A proposed Sea to Sky trail is bringing Howe Sound corridor communities together like never before. The plan to link three municipalities via one 150 km long trail is expected to be a boon to the entire corridor economically and socially.
Squamish's Oceanfront Development land will mark Mile 0 of the proposed trail project, which also involves Whistler, Pemberton and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD).
樱桃视频residents Ross Kirkwood and Mike Manheim initiated the project in 1992 building parts of the trail between Cal-Cheak and Brandywine, but the project faded from lack of support. Whistler councillor Gordon McKeever revived the project and began soliciting neighbouring municipalities' and the SLRD's support over a year ago. The SLRD soon began spearheading the project and has partnered with the municipalities of 樱桃视频and Whistler to fund the $20,000 cost of hiring a consultant who can draft a trail master plan, some of which will link currently existing trails.
"The purpose of the master plan is to assess the feasibility of the trail and to guide its implementation if a decision is made to proceed with construction," states the SLRD website. SLRD Planner Willie Macrae said the plan will also make raising the anticipated $3 million cost of the project a little easier.
"Ideally we'll have sponsorship from company X," he said, "and people have to get the idea that it's a high quality trail."
The regional trail, stretching from 樱桃视频to D'Arcy, is envisioned as a multi-use recreational trail for cyclists, pedestrians, equestrians and cross country skiers. It's meant to be a flowing, non-technical mountain bike ride over a 1 to 2 metre wide gravel trail. The first phase will be to develop the trail from Oceanfront Park through Paradise Valley ending in downtown Pemberton, said 樱桃视频councillor and member of the Sea to Sky trail committee Ray Peters. "It's quite ambitious," said Peters adding that the trail may cross boundaries that include the Ministry of Transportation, First Nations, Crown land, private land and railways.
The trail committee will choose from a list of interested consultants this week and expects to have a trail master plan drafted by late August.
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