Help save the Glen Lake Crag in Langford, a 10 acre or so parcel of land that provides some amazing amenities. Read below for more information :)

Dear Westhills,

On behalf of the residents of Westhills, Citizens of Langford, and citizens all over Victoria CRD, we would like to thank you for working with the city to donate the 38.5 acre forest off Westshore Parkway as protected lands in perpetuity. This amenity will provide residents of Langford with much needed green space to enjoy for generations and help achieve our collective goal to reduce C02 emissions related to climate change and make for a greener Langford. As the city expands forests will continue to disappear unless collaborative efforts such as this are undertaken so thank you! 

We wanted to take a moment to express our support in donating the additional 10 acres known as Glen Lake Crag. This rocky and mountainous area off Westshore Parkway near the 38.5 acres is well known to the rock climbing and hiking communities alike and we wanted to let you know what it would mean to all of us if you could facilitate its donation as well. So what does this Crag mean to rock climbers and how could it enliven and enhance both the Westhills and the City of Langford? 

-- What Glen Lake means to the rock climbing community --

The Glen Lake climbing crag is a high value area for Victoria area rock climbers, and its popularity stems largely from its quick access, and the relative ease of the climbing itself.

The nature of the rock is hard, mafic Basalt, and most of the climbing surfaces, called ‘pitches’ or ‘routes’, are South-East facing, making the crag very quick drying after rain. This makes it possible to climb nearly year-round – folks climb here on sunny days through the winter. Quick drying rock alone can make a crag popular, but this area has other advantages.

Hiking in to a climbing area – called ‘the approach’ – is a familiar precursor to most outdoor climbing, and can vary from ten minutes to over an hour. Good climbing is worth hiking in for.

Glen Lake however, sports just a five minute approach, which affords many a “quick climb after work” as is common there, from folks as far away as Sooke. This can be important to aspiring climbers in developing and maintaining strength and abilities – quick access means availability of more regular workouts.

It is also an ‘easy’ area, and is well suited for beginner and mid-level climbers. Although difficult routes are also much sought after, easier routes are always in the highest demand. This crag offers some of the highest concentration of short, ‘easy’ climbs in the Victoria area.

The area also has an aesthetic appeal, and with the exception of the road just below it, the area feels like a park, backing onto hiking trails on craggy, open hilltops behind. There is steady usage from hikers and dog-walkers from the local community who are often seen hiking the hilltops above the crags.

Glen Lake climbing area is a major asset to Victoria area climbers, and is absolutely worth saving so please sign this expression of interest and support, please share and please do what you can to save this Crag for us all to enjoy.