by Sheila Molloy | photos by Sheila Molloy & Stephanie Staples –
Increased water cascading is a bonus of the Saanich Peninsula’s combination of snow and warm temperatures.
We took two short walks in the northern part of Gowlland Tod Provincial Park to find beautiful water cascades. Access to both trails is via West Saanich Road, onto Wallace Drive and then onto Willis Point Road.
Details
First walk: Cascade Trail
Start at McKenzie Bight access parking lot. From Willis Point Road, turn left at the sign, onto Ross Durrance Road and to the snow-covered parking lot about 200 metres to your left.
Access the trail via the Timberman Trail from Ross-Durrance Road just 100 metres down from the parking lot. Timberman is easy to follow and has distant views in the winter on both sides of the trail.
After crossing the wooden bridge, go right at the junction and follow the Cascade Trail which will start to descend very steeply. The conditions of the snow and ice are a deciding factor on how much water cascade you will want to chase.
The water at the bridge is already a great view of the creek as it begins its descent. As you make your way down, the cascade gets larger and more impressive until the largest drop which is the cascading waterfall of Pease Creek. Turn back at any point to complete your walk.
Second walk: Durrance Lake Trail
Located in Mount Work Regional Park, this easy trail loops around Durrance Lake. Follow the directions above to Willis Point Road. Turn right on Durrance Close and to the park entrance.
The trail starts from the end of parking lot. Head left on the well-groomed path, which is icy, slushy or wet depending on the temperature but is flat so it’s a relatively easy walk with good footwear.
Follow the path to the end of the lake where you will continue straight on a narrow path (rather than veer right and follow the lake loop). The narrow path gradually slopes down and parallels the rushing water from the lake down Durrance Creek.
The path will end at a private property line. Turn around and head back up the path for great views of the fast-flowing falls and then back onto the wide path to return to the parking lot.
Things to Note
There are toilets at both locations.
Trekking poles and footwear with a good grip or ice grips are very helpful.
Parking lots for both walks may have uncleared snow but there is parking along Willis Point Road.
Both walks together took us less than two hours at an average pace.
