Jeanine Place Green Space

Jeanine Place Green Space is a nature area in the Mill Hill neighborhood of Langford, B.C. This green space is a linear half an hectare area that protects the riparian zone of Mill Stream. There is limited access along its steep forested slopes. Cedarvale Park is immediately upstream and has several picnic tables along the footpath through it. Jeanine Park and Selwyn Cedarvale Green Space are nearby.

Geographic location N48° 27’26” W123° 29’ 12”

Jeanine Place Green Space can be reached from the Trans Canada Highway also called Hwy1. Turn at Veteran Memorial Parkway/Millstream Road and turn south. Take the first left onto Strandlund Avenue and continue to the left to stay on Strandlund Avenue. Follow the roadway then turn right onto Selwyn Road. Take the first left onto Mill Hill Road and then another left after crossing over the small bridge over Mill Stream. The green space extends along the right side of Jeanine Place where there is roadside parking.

Cressida Park

Cressida Park is in the Goldstream neighborhood of Langford, B.C. At nearly half a hectare, the park has small grass covered area that surrounds a concrete pathway around the playground equipment. The playground is set in a pea gravel base. A roundabout is found here and can be useful to teach children about G-forces. There are a couple of regular swings and a tire swing. The play set is a wooden series of boardwalks to a low platform. This park is shaded by big leaf maple trees to the south and the heritage Douglas fir trees to the east. The rows of Douglas fir trees, eighty six trees in total, were planted in during the late eighteen hundreds along what is now Humpback Road. Parallel rows of trees were planted to welcome patrons to the Goldstream Hotel, first built in eighteen eight six, which had a boardwalk that connected the hotel to the railway line. Cressida Park borders along the E&N Railway, which is proposed as a section of the Trans Canada Trail. Gold Stream Provincial Park, Harlequin Park, Mt Wells Regional Park, Harlequin Park, Goldstream Meadows Park, Langford Lake Park and several green spaces are nearby.

Geographic location N48° 27’19” W123°33’11”

Cressida Park can be reached from the Trans Canada Highway also called Hwy1. Turn at the West Shore Parkway and make a right onto Amy Road to pass the gas station. Continue along Amy Road which merges with Sooke Lake Road. Turn left onto Humpback Road and look for the park to the right at 2900 Humpback Road. Cressida Park can be reached from Cressida Crescent between 2919 and 2917. There is limited roadside parking both areas.

Setchfield Park

This post is updated here.

Setchfield Park

 

Hansen Park

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Hansen Park

Mill Hill Regional Park

Mill Hill stands two hundred and two meters above sea level and lies within the parkland called Mill Hill Regional Park in View Royal, B.C. As a regional park since nineteen eighty, this park is kept by the Capital Regional District which has a large fenced yard with several maintenance buildings within the parkland. The main parking area and trails are in Langford, B.C., where the partially paved trail (an old fire road), called Auburn Trail, leads to the top of the hill. There are toilets and picnic tables near this parking area. The Auburn Trail skirts the south and western slopes. The east side of the park is within View Royal and is bordered by Edwards Park and several private properties. This northeastern slope of Mill Hill is accessed using Calypso Trail. The Calypso Trail, about two kilometer trail long, is a rough pathway along Hwy1 and becomes a woodland trail as it climbs to the summit to connect with Auburn Trail. Douglas fir, arbutus, western red cedar and garry oak trees are seen along the trail. Near the summit are several shallow wetlands, moss covered rocks and small meadow areas where big-leaf maple, red alder are seen. Salal, Oregon grape and other small shrubs are seen in the park. Near the junction of the two trails are the concrete foundation blocks of the nineteen fifty eight fire lookout tower. A rock cairn with brass direction location lines on its surface lies near the concrete blocks. Calypso Trail then continues to the parking lot down a steep section on the eastern side of the hill. The park has several ecosystems along its slopes although most have been modified over the past hundred years to meet the needs of the area. Along the lower northeastern section of the Calypso Trail, beside Hwy1, pick some Himalayan blackberries in the late summer. A stroll along the forested section of this trail, in the springtime, reveals the small wildflowers like camas, white fawn lilies and fairyslippers (Calypso bulbosa), the namesake of this trail. A visit to this seventy-one hectare parkland is worthwhile and easily explored as a walk in your backyard.

