Good news for recreational enthusiasts in the Seymour Valley! Trail users will soon have their connection to the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve restored as Metro Vancouver starts work this month on trail upgrades above the canyon at the top of Riverside Drive.
The only trail connection between the LSCR and the Seymour area was eliminated in December 2014. Following a rock slide in the river canyon water levels rose, submerging Twin Bridge and flooding some of the surrounding forest and trails. For safety’s sake, Metro Vancouver closed a portion of Fisherman’s Trail and removed the old Twin Bridge.
Since then the regional district has been working with the community to determine the best options for bridge replacement and re-establishment of those trail connections. They finalized designs for the new bridge earlier this year and are ready to begin construction.
Between now and December Metro will build a new pedestrian, cyclist and horse-friendly bridge, just south of the old Twin Bridge crossing. They will also replace the current pedestrian crossing at the north end of Riverside Drive across Canyon Creek with a combined pedestrian and vehicle single-lane span.
All pedestrians and recreational trail users will have access to the bridge, but vehicle use will be restricted to occasional Metro and emergency service vehicles.
The staircase on Baden Powell trail at the north end of Riverside Drive will also be replaced with a wider, non-slip staircase allowing safer and more convenient trail access.
From time to time during construction, Metro will have to limit access to the trails surrounding its work zones. Expect a portion of the Baden Powell trail to be closed while the stairs are being replaced and periodic closures of Twin Bridge trail when heavy equipment is working.
While trail closures during the peak hiking season can be inconvenient, the re-establishment of these critical connections is important.
On July 5 an update meeting was held for the various stewardship agencies that have contributed to and worked on unblocking the Seymour River, chaired by the passionate and tireless head of the Seymour Salmonid Society, Shaun Hollingsworth.
The society’s volunteers have been working to reshape the slide area and restore safe passage for Seymour River salmon whose critically necessary access to upstream spawning grounds was blocked by the rock slide.
It will take several years to complete, as work can only occur when water levels are low (typically July through October). In the meantime, crews continue to capture and transport fish from the lower portion of the river, where a fish fence was installed, to their natural spawning ground beyond the rock slide.
Metro expects to have its work completed by December of this year. Learn more by visiting metrovancouver.org and searching “Seymour River Canyon Trail.” Find out more about the Seymour Salmonid Society’s work at seymoursalmon.com.
