Sign Up  /  Login

Raven's Nook LbNA #14709 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 24, 2005
Location:
City:Victoria
County:British Columbia, CAN
State:British Columbia, Canada
Boxes:1
Found by: TeamNorthwestPassage
Last found:Nov 6, 2005
Status:FFa
Last edited:Apr 24, 2005
The Raven's Nook is atop Mount Work, in Gowland Todd Park, between Victoria and Sidney, B.C. The hike atop Mount Work is moderately strenuous and makes a nice half-day excursion. We recommend you wear hiking boots or good runners, bring plenty of water, and a snack.

First, drive to the Mount Work Trailhead.

To get to the trailhead from VICTORIA, follow Hwy. 17 and take the Royal Oak Exit. Go over the highway overpass, turn right on West Saanich Road. Follow W. Saanich Road until just past the Red Barn Market. Make a left onto Wallace Road, then take a quick left onto Willis Point Road. Drive uphill and make a left at Ross-Durance Road (you will see a blue sign for MacKenzie Bight/Gowland Todd at the turn). The parking lot appears quickly on your self hand side. Park your vehicle.

To get to the trailhead from SIDNEY, follow Hwy. 17 and turn right onto Mount Newton Crossroad at the light. Turn left onto Wallace Drive at the 4-way stop. Continue along Wallace Drive past Benvenuto Ave. (the turnoff for Butcharts Gardens) for about another 2.5 kms. Turn right onto Willis Point Road. Drive uphill and make a left at Ross-Durance Road (you will see a blue sign for MacKenzie Bight/Gowland Todd at the turn). The parking lot appears quckly on the left hand side. Park your vehicle.

The Mount Work Trail starts by the large information board in the parking lot. Go up the trail marked "Summit" and look for yellow and orange markers along rocky sections of the trail. During the hike up (which will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on your pace) you may think you have reached the summit at different points. The actual summit is clearly marked "Summit" with a wooden plaque. When you reach the Summit marker, stop, take a breather, watch the ravens, and congratulate yourself.

To find the Raven's Nook letterbox, begin at the Summit marker. Walk for another 120 steps on the main trail, past the pond on your left, until you reach a yellow marker on the left, bolted to rock. Go another 20 steps until you reach a second yellow marker. Then take another 33 steps, until you find a more tricky-to-spot third yellow marker (it is on the back side of the rocks you are walking on). You should be able to see the fourth yellow marker from here. Take 19 more steps along the path, towards this fourth marker. Stop.

On your right you should have a great view and be able to see a small lake in the distance. Enjoy the vista, then turn 180 degrees left, and look for a faint path along a small rocky ridge. Follow this faint ridge path 70 steps. Stop. You should have just passed between two bushes and should find an arbutus tree on your right. There are a couple of sitting stones by the arbutus tree. From here, take nine steps towards the left, so that you are on the highest part of the ridge. From here, look straight ahead. You will see the pool on your left now, and should see a small rock cliff with two small arbutus trees on top. Walk 40 steps straight ahead until you stand between the pool on your left (at the spot where an arbutus and fir embrace) and the small rock cliff on your right (on top of which the two small arbutus trees stand guard).

Look within the small rock cliff for the Raven's nook, where you will find what you seek.