Walk at Mystic Vale

Sorry for the late posting, folks, but here you go....

This is a fairly easy walk along the Alumni Chip Trail at UVic, and then down under the forested canopy of Mystic Vale. The path has roots and rocks down in the Vale, and there are stairs to negotiate when we come out of the Vale and back to the chip trail, but overall it’s a pretty tame walk.
Note: If you are handicapped or use a walker, you have the option of splitting off to an easier trail without stairs, and join up with the main group again after that. This route unfortunately skips going down into the Vale itself.

For those of you who haven't been on this walk before, we start on the Alumni Chip Trail at UVic. (I'll post a map in the days to come.) Meet at the trailhead on Cedar Hill Cross Road, just past University Drive, opposite the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The chip trail is flat and easy. It meanders through the forested perimeter of UVic, and then once we get to the UVic residences, we dart past University House 3, and take a secret trail down to the Vale.

Mystic Vale is a Douglas Fir ecosystem located on the Hobbs Creek watershed. We’ll follow Hobbs Creek through the Vale, under a canopy of 500-year-old Douglas Firs and more than 75 native plant and wildlife species. Bald eagles and great horned owls have been spotted resting in the branches of the big-leafed maples, so leashing up is a good idea while in the Vale.

We leave the gully by a set of stairs which take us back to the chip trail, and then we retrace our steps to our starting point.

There’s lots of parking available along Cedar Hill Cross Road. Look for my Victoria Small Dog Walk and Play Group signs at the trailhead.