1. Baden Powell Trail (Lawson Creek section) in West Vancouver, Phases 1 through 5 (2020—2024)
The B.C. Mountaineering Club proposed a project to restore a two-kilometer section of the Baden Powell Trail in West Vancouver. The project was presented to West Vancouver Parks in 2019 and approved in 2020. The project parallels Lawson Creek in the West Vancouver Upper Lands to the Cypress Provincial Park boundary on Hollyburn Ridge.
The work is to (1) Improve and provide drainage channels. (2) Provide wooden or rock steps. (3) Replace or rehabilitate footbridges. The work will be completed over several years as funding becomes available. There is the opportunity to use volunteers, contractors and municipal resources.
Baden Powell work accomplished to date
A total of $54,828 has been funded to the project to the end of 2024.
Phase 1: $9,450 (completed 2020). Restoration using a mechanical excavator of 300 meters of trail including ditching, step construction, swale construction, trail bed rehabilitation.
Phase 2: $9,977 (completed 2021). Restoration using a mechanical excavator of 300 meters of trail including ditching, step construction, swale construction, trail bed rehabilitation. A culvert was replaced with a larger diameter. Volunteers brought in gravel and filled in a muddy section.
Phase 3: $17,519 (completed 2022). Restoration using a skilled crew of 400 meters of trail including trail bed restoration, construction of log and stone steps, replacement of rotted planks on a footbridge.
Phase 4: $17,833 (completed 2023). Replacement of two footbridges at the top end of the project.
Phase 5: $12,000 (completed 2024). We rehabilitated approximately 500m of the Baden Powell trail just south of Blue Genetian lake. The work included improved drainage channels, importing gravel, relocation of dirt and relocation of rocks to build up the trail base.
West Vancouver Foundation has provided project funding since 2021, contributing a total of $46,450 to date. Other notable contributions: GMR Foundation ($5,000), Estate of David Smail ($5,000), B.C. Mountaineering Club ($3,456).
Click on the Following Link to download PDF brochure of work done in 2020: BCMF Baden Powell Update Project
The B.C. Mountaineering Club has a vision to complete a hiking trail between Lonsdale Quay and Squamish. The Lawson Creek section of the Baden Powell Trail is part of this visionary trail.
2. Demon #3 culvert rehab, Demon #4 footbridge (2020-2021)—Watersprite Lake Trail, Squamish
In 2020, the BCMF restored a culvert at Demon #3 on the Watersprite Lake Trail with funding from Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. The culvert was blocked by a debris torrent and caused the creek to overflow and washout the trail for about 200 meters. The trail section that was washed out was also significantly restored.
Budget: $15,000—Completed October 2020 under budget.
Funding sources: $10,000 by the SLRD and $5,000 from the public including $2,000 from Valhalla Pure Outfitters in Squamish
In 2021, the regional district provided funding in the amount of $4,500 to place a footbridge across Demon Creek at the crossing known as Demon #4.
Project cost: $4,500—Completed August 2021.
3. Squamish Windsports Society outhouse—Squamish
Project cost: $7,500.
4. Watersprite Lake Trailhead Outhouse (2019)—Squamish area
Provide assistance and funding to the B.C. Mountaineering Club to install a separation outhouse at the Watersprite Lake trailhead.
Project cost: $10,000—Completed August 2019, on time and on budget
Photos of the outhouse project.
5. North Vancouver Museum & Archives preservation of Mountain Related records
- The BCMF donated $1,200 to the North Vancouver Museums & Archives to curate and digitize mountain related collections.
6. Watersprite Lake Campsite (2019)—Squamish area
- Provide assistance and funding to the BCMC to continue to improve the Watersprite Lake Campsite. This will include repairing current tent pads, improving the trail around the lake as well as adding further tent pads.
Project cost: $6,000—Completed August 5th, 2019 on time and on budget
7. Fat Dog Creek footbridge replacement (2023, 2025)—E.C. Manning Park
The project was initiated by the B.C. Mountaineering Club in 2023 to replace three washed out footbridges on the Fat Dog Creek trail in Manning Park. The first bridge was completed in 2023, the second in 2025. The third bridge is planned for 2027. BC Parks authorizes the work under its volunteer partnership agreement with the B.C. Mountaineering Club. The project helps provide resilience to the sports of backcountry skiing and snowshoeing in the face of reduced average annual snowpack. It improves safety on the trail by restoring infrastructure that has been neglected for many years.
