Charlie's Trail walk (at Royal Roads University)

Tidbit and I have always enjoyed walking Charlie's Trail on the grounds of Royal Roads University. It's our favorite walk in Victoria for many reasons.

The lovely ferns and thick tall cedars make you feel like you're miles away from civilization, even though you're just a stone's throw from the university. The tumbling waterfalls, birds singing, and gently flowing trail transport you to a place where you can let go of your trials and tribulations and just bask in the glow of nature. The views across Esquimalt Lagoon and out to Fisgard Lighthouse, all framed by the stunning Olympic mountain range, are world class.

We walked the trail recently and found it had dried up well since the winter rains had passed. As you may know, the trail is wide is places, and narrow in others. In the forest, it's shady and beautiful, with the occasional splash of rhododendron color, and on a sunny day, you'll enjoy magical shafts of sunlight that penetrate the canopy. The stream seemed to be as high as I can ever remember, it's bubbling and babbling ever closer to our ears.

The trail runs from the Galloping Goose at the upper end, and goes downhill all the way to the edge of Esquimalt Lagoon. It's a rolling trail with a difference in elevation of about 130 feet from top to bottom.
Please note: there are steps to negotiate, and roots and rocks. Those who are looking for a flat, easy walk had best skip this walk and sign up for another. The dogs will do fine on this walk. Sometimes you'll do fine just wearing runners. It's up to you if you want to wear a pair of light boots.

Once we reach the lower end of Charlie's Trail, we'll do a loop around the lower reaches of Royal Roads University. This adds about 1.3 km to our route and turns a fairly short walk into a more worthwhile outing. You can, however, break off the walk at any point, and just return to your car. Be sure to let me (at the front) or Blaise/Grace (at the rear) know you're leaving though, so I can keep track of our numbers.

We'll meet at the Galloping Goose Parking Lot at the corner of Aldeane Avenue and Sooke Road. Don't turn into Royal Roads University. 2200 Aldeane Avenue is about the nearest address I can give you for your GPS. On Google Maps, our meeting place just shows as "Aldeane Ave Parking Lot at Galloping Goose Trail". The parking lot itself only holds about 15 cars, but there's lots of parking all the way down both sides of Aldeane Avenue.

Look for my Victoria Small Dog Walk and Play Group signs.
Pictures are attached.