The Cowichan Valley Trail will take you from Duncan through Lake Cowichan and down to the Kinsol Trestle following former CN and E&N railway lines. With many access points and 8 trestles, it's a beautiful trail to walk, jog or bike. From the Island Spirit Team, we hope you enjoy your time in the Cowichan Valley.
All the Island Spirit Legacy Caches are within a 2 steps of the trail, unless otherwise noted. There is no need to bushwack or trample the vegetation.
Himalayan Blackberry
The Himalayan blackberry is an invasive species brought from India. Their thick canes with large firm thorns grow up to 15 feet tall and 40 feet long. They have small white or faintly pink, five petaled flowers that when polinated turn into at first a small hard green berry that slowly turns red and then into a big black juicy berry towards the end of August. Unfortunately the invasive blackberry out-competes native vegetation that need sun for germination. Blackberry vines also twist and tangle through each other to create thickets that are impossible for people or larger wildlife to get through, causing problems in forests, parks, and yards. On the other hand, the delicious berries make a great snack while picking them for jam or jelly, blackberry pies, even to put the fresh berries over vanilla ice-cream.