For a more challenging hike up the opposite end of the Mt. Tzouhalem ridge, see Popular Day Hikes 4: Vancouver Island. The hike described here is by far the most popular walking route through a maze of mountain-biking trails. The destination is a ridgetop with beautifully gardenlike clusters of arbutus amidst interesting rock formations, all with spectacular views of the Cowichan Valley.
LOCATION
From Highway 1 in central Duncan, turn east at the Co-op Gas Station onto Trunk Road. Drive for about 1.2 km until it turns into Tzouhalem Road. Continue straight ahead for about 1 km. When you come to a roundabout, go straight through to the second exit, onto Maple Bay Road. Drive for 3 km and turn right onto Kingsview Road. After about 200 m, come to another roundabout. Keep on Kingsview Road for another 1 km until you come to Chippewa Road. Turn right and continue for 1 km, and then turn left onto Kaspa Road and drive about 450 m until you see the large, signposted parking area.
DISTANCE
6.3 km
95 m
DIFFICULTY
Moderate. Most of the trail is on an old roadbed. The last section is narrow, irregular and a bit rooty but without any significant challenges. The cliffs at the top could be dangerous for foolhardy visitors.
SEASON
All season, though be aware that in winter, if you find it chilly, but clear, at the bottom of the mountain there could be some snow at the top. Just look up! April is great for spring flowers, but mostly at the ecological reserve partway up, along a more convoluted route than that described here.
OF SPECIAL INTEREST FOR CHILDREN
Probably more interesting for kids than the vertiginous views (though, of course, children enjoy gasping and being restrained from throwing things off cliffs) is the cluttered community of rock sculptures partway up the route. Think: inuksuk. The implicit invitation to contribute to the growing crowd is clear! Stronger, older children could ride their (mountain) bikes most – but not all – of the route.
Note that if you come on a weekend or holiday, you can often just follow the other families taking this popular route.
1.Facing uphill, walk to the left end of the parking lot, passing by a yellow gate. Ignore a branch off to your right going up to a water tower. Carry on up a broad, gravel road, ignoring a downhill track on your left. After a short distance fork left to continue uphill.
2.At the next fork, see a sign saying “Old M/L” (i.e., old main line), and a smaller road to the right. Go right onto a smaller track with a sign, “Branch D,” high on a tree. This track traverses gradually uphill through a typical second-growth Douglas fir forest – phalanxes of tall, thin, crowded trees above a bed of salal.
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT The cliffs drop precipitously from a high spot overlooking the farms and fields of the Cowichan Valley; river estuaries at the end of Cowichan Bay; the rock city partway along the most popular route to the summit.
3.A treat, however, awaits. Ignoring tracks first to the right and then the left, keeping straight ahead on Branch D, after a time, you come upon a charming chaos of improvised rock towers, cairns and some wonderfully bizarre rock structures. Thereafter, while your route tends generally smoothly uphill, you come upon one steep, rocky section of roadbed before descending.
4.At a low point, fork right onto a narrow, rooty trail through ferns, and again right where you see the trail broadening out and heading slightly uphill. There is light ahead, and it comes from the clearing running along the broken, angular edge of the ramp-like mountain.
5.Although you may be tempted to feel you have reached your airy, view-rich destination, even better sights await you. Turn right and take the wandering, clear trail along the top of the cliffs of conglomerate rock. Exclaim to your heart’s content over the attractive arrangements of broken stone and arbutus. Press on to the point where the cliff trail brings you out to a viewpoint that allows you to look back along the curve of the mountain edge – as well, of course, as down on the full sweep of the Cowichan Valley. Some will find the large Christian cross there to be intrusive, others inspirational – in either case, it’s one of those can’t-miss-it insertions into the landscape.
6.It is possible to follow a loop route down through the conservation area (you see a sign for the border), but, largely because of the complexities of this route, the great majority of visitors return the way they came and take an opportunity to add their own creative touches to the rock village.
