emailMount Work Regional Park
Learning Centre
Natural History
Mount Work Then and Now
Over 385 million years ago, volcanic lava flowed over Vancouver Island, building Mount Work — along with the rest of the island. Much later, glacial ice sheets over a kilometre thick shaped the surrounding landscape into valleys and the Saanich Inlet. However, the tough, erosion-resistant rock of Mount Work survived as a residual hill called a monadnock. You can see evidence of this powerful glacial scouring in the scrapes and skid marks left on the exposed rock outcrops. Following the receding ice flows, lush forests quickly covered the mountains and surrounding area and a wide variety of wildlife moved in.
As you enter Mount Work at the main parking lot, you are surrounded by a dense mixed forest of Douglas-fir, western red cedar, alder and maple. Springboard-notched stumps and fire scars dating back several decades illustrate the park's "working forest" history. Seedlings sprout up among the swordfern and salal, working their magic in forest regeneration.
This forest, in the park's lowlands, is lush, cool and damp all year. The soil is rich, collecting hilltop runoff water fortified with the decaying matter from past generations of plant life. Moss-covered stumps and downed trees provide homes for bracket fungi. Western red-backed salamanders, banded snails and banana slugs also find comfortable hiding places here. Oregon grape — with its holly-like leaves — and oceanspray appear as you travel along the winding trail. You may see forest birds, red squirrels, white-footed mice or even Columbia black-tailed deer.
As the trail begins to climb, the soil becomes drier and the forest thins noticeably. Arbutus trees with upward-curving trunks sprout from the hillside. Spring brings patches of wildflowers, such as fawn lily and shooting star, to the rock face. The trail follows a natural course over rocky outcrops. Take care here, especially in wet weather. Near the summit, listen for the croa-a-ak of the Pacific tree frog. Hairy manzanita and kinnikinnick edge the trail, and a few Garry oaks stand in solemn vigil. Along the upper reaches of the trail, enjoy stunning views of the surrounding valleys, the Malahat, Saanich Peninsula and Olympic Mountains. You may even see ravens soaring in the updrafts.
Cultural History
Aboriginal peoples visited the Mount Work area seasonally from their homes on the Saanich Peninsula. They hunted game, gathered roots, bulbs and berries, and collected abundant cedar for carving, and constructing baskets, planks and canoes. They prized the hard wood of oceanspray and yew trees for building tools, and Oregon grape for making dyes. In 1851, European settlers arrived and the entire region was purchased as part of the Fort Victoria Treaty.
Mount Work was named after John Wark, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company and member of the legislative assembly. The company later anglicized Wark to "Work." Local residents used the area for sheep grazing and selectively logged the valleys and slopes as recently as the early 1970s.
In 1969, the Capital Regional District (CRD) acquired the lands that are now Mount Work Regional Park.
