Find a TrailNew Upper Levels Trail Announced in West Vancouver, Spirit Trail Delays
Posted by: Matthew Inouye
Posted on: March 11th, 2019
Back in 2010, West Vancouver's "Transportation Hierarchy" placed the pedestrian at the top of the list. As part of the district's 2025 vision, all transportation strategies now prioritize pedestrians. Applying the change in mindset has already started to have a positive impact across the district from improved pedestrian routes around Marine Drive and high priority areas, better wayfinding and signage; and for Mountain Guru hikers that live or play on the North Shore, the near completion of the Spirit Trail greenway and future Upper Levels trail.
Once the western portion is completed later this year, the Spirit Trail greenway will span over 25 km across the lower levels of the North Shore from Lynn Creek in North Vancouver, all the way to Horseshoe Bay village. Eventually, the trail will stretch the entire North Shore, all the way to Deep Cove.
Building the Spirit Trail and sharing the vision of a pedestrian-first future demands impressive collaboration between the province, the Squamish Nation and North Shore municipalities, but it is not without it's challenges. While the City of North Vancouver raced to complete it's 3.5 km contribution, the District's portion to Deep Cove remains incomplete with no firm timeline to finish. As well, the initial project budget of $3 million has nearly doubled to $5.9 million due to efforts such as addressing the Mosquito Creek Marina grade-separation and low level road realignment.
Upper Levels Trail
Once completed, the Upper Levels trail aka the Upper Spirit trail will connect Westcot Road just west of the Taylor Way and Highway 1 interchange to Cypress Bowl Road. It will provide both North Shore cyclists and hikers with 3.5 kilometers of accessible trail north of Highway 1.
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