Phase 1—first bridge, project cost: $4,751 (completed October, 2023)
The bridge selected for replacement in phase 1 is near KM 3 on the trail, at the base of a steep hill with a sharp 90-degree corner at the bottom over a side creek. The project cost is for building materials—steel I-beams and rough sawn timber, and transportation. The washed out footbridge presented a significant obstacle to skiers for many years, particularly as the average snowpack has been decreasing. The bridge was funded by the BC Mountain Foundation. (A public appeal for donations on the Backcountry BC Facebook group netted $1,500.) Volunteers contributed 262 hours of labour, and provided own equipment. The volunteers were mostly locals from Eastgate next to the park, many of whom are members of Friends of Manning Park.
Photos from Denis Lalonde of the final bridge, which was completed in October 2023.
Phase 2—second bridge: $8,000 budget (completed October 22, 2025)
Visualize a creek that flows across a 60-degree corner with the ground sloping down on each side. Each approach ramp was inclined and at an angle to the bridge deck. One ramp needed to be 16-feet in length to keep the approach angle shallow as the road dipped steeply from the creek crossing.
Planning and logistics consumed more time than actual construction. The B.C. Mountain Foundation provided most of the capital costs but BC Parks contributed the 23-foot Glulam stringers and flew in a couple of slings of lumber.
Site preparation involved leveling the ground. With two rangers, we were able to build the cribbing, which supports the stringers or beams. The rangers had a couple of ATVs, which were crucial for bringing in the heavy tools to the site.
The next week, Chilliwack Outdoor Club brought in a trail crew and an ATV for two days of work. Their leader, Chris Bukowski used the ATV to pull the 500 lb. stringers up and onto the cribs. Then we bolted the beams together with spacers and tie rods. The beams were anchored to the cribs with the bearing shoes. The shoes were fabricated in Abbotsford by Alder Steel.
With COC, over the two days, we were able to build the 16-foot approach ramp and lay the bridge deck.
In one of those gotcha moments, the plan was for two 8-foot approach ramps but when actually laid out it was realized one needed to be 16 feet. Fortunately, there were two 16-foot 6x6 beams left over from the cribbing but we were now short 8 feet of deck planks. It necessitated another order to the Princeton lumber yard.
BC Parks went out on strike the day they had scheduled to bring in the last batch of decking. Fortunately, Roger Bean of Friends of Manning was able to borrow an ATV and bring in the last load. Snow had already fallen but we were able to get the last bit of deck on and clear the site of debris in time for winter.
8. Howe Sound Crest Trail North (2019, 2020, 2021, 2024)—12 km east of Britannia Beach
The B.C. Mountaineering Club has the long term vision to extend the Howe Sound Crest Trail north from Deeks Lake to Squamish. (Or, coupled with existing trails, from Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver to Squamish.) This project focuses on a missing piece that connects Mountain Lake to trails in Shannon Creek.
The BCMF received $9,000 from the Sea to Sky Gondola corporation in 2019 for the project. Authorization to proceed was granted by Recreation Sites and Trails BC.
Work was done in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024.
2019: Trail survey $616 (completed)
2020: Construction phase 1: $2,443 (completed)
2021: Construction phase 2: $2,966 (completed)
2024: Construction phase 3: $3,872
Budget: $9,000
Project cost (to 2024): $9,897
9. Centennial Trail Restoration (2021-2022)—Okanagan Region
The project is to restore a campground and 30-kilometer section of the Centennial Trail between Manning Park and Cathedral Park that has fallen into disrepair and been ravaged extensively by wildfire. The work is planned between Monument 83 and Trapper Lake in the Pasayten River area of the West Okanagan region.
- Phase 1 - 2021:
- Flag trail for trail crews
- Fly trail crews in to fall dangerous trees and re-establish the 30 km section of trail
- Phase 2 – 2022:
- Prepare the campground area and remove dangerous obstacles
- Install boardwalks
- Install picnic tables and campfire rings
- Install wilderness outhouse
- Install bear proof food locker
Project cost: $58,753
Funding Provided by the BC Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program CERIP: $58,278
10. Heather Trail restoration (2024)—E.C. Manning Park
The Heather Trail in Manning Park starts from Blackwall parking lot to Buckhorn Camp, and continues to Three Brothers Mountain and Kicking Horse Camp. It is a popular summer hike that passes through extensive alpine meadows with grand vistas over the North Cascades range of mountains. About one kilometer of the Heather Trail below its junction with Bonnevier Trail was repaired via a in need of restoration. The trail was deeply eroded and braided. BC Parks approved restoration and coordinated a contract to repair it using a mini-excavator during the fall of 2024..
