Witty Beach Road Trail Closure

Two large Douglas-fir trees greet visitors to the parking lot at the end
of Witty Beach Road in Metchosin, BC.

Following the short, but scenic Witty Beach Road in the rural Vancouver Island community of Metchosin, takes you to a small parking lot by the ocean. For most people the beach is the destination, and a beautiful one it is, but there are other attractions.


While beach access from this spot has been restricted recently by a closed set of crumbling stairs, my favourite features remain - two large, old Douglas-fir that dominate the area.

Witty Beach can still be accessed via the main parking lot
 at Witty's Lagoon Regional Park.

Access stairs in better times. The steep slope they were
anchored on is unstable.

There are not many big Douglas-fir left, let alone ones you
can drive right up to like these.

Officials are uncertain as to when the beach access at Witty Beach Road will reopen. For the time being it is worth a drive to visit the trees before going to the main parking lot down the road to access the beach.

Witty's Lagoon Beach Douglas-fir Twin Giants

I made my first visit to Witty's Lagoon Beach last week and was not disappointed. This diverse park in Metchosin contains Douglas-fir forest, rocky head lands, and sandy drift-log strewn beaches with herons fishing in the surf. The park has three different access points. I used Witty Beach Road, and to my delight found two large old growth survivors at the end of the road.









I was exploring and looking to do some beach combing when I turned off Metchosin Road and idled slowly along Witty Beach Road. This narrow country path passes through meadows of grass interspersed with stands of tall forest. It ends at a parking lot and trail to a set of stairs (this, too, is an impressive structure made of wood) down to the sand. But before you go down, check out the two huge Douglas firs. They are hard to miss.








Forward thinking planners and road builders of the past decided to spare these amazing, centuries old trees. Now they look quite out of place, with roots covered by road. The two trees are out of proportion compared to the surrounding forest, or small, fast moving objects like people and cars.




It may not be worth making the 25 minute drive from Victoria to see the trees alone, but as a start to a day on the beach, or if you are in the area anyway, it is recommended.







Look upon the fat trunks and wrinkled bark. Gaze up at their great height. Put your back against these columns and feel the wisdom, patience, and slow motion pace of ancient trees. And watch out for fast moving objects.














How To Get There


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Drive west from Victoria on Highway 1 west. Take the Colwood exit (exit 10) and follow Sooke Road to Metchosin Road. Turn left. To reach Witty's Beach, go past the main park entrance, and continue on to Witty's Beach Road. Turn left and follow the road to the end where there is a small parking lot. You can also take the 54 Metchosin or 55 Happy Valley bus from Victoria.