Winding through characteristically windblown Metchosin forest, the trail arrives at the long sweep of Taylor Beach, before returning to the parking lot via open, rocky knolls.
LOCATION
Driving north away from Victoria on Highway 1, turn off at the Langford/Millstream Road exit. Cross over the highway to enter Langford. After 5.5 km, continue straight ahead along Veterans Memorial Parkway (Highway 14). Approaching 6 km, turn left onto Latoria Road. At the T junction with Metchosin Road, 1.8 km along, turn right and drive along Metchosin Road. After 5.2 km, passing Metchosin Store, the road changes name to William Head Road. Drive for just over 1.6 km and pull into the well-signposted parking lot on your left.
DISTANCE
1.9-km loop, plus beach walking
ELEVATION GAIN
50 m, mostly on return leg
DIFFICULTY
Easy, well-graded and well-signposted park trails. Some muddy sections in winter. A few rocky bits on return loop.
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Licorice ferns and exposed oak meadows on the bluffs near the ocean; a blaze of colour from sea blush in the oak meadows; the sea bluffs are particularly dense with camas in the spring.
SEASON
All season, but spring is best for wildflowers on the rocky knolls by the Garry oaks.
OF SPECIAL INTEREST FOR CHILDREN
The beach, with its opportunity for log walking, stone skipping and creating soggy havoc is the most obvious feature. The principle of The Picnic, of course, underlies any reasonable visit to a beach.
1.After passing by – or visiting – the toilet, march purposefully into the fine stand of trees, noticing as you approach them how the howling offshore Metchosin winds have deformed the oldest Douglas firs. Follow the signpost to Taylor Beach, for now ignoring the right branch to Helgesen Bridle Trail. Drop down a slope to cross a natty little footbridge over Sherwood Creek and climb slightly for the next few minutes until you come to a junction. Both the trail leading up past timber steps on the right and that on the left, leading slightly downhill, converge after a short distance, though the left branch is probably a little more interesting since it skirts marshland. Climbing significantly onto a kind of ridge over stone steps, the trail passes some rock-garden-like patches of licorice fern and stonecrop.
2.Descend timber steps and pass beneath a steep bluff of arbutus and Garry oak before emerging onto Taylor Beach. Unless you arrive at low tide, you encounter a long, sweeping pebble beach. No doubt you will want to walk some distance along the log-lined shore before returning to the park.
3.Turning off the beach past the large park sign, begin the return leg of your walk by climbing up a sparsely treed, rocky knoll. The trail winds through perhaps the prettiest part of the whole loop before approaching the heavy forest. Beyond the wire fence that demarcates the edge of the park, farm meadows remind you of the pastoral nature of most of Metchosin.
4.Now on the bridle trail, ignore a signposted branch trail to the beach on your right. When you come to the third branching trail on the right, descend slightly below the bridle trail to traverse alongside a heavily treed slope. This trail curves to follow the contours of the slope before dropping down to Sherwood Creek.
5.Cross a well-constructed little bridge and climb some timber-and-soil steps to complete the loop and arrive back at the outbound trail.
