Glenora Trails Head to Shawnigan Lake

Shawnigan Lake, BC

The Trip

This is a delightful trip starting mid-morning, lunch at The LakeHouse at Shawnigan Lake, perhaps a swim in the lake, and the ride back.  If you have time after the ride, there are a few wineries in the neighbourhood to keep you amused.

Drive to Glenora Trails Head Park located on Robertson Road, Duncan, 

48.75735995502615, -123.79309126712137 if your GPS can't find it by name.

Start your ride by coming out of the park gate and turning left on Cowichan Valley Trail.  Ride south for approximately 13k and turn left on Renfrew Road.  It's about 4k to the LakeHouse at Shawnigan restaurant.  The return trip is the same route back, about 17k each way.

Cowichan Trail is mostly hard packed pea gravel or dirt and is basically flat - it was originally a railroad line afterall.  There is a bumpy section in the middle, but it doesn't last long.  It is treed for some shade along the way and a very pleasant ride.

Renfrew Road is paved with typically light traffic.

A couple of kilometers north of Renfrew Road, you'll come to the Kinsole Trestle, which is worth the trip in its own right.

It is one of the tallest free-standing and most spectacular timber rail trestle structures in the world.  Here is a link to learn more about it.

The LakeHouse at Shawnigan restaurant is lovely.  Beautifully situated above the lake front, it is nicely decorated and furnished.  The menu is not extensive, but the food is creative and very good.

Map - Full Route

The map below is a Google "My Maps" embedded document and you can double click on it and expand it to see it better on either your computer or smart phone.  It shows the trip down but not back, because it's the same route.

If you'd like to download the .gpx file to use instead, click on this link: Lunch at the LakeHouse at Shawnigan Lake. 

Elevation Profile

The profile looks quite violent but note that its range is only 160 meters.  Renfrew Road is hilly but Cowichan Valley Trail only has mild grades.  The trip home is a little easier because of that.