Project contribution from BCMF: $10,000
11. Lizzie Lake Outhouse Construction (2024)—Stein/Nahatlatch
Project funded by the Squamish Lilloet Regional District and implemented by a BCMC volunteer work party that constructed tent pads as well as fabricated an outhouse.
A helicopter was used to reach the Lizzie Creek Cabin with a prefabricated outhouse materials and a volunteer work party then constructed it. Other work included cutting firewood, leveling some tent pads and general cabin maintenance. On the trip out we will do some brushing work on the trail. Hiking in the area offers numerous peaks to scramble and spectacular lakes, alpine meadows and tarns.
Project cost: $5000
12. Watersprite Lake Trail extension to Dreadnought Col (2025)—Squamish area
The B.C. Mountaineering Club constructed a new summer hiking trail from the Watersprite Lake campsite to the alpine col east of the lake (unofficial name "Dreadnought col"). The lake and trail are within the Watersprite Lake Recreation Area about twenty kilometers east of Squamish, B.C. The trail extension is 1,100 meters in length, rises 200 meters, and has an average grade of 19%.
The trail was built to a Type III or IV standard, per standards set out in the B.C. Ministry of Forests' Recreation Manual. Type III trails are single-file, up to 3/4 meter in width. Type IV is up to 1/2 meter in width.
The project required 650 person-hours of work by a six-person skilled trail crew from Park Solutions Inc, owner Daniel Anderson, using hand tools and mechanical advantage (e.g. Come-along, Tirfor jacks and winches). The crew worked a four-day week over three weeks in September, 2025, camping on site.
The B.C. Mountaineering Club conceived and administered the project. The B.C. Mountain Foundation provided aggregate funding for the project, with major financial contributions from B.C. Mountaineering Club ($20,000 and in-kind contribution for crew accommodation at the club's Watersprite Lake hut), B.C. Parks Foundation from its Sea to Sky Legacy Fund ($20,000), B.C. Mountain Foundation ($18,132 for construction and contractor's site visit), Valhalla Pure Outfitters in Squamish from its Valhalla Squamish Trail Fund ($15,000). Recreation Sites and Trails provided engineering support services for trail design and facilitated camping for the crew at the Watersprite Lake campground.
The trail was approved by Recreation Sites and Trails BC. In its authorization letter, it said,
Watersprite Lake is the busiest backcountry Recreation Site in the Sea to Sky District and also a fee for service reservation-based site with about 25 tent sites. It sees several hundred overnight and day users on a typical weekend day in the summer. Providing planned and properly laid out opportunities for these visitors, like this trail, is part of the larger development strategy for limiting the impacts of high use in the alpine environment. We have so far been successful managing use but there is an obvious need for a developed route to the alpine. Currently users find their own way and this is having unwanted impacts. In particular, we need to protect local mountain goat populations from disturbance by managing where people are recreating at the site. This trail leads users away from these areas and should provide a high quality experience, and route most people away from goat habitat.Addressing impacts of recreation in the alpine and limiting disturbance of threatened mountain goat populations is a district and branch priority. I would definitely say that this is higher priority project that addresses provincial, district and branch priorities. The fact that the B.C. Mountaineering Club is the partnership agreement holder for the site and has the capacity and knowledge to independently construct this trail means that we can achieve these benefits without additional workload for Recreation Sites and Trails staff, this is a significant win as we would not have the capacity internally.
Special thank yous to Alistair McCrone, and Graham Roberge of Recreations Sites and Trails BC, Murray Sovereign of Valhalla Pure Outfitters in Squamish, and Kate Le Souef of BC Parks Foundation.
Project cost: $73,132.
13. Baldwin and Cooper Park (2025)—Squamish
A park was established to honour two early Squamish climbers—Jim Baldwin and Ed Cooper. The park is situated at a housing development with a good view of the Chief, the iconic Squamish climbing crag.
