February 22, 2026
~ submitted by Julianna Wells
Gowlland Tod Park is a beautiful South Island area with a myriad of trails. The green moss, beautiful arbutus trees, view-point hills and bluffs make it a favorite place to explore, get lost, and find your way back in.
Our plan was to start at the Emma Dickson trailhead along Millstream road, then make our way out to Jocelyn Hill and back along various trails in a leisurely loop hike around 8kms long. Although rain gear and pack covers were in the forecast, the warm February temperatures had everyone out in smiles for the day.
Our group met at 10am and went through the usual trailhead meet and greet and info, then started off up the trail with a very light on and off drizzle keeping us cool on the climb up to the ridge. By 10:45 we were on the bluffs with our first views of Finlayson Arm and… a rainbow! This was followed by rapidly clearing skies, un-layering of raingear, and ever-growing smiles in the group.
We made our way along the bluffs on the Jocelyn Hill trail to Jocelyn Hill, and found a lovely spot for our lunch break up on some bluffs where we could enjoy the sun. After a refreshing break, we made our way to the Timberman Trail, and once there, decided we would take an extra side trip to the Squally Reach viewpoint a kilometre or so further up the trail.
The views at Squally Reach did not disappoint but did help us see the approaching weather system which eventually convinced us to start heading back to the cars. We opted to take the more direct route via the Timberman Trail to the Lower Jocelyn Loop, then to John’s Bump back to the Emma Dickson Trail and the waiting cars.
Thanks so much to everyone who came out for this hike. It was a fantastic group to take on this wander through the trails, with several of us taking turns leading the way. Our total distance, according to Garmin, was 9.68kms with a total ascent of 513m over 5 hours.
