Family hike Archives - Fit Natural Family

Sheringham Point Lighthouse is a heritage site located in the hamlet of Shirley about 20 minutes west of Sooke on Sooke Rd/Hwy 14. This lighthouse was first illuminated in September of 1912 and a foghorn was added in 1925. The lighthouse was automated in the 1980’s and fully de-staffed in 1989. The building is now maintained and supervised by the volunteer run Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society.

To access the lighthouse you will turn left on Sheringham Point Rd which is where the firehall is located as well as Shirley Delicious Cafe. You will continue down this road until you see a trail head marker. Park to the side and then you can follow the trail.

The trail is a short walk through a forest, and you will see the lighthouse. To access the lighthouse you will cross a private road and pass through the gates. The gates are open from 9am to 8pm daily. It is free to access the lighthouse grounds.

Be aware that bears are in the area, so best to make noise when walking this trail. The bear in the picture below was sneaking up behind a volunteer who was doing some painting on the lighthouse. We managed to scare it off some to give distance with hollering and clapping. It is good to always be aware of your surroundings when in bear habitat. This bear hung out for a while at the top of the hill eating before it eventually wandered off. We gave the bear lots of space and decided we would enjoy the views from the viewing platform until the bear wandered off.

Black bear at Sheringham Point Lighthouse

Once you walk down to the lighthouse, there is a viewing platform that you can walk out on and watch the wildlife and boats go by. You may even get lucky and see a pod of orcas swim by. While we didn’t see any orcas the day we were there we did see seals and otters playing in the water.

Once out at the lighthouse there is a short trail that is a loop that follows along the cliff edge for a short while that you can enjoy and get some different views of the lighthouse.

Do you like to visit lighthouses? Do you have a favourite lighthouse?

Sheringham Point Lighthouse pinnable image.

Mystic beach is part of the Juan De Fuca trail on Vancouver Island. This is a fun hike to with kids with lots of things to find and see on the way.

Before heading out, it is best to check trail conditions as windfall can block portions of the trail. Be prepared for mud as this hike is through coastal rainforest. The kids will think the mud is great, but it can also prove to be a bit slippery in places as well so shoes with good grip are best.

To access the Mystic Beach trail you will park in the China Beach day use area parking lot. This parking lot is accessed off of Sooke Rd also known as BC 14W. The parking lot will be on your left side approximately 5km after Jordan River when heading towards the community of Port Renfrew. You will see a sign for the China Beach campground, but continue past this and it will be the next turn off. It is about one hours drive from Victoria.

The trail to Mystic Beach is about 2km. If you plan in advance, you can also camp at Mystic beach, but you do require a backcountry permit to do so. Being that it is not a far hike, this would be a great introduction to back country camping with children.

The trail leads through the woods, with a few boardwalks as well as stairs.

Keep your eyes peeled for banana slugs and various forms of fungus growing from falls trees and on the trees themselves. My children loved seeking out all of the different fungus on our way to the beach.

A favourite part was the suspension bridge you reach at about the halfway point to Mystic Beach.

Suspension bridge on trail to Mystic Beach

Continuing on the trail enjoying the flora and fauna and searching for critters you will eventually start to hear the waves breaking on the beach as you begin to near the stairs down. The stairs are well maintained down to the beach.

Make sure you check the tide tables before heading out on the trail so that you will be able to spend time exploring at Mystic beach and to be able to walk over to see the waterfall. At the beach there is a swing we had lots of fun swinging on and it is a great spot to enjoy a picnic.

Once we had lots of fun down at the beach it was time to head back to our car. On the hike back we continued looking for plants or fungus we might have missed on the way out as well as exploring the trees.

Have you hiked to Mystic Beach? Do you have a favourite hike on Vancouver Island? Any hidden gems?

Tag: Family hike

Sheringham Point Lighthouse – Watch for bears!

Mystic Beach – a great family hike