NPT - Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail Traditional Cache
NPT - Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The New Parks and Trails (NPT) series highlights the new parks and trails of southern Vancouver Island. These recreational resources provide access to areas of our communities that were previously-inaccessible or breathe new life into former jewels so new generations can experience and enjoy them.
The closest trailheads are where the trail crosses Goldstream Heights Drive or Trail Way. You do not need to leave the trail to find the cache and dogs should be kept on-leash.
On July 29, 1985, a group of teenage cyclists was struck by a distracted driver on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada Highway 20 kilometres west of Calgary, killing three and injuring six. A witness to the incident, Bill Pratt, president of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics organizing committee, resolved to create a safe trail system for non-motorized activities. In 1992, as part of the Canada 125 celebrations, the Trans Canada Trail Foundation was formed with Pratt as president with the goal of creating a trail network spanning Canada by July 1, 2000.
The trail was originally envisioned to be a wide pair of parallel trails designed to accommodate many methods of non-motorized transportation, separated from motorized roadways by enough distance to mask traffic noise and reduce the chance of collisions. However, as the years went by and challenges mounted, the completion date was pushed back to July 1, 2017 and the original goals were forgotten. While the trail was officially described as completed in 2017, the reality is that an estimated 35-50% of the "trail" is actually on the shoulder of roadways and 30% is made up of "water routes" which can only be traversed by watercraft. Many portions of the land trail are also open to ATV use, leading to trail damage and conflict between trail users. Most unfortunately, the trail in the area of the 1985 Alberta tragedy is routed along a major highway and is no safer than it was more than 30 years ago.
While many of the original goals of the Trans Canada Trail (redubbed The Great Trail in 2016) have been missed, the program still triggered the creation of various segments of local and regional trail that are enjoyed by many. One of these is the Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail. The connection between the CRD and CVRD was originally planned to route along the former CN rail corridor from the end of the Galloping Goose Trail at Leechtown to the south end of Shawnigan Lake, but this route became unusable when the Sooke Lake reservoir was raised in 1999 and covered the railbed. A new route over the Malahat was identified in 2000 and planning began, but a lack of funding meant construction couldn't begin.
After funding was finally acquired, construction of the CRD section of the trail began in the summer of 2016. The 13-kilometre trail opened on June 23, 2017, connecting Humpback Road in Langford with the south end of the CVRD's newly-extended Cowichan Valley Trail on Goldstream Ridge. The trail splits near the summit, where cyclists and horse riders are routed along roads, but hikers can use a rough 1.1-kilometre trail over the top. This cache is hidden at the highest point of the hiking trail, which is also the highest point on the Vancouver Island section of the Trans Canada Trail. At an elevation of 470 metres, there's a very different ecosystem at the summit than at the south end near the Goldstream River. While the low points of the trail are dominated by Douglas fir, western redcedar, and ferns, the vegetation at the summit consists of pine trees and hairy manzanita, with a small patch of Columbia lilies around GZ that can be seen blooming in June. The highest sections of the trail receive snow in the winter, so trail-users should ensure both themselves and their vehicle are appropriately prepared for the conditions.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ghpxrq oruvaq ybt ba rqtr bs genvy, haqre n unvel znamnavgn ohfu. Lbh qba'g arrq gb yrnir gur genvy.