Malahat, British Columbia

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Malahat or The Malahat refers to an unincorporated district, region, highway, and First Nations tribe located on the western side of Saanich Inlet on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

1 Unincorporated district
2 Highway and region
3 First Nations tribe
4 External links

[edit] Unincorporated district

Malahat is an unincorporated district of the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The locality has no community nexus. Rather, there are a small number of scattered commercial establishments mainly catering to drivers travelling along Highway 1. A steep and rugged terrain precludes any significant residential development (although new subdivisions have been or are being built around the northern end of the area around the old Bamberton cement works). Most area residents live in isolated homes located off the highway. In this context "Malahat" primarily refers to the Canada Post delivery district.

[edit] Highway and region

The Malahat is the term commonly applied to the Malahat Drive (or, as it is more frequently known locally, "The Malahat Highway") — a 25 km portion of Highway 1 running along the west side of Saanich Inlet — and to the region surrounding it. The Malahat begins in Goldstream Provincial Park, just north of Langford, and takes a famously winding and steep route over the 352 m Malahat Summit to end just south of Mill Bay. The only major, paved route to the rest of Vancouver Island, the Malahat began as a single-lane gravel logging road, hugging the steep cliffs above Saanich Inlet. Even after becoming a major thoroughfare, its sharp and abrupt curves, and winding descent made the road notorious for traffic accidents. In recent decades, the highway has been greatly improved, widened, and straitened. The route is also famous for its scenic vistas of the Saanich Peninsula and Saltspring Island, and a number of rest stops have been developed to allow travellers to stop and enjoy the views. Off the highway, the Malahat area consists of rugged, steep slopes of largely second growth forest. Douglas-fir, arbutus, hemlock, western red cedar, and manzanita predominate.

[edit] First Nations tribe

The Malahat First Nation is a Halkomelem speaking tribe of Coast Salish who trace their origins to the area along the west coast of the Saanich Inlet. It is from them that the area and the highway derive their name.