red cedar (Thuja plicata), whereas almost all other spots contain 2nd growth or less. The tree species in the park include: western red cedar, coast douglas-fir, red alder, one shore pine, grand fir, arbutus, garry oak, some western hemlock (most abundant off the valley mist trail), bigleaf maple, the occasional pacific yew, some small black cottonwood, and shrub-like pacific serviceberry, cherries (genus Prunus), and a few willows (genus Salix). The higher up the mountain, the trees change from a cedar-fir habitat to an oak-arbutus-fir forest. The park also contains rare native wildflowers, the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and the increasingly endangered Garry oak (Quercus garryana var. garryana). The tallest tree, a Douglas-fir just off the Valley Mist trail is an impressive 70.9 m tall, and is the tallest tree in the municipality of North Saanich (the runner up is 69.9 m tall, very close by.) 73% of Vancouver Island's productive old-growth forests have been logged, 87% on southern Vancouver Island, and 99% of the coastal douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone (see biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia.) This species of douglas-fir, is currently the second tallest tree in Canada (93.27 metres, after a 96-metre Sitka spruce, the Carmanah Giant.) The Douglas-fir, at a record height of 126.5 m, used to be the second tallest tree in the world, taller than the redwoods, only exceeded by the mountain ash of Australia, at a record height of 150 m. The trees in the park, though, in no way set a record when compared to the giants of the wetter, better tree growing habitat of the west side of Vancouver Island, but are parts of the endangered dry old-growth douglas-fir habitat, of which only 1% remains since the onset of the industrial age. Facilities There are approximately 6 km of well-marked hiking trails maintained by an organization of local citizens called the Friends of John Dean Park. The terrain is hilly, but does not demand hiking gear in dry conditions, which prevail in the late spring and summer. There are several lookout areas along these trails where hikers can get views of the Saanich Peninsula and the Saanich Inlet. The park's main entrance is closed to vehicle traffic from November to March. The off season is persistently wet and overcast, though the rain is often mild; if the temperature dips, heavy snowfall is not unusual in December and January. References External links Provincial parks of British