Aberdeen Country Park

Aberdeen Country Park

Think of a long walk in a massive open-air spa. If you entertain thoughts of walking as some form of meditation, say your ohms on this trail of mostly shaded paths across forests that offer charming surprises here and there. It’s a considerably long hike that’s flat and gently downhill for the most part, a quiet walk often interrupted by a duet of chirping birds and the sound of water gurgling over rocks in streams and waterfalls.

Take a moment of total silence to absorb the vibe at the early part of the trail as you leave Peel Rise after the first climb. It’s a few hundred meters along a flat catch water. You get the feel of walking under a tree tunnel, inside a painting — soothingly quiet, a senior or two are practicing tai chi.

A few old stone bridges punctuate the walk in some parts. They’re not engineering marvels, but they hold their own charm as they blend effortlessly among the trees and streams and tiny waterfalls. This walk is zen almost throughout, except at the trail’s end where you can opt for an adventurous detour along the river valley, hopping your way over boulders.

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DIRECTIONS

Get to the start:

  1. Starting in Aberdeen, walk up the main road from the bus station up to Reservoir Road and then farther up to Peel Rise where you turn left past the school.
  2. Pass the cemetery to the gate at the catch water where you turn left and follow the road until you see the sign for Hong Kong Trail Section 3.
  3. Turn right away from the catch water following Peel Rise up the hill along the Hong Kong Trail until you reach a picnic area on your left and a right turn for the Hong Kong Trail. Turn here and start a long contour walk through the forest.
  4. Follow signs for the Hong Kong Trail down to the road in Aberdeen Country Park. Turn left here across the bridge and then look immediately for signs to Hong Kong Trail Section 4 to your right on the other side of the bridge.
  5. Continue along Section 4 of the Hong Kong Trail until you reach a catch water at the end of some steps. The Hong Kong Trail goes left here, but you need to turn right following the catch water.
  6. The trail loops around to the Aberdeen Lower Reservoir where you cross the dam and then look for a path down to the bottom of the dam on the far side or continue through the park and down Reservoir Road to Aberdeen.
  7. If you have descended to the bottom of the dam, then follow the river back down to Aberdeen passing a small waterfall before you spill out onto the main road.

GALLERY