Green Park to Clayton Trail Walk (skirting Horth Hill Regional Park)

The Victoria Small Dog Walk and Play Group likes to visit all areas of Greater Victoria, and occasionally give our members living on the outskirts a shorter drive to an event. That's what we're doing on Saturday as we venture all the way up the Saanich Peninsula to Green Park and the Clayton Trail in North Saanich.

We'll meet at the trailhead at the corner of Larkspur Lane and Salal Place. (Directions later in this post.) From there, we'll take a short but pleasant little jaunt around Green Park. This beautiful little park features two small ponds and second growth Douglas fir, cedar, maple, arbutus and alder trees.

We'll then cross Greenpark Drive and take a slightly uphill path for about 300m, heading along a forested community trail that leads to the edge of Horth Hill Regional Park. The trail levels out after the initial uphill bit, and is either level or downhill for the next 600m, at which point we will have reached the Clayton Trail.

The Clayton Trail is a straight shot right across the North Saanich peninsula. It's shady, thick with trees and other vegetation, and dead easy to walk. We'll cover a 1.3 km section to the point where Clayton Trail meets Clayton Road, then turn around and retrace our steps all the way back to Green Park. A slightly different trail in Green Park will take us back to our starting point.

All in all, it's a 4.86 km walk, with an altitude gain of just 52m. If we can maintain a steady pace of 15 minutes per km, we should be able to do this walk in about 1 hr 15 mins. If you're a little slower than that, no worries. We'll gather you up as we're walking back, and you can turn around then and join us.

The trails are all pretty much either hard pack or gravel, with a few sections having leaves or assorted trail detritus under foot. I suggest runners, hiking sandals, or walking shoes. Probably best to avoid any footwear that's loose and unsupporting, like flip flops, open-toed sandals, or any footwear without good traction.

To get to our meeting place:
Take the Pat Bay Highway North until you're nearly to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. Take Exit 33 to Lands End Road. (See photo I've posted.) At the traffic lights, turn LEFT. Drive over the Pat Bay Hwy, and THROUGH a second set of traffic lights. DO NOT TURN RIGHT AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS as then you'll find yourself in the Swartz Bay Passenger Loop. Drive along Lands End Road for another 750m, and turn left on to Greenpark Drive. Look for the large Green Park Estates sign at the intersection of Lands End Road and Greenpark Drive. (Photo posted.) Drive 450m along Greenpark Drive to Larkspur Lane. Turn left, and drive 100m to our meeting place at the corner of Larkspur Lane and Salal Place. The nearest street address I can give you for your GPS is 11086 Larkspur Lane, which is actually just 10m past Salal Place. There is plenty of street parking all around our meeting place.

After the walk, you're invited to congregate at the Roost Vineyard Bistro, Farm Bakery and Winery at the corner of McTavish Road and East Saanich Road for a drink, a snack, or lunch.

https://qr.imenupro.com/8d6-3w