The
old
Todd Creek Trestle, Galloping
Goose Trail (photo
courtesy Jackie Moss). |
Southern
Vancouver Island is a picturesque
and pleasant place for a bicycling
holiday. A combination of urban neighborhoods,
farmland and untamed wilderness, the
area offers several excellent trails
for extended riding. The big three
are the Galloping Goose, the
Lochside Trail and the Cowichan
Valley Trail. Combined, these
trails offer up over 150 kilometers
of riding in truly beautiful countryside.
About
The Trails
All three trails are former sections
of the Canadian National Railway.
The Goose runs 55 kilometers
northwest from Beacon Hill (a park
on Victoria's Inner harbor & Kilometer
0 on the Trans Canada Trail)
to Leechtown, an abandoned gold mining
community in the forested interior.
Along the way, the Goose passes urban
neighborhoods, farmland, quiet coves,
marsh, still lakes and the deep, deep,
polished rock pools of the Sooke
Potholes. The Lochside Trail
also starts in Victoria; it's a spur
of the Goose that heads north from
the Switch Bridge, running 29km up
the Saanich Peninsula to Swartz Bay.
This trail passes urban areas, farmland
and offers spectacular ocean vistas;
it runs near Victoria's airport, the
ferry landing in Sidney to the US
and B.C.
Ferries' Swartz Bay ferry terminal
to the Canadian mainland. The Cowichan
Valley Trail is the most secluded;
it is only partially complete but
traverses spectacular scenery including
raging rivers, the world's longest/highest
wooden railroad trestle (the Kinsol),
forests containing some of the world's
tallest trees, temperate moss-shrouded
rainforests and more. Inquire locally
before attempting the Cowichan.
Getting
There
From the USA, your best bet is
to fly into SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma
Airport; code SEA). From SeaTac, ride
the #194 bus downtown to the International
Distict Tunnel Station. Take the escalator
to steet level then transfer to the
#99 Waterfront Trolley to Pier 69.
At the Pier, take the Victoria
Clipper seasonal passenger ferry
directly to Victoria, British Columbia,
Canada. Transit time from Seattle's
Pier 69 to Victoria is about 3 hours
but arrive early so you don't miss
the boat. Round trip internet fares
for the ferry start from $75 US.
Alternately, there are other ferries
with regular service from Vancouver
Island to Vancouver, Anacortes,
Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington.
Bike
Trail Lodging
To fully enjoy the natural beauty
of this region, it will be necessary
to stay for a minimum of at least
a few days. Getting to Vancouver Island
typically requires a flight and a
ferry ride so it may be wise to stay
in either Anacortes, Port Angeles,
Seattle or Vancouver at the beginning
or end of your stay on Vancouver Island
so you make your connection home.
Descriptive info about lodging
in these cities as well as on Vancouver
island can be found here.
More Info...
Here are more sites that will help
you plan your journey to British Columbia:
GallopingGooseTrail.com:
Unofficial site for the Galloping
Goose but has great info
Capital
Regional District Parks: Official
site for the Galloping Goose &
Lochside Trails
Greater
Victoria Cycling Coalition:
Timely, local cycling info
Cycling
Vancouver Island: Wide variety
of useful planning info for a local
cycle trip
Kelly
Koome's 2001 TCT Trip Report For Vancouver
Island, BC
Explore
Vancouver Island's Cowichan Valley
Trail info
Cycling
BC's Trans Canada Trail: Maps,
photos & trail descriptions
Alternate
Cycle Tour Routes in Saanich
(a Victoria suburb) on Vancouver Island
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