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Tin Can Alley Walk

GaLLT Walk — Tin Can Alley connector loop to 707-acre Park (3–5 km)

Park at Rollo Seniors Centre on North Road, across from the Gabriola Elementary School. Rollo provides seniors activities. It’s also the Gabriola Emergency Centre for the north of the island. Turn right along North Road—the farm alpacas will come to chat, especially if you offer grass. Continue to Tin Can Alley. On your right at the side of North Road is Post #1 at the trailhead leading to 707-acre Park. The map on the post shows all the trails in the 707-acre Park, with a ‘you are here’ red marker. (To orient yourself, remember North is ‘up’ on the map, which is behind you, up Tin Can Alley.)

Follow Tin Can Alley Trail toward 707-acre Park until you see Post #2, at the junction with the Tansy Road allowance.  Ignore the cross trail and stay on the Tin Can Alley Trail. When you break out of the tree cover into 707-acre Park, the trail goes left, and meanders a bit, eventually going up the hill to a junction and Post #3, again with a map on top. One option here is to retrace your steps back to North Road.

To make a big loop, at Post #3 take the Erratic Trail, which goes to the right. (Confusingly, Tin Can Alley Trail goes to the left here, and a loop trail goes hard left.) Keep right. Eventually you get to Post #5, with a map on top. This is the Old Centre Road Trail, much used by early residents. Turn right for a short walk to Post #4, at the edge of the park. Eventually this private road will be closed and a new licensed trail marked, but in the meantime it leads out to South Road, diverting around a big fallen fir tree. Turn right, and then right again onto Dogwood Road, and again onto Redwood Road. At the end of Redwood, detour left down a short driveway to the Commons Garden Allotment. To the right a short distance is a cedar walkway (winter rains turn the area into a flood plain). When the walkway divides, go to the right, and then left up the trail back to your car!