a kilometre the trail comes to a T-junction where tree roots grow wildly over a rocky outcropping. Turning right, to the south, will take you to the end of Thomson Road, only a few hundred metres away. Turning left, northeast, the trail continues another 700 metres, joining the road again at Thompson Place and Newton Heights. Allow an hour or more to range over both options in a 3km route before heading back to your starting point. Most of the trail is easy going but there are a few steep hills.

Things to Note:

• To get there, take Mount Newton Cross Road to 8609 Thompson Place in Central Saanich and park along the side of the road
• There are no washrooms or garbages
• Please respect private property on either side of the trail