Geographical location N48° 27’ 10” W123° 28’ 55” parking lot

Mill Hill Regional Park can be accessed from the Trans Canada Highway, Hwy1, and is located at 490 Atkins Road. Exit from Hwy1 to reach the Island Highway and turn right onto Six Mile Road. Continue along Six Mile Road just after the Galloping Goose Trail overpass, turn left onto Atkins Road. The park entrance on the right is on the right and is along a curve of the road in this quiet urban neighborhood. A second road to the right provides access to the maintenance buildings that are within the chain-link fenced area of the park. A large paved parking area is near the park buildings while a much larger gravel area is within the fenced area. City buses travel along Atkins Road.

There are several documents on the ecosystems within Mill Hill Regional Park.

Highlands Road Green Space

This green space is the road-right-of-way of a closed section of Highlands Road in View Royal, B. C. This eight hundred meter long roadway curves north from the junction with Barker Road. Many maps show Highland Road continuing another kilometer to Munn Road, although Highland Road Ranch has signs posted to discourage access. The closed gravel roadway passes beside large acreages with wire fencing protecting beautiful moss covered trees and rocks. There are several large Douglas fir trees as well as big leaf maples along the roadside. This is an easy walk with low hills to stride along and is a terrific place to walk in your backyard. This green space is beside the trailhead for the Panhandle Trail of Thetis Lake Park and close to Westoby Road Green Space.

 

Geographic location N48° W28’ 55” 123° 27’ 47”

 

Highlands Road Green Space can be reached from the Trans Canada Highway or Hwy 1. Turn off at Exit 10 to reach Burnside Road West. Stay right as the road branches toward the junction with Watkiss Way. Turn left onto Watkiss Way and then right onto Highland Road. Follow Highland Road as it narrows when it enters Thetis Lake Regional Park. The road has several curves around the trees and rocks to reach Barker Road. The Thetis Lake Regional Park -Panhandle Trail trailhead is near the junction of Barker Road with Highland Road. There is limited parking along the roadways although there is a small parking area at the trailhead. City buses travel to the junction of Highland Road and Watkiss Way.

Glenlyon Norfolk School Green Space

While Glenlyon Norfolk School Green Space has limited access it is does have some terrific outdoor spaces to enjoy. Located in the quiet residential neighborhood of Rockland in Victoria, BC, this collection of buildings for the senior students is called the Pemberton Woods Campus; there are a couple of big leaf maple and Garry oak trees. Along Richmond Road is an artificial turf marked for soccer and rugby that is frequented by sports teams from around South Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland area of Vancouver. There is a wonderful playground at the end of Bank Street that has a variety of climbing apparatus and platforms combined with slides and monkey bars. There are climbing spirals, arches and ladders set on a woodchip base. Next to the playground is a basketball court and just past that is small grass covered area. A large horse chestnut tree shades most of the grassy area which has a perimeter of cedar hedge trees. A concrete pathway connects Bank and Maddison streets. This area has limited access at all times. Wilmer Green is about a block north along Maddison Street. Pemberton Park is about the same distance south.

Geographic coordinates N48° 25′ 14” W123° 19′ 46″ along Maddison Street

Glenlyon Norfolk School Green Space can be reached from Blanchard Street. Turn east onto Fort Street and continue on Oak Bay Avenue. Turn left onto Richmond Road and at the y-shaped intersection turn right onto Quamichan Street. Turn right onto Bank Street or continue to Maddison Street then turn right. There is limited parking along either of these two streets. There is small parking area off of Maddison Street.