Juniper Point Trail Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Lighthouse Park is my favourite place to visit when I need to get a little bit closer to nature.
Instead of following the crowd by heading down Beacon Lane Trail to the Point Atkinson Lighthouse, follow your GPS as it takes down the trail less traveled – Juniper Point Trail.
The trail starts off as Juniper Loop, which has 2 trailheads. Most dog owners seem to prefer the northernmost route which is nearest the park gates, and it is the gentler, but muddier, walk (probably 2 stars). The southern trail starts beside the first information kiosk (not the one at the top of the parking lot), where you can usually pick up a trail map. This is a shorter, more direct route.
As you head along either trail, you will walk amongst old growth trees that might have been just young seedlings when Capt. George Vancouver gave this area its name. Here and there you may notice what's left of some old logs that had been carved into benches, now rotting away to enrich the soil. Be careful to avoid any sensitive areas set aside for reclamation. In this busy, popular hiking spot, friends of the park are working hard to assist native vegetation to re-establish itself in the forest.
If you come here after exploring other parts of the park, you can take either Shore Pine or Seven Sisters Trail to meet up with Juniper Loop.
The main Juniper Point Trail junction marks the beginning of the steeper and rockier section of this hike. You'll soon understand why I gave it the 3-star rating. As you approach Juniper Point, the trail becomes flat again and you can stroll across the rock outcropping to enjoy the view. This area is a serene oasis where I often come to just sit & think for a while. It's also a great spot for lunch, or maybe just a snack, but please remember to CITO when you are done.
You might catch a glimpse of rock climbers nearby as these rugged rock faces make Juniper Point a popular spot for climbers to fine-tune their techniques.
There are several beautiful Arbutus trees here (Arbutus menziesii). This hardy old soul with its papery bark and gnarled limbs is Canada's only native broadleaved evergreen tree, but its future has become endangered by Man's encroachment, weather changes, and an invasive fungus. Please treat these trees with the respect they deserve. Coastal Aboriginal legend says the roots of the Arbutus hold the Earth together, so if the last specimen was to die off, we would find ourselves flung into space as the world falls apart.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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