A section of trail that connects One Mile Lake to Nairn Falls Provincial Park was at last completed this week, and opened to the public. The crushed gravel top will be added next spring.
Called the Nairn Falls Connector, the trail is 2.6-kilometres and is part of the Sea to Sky Trail that one day will connect D'Arcy to Squamish. The section through the Resort Municipality of Whistler was also completed this year, with the final piece connecting Lost Lake Park to the Wedgemount area using sections of the Green Lake Loop. Large sections of trail from Squamish to Whistler have already been completed, although some sections do follow roads and the Highway.
The new section was built with a Local Motion grant, with matching funds from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.
"The new trail takes you through forest with some big Douglas firs," said Allison Macdonald, the open spaces coordinator for the SLRD. "The dogwood trees along the route are a highlight, when those flower in the spring it will be quite beautiful. "We also hope to see some cross-country skiers and snowshoers on it this winter.
Linking Pemberton to Whistler will be difficult, but planning is underway on new sections that will be added in the future.
"We are looking to start linking up pieces of the trail from Whistler to Pemberton," said Macdonald. "There are a couple of challenging sections which will require some planning and consultation."
For more on the Sea to Sky Trail, visit www.seatoskytrail.ca.
