Lakeside Trail Society

The Lakeside Trail will be a pathway approximately 10 km long, running from the north to south ends of Cultus Lake along the eastern shore.
It will be a safe and scenic trail used by all ages for walking, running and cycling in one of the most beautiful settings in the lower mainland. The pathway will end the conflict between vehicles, recreational cyclists and pedestrians along a very busy recreational corridor.

It is more than just a path alongside the highway. The Lakeside Trail will wind its way within and between the various campgrounds and along the shore of beautiful Cultus Lake. The trail experience will be informative and educational with interpretive signage along the length of the trail, celebrating the history and ecology of the lake and the region.

The Lakeside Trail Society is a registered society which was formed in 2015. Its members are a group of enthusiastic, dedicated local residents and business professionals who are working together with all levels of government and the local communities and business to promote and develop the Lakeside Trail. The Society is providing a valuable community service for the many stakeholders around the lake, by coordinating the efforts of various levels of government departments to address the goals of the project.

Our goal is to build a trail along the east side of the lake from Main Beach at the north end to the Creekside Mills development, next to The Cottages, at the south end. We plan on building this trail between the highway and the lake for its entire length. There are existing trails all along the lakeside including Main Beach, Sunnyside Campground, parts of the highway, in and out of various BC Parks and their campgrounds. Much of the route our trail will take is therefore already built but just not connected or signed, or necessarily safe to walk along. We also would like to facilitate branches to existing trails like Teapot Hill, Seven Sisters and TransCanada Trail.

• Encourage healthy living and physical fitness.
• Attract a diversity of visitors including new Canadians.
• Be accessible to all income levels and people with limited mobility.
• Offer sight-seeing, nature appreciation and education.

The proposed trail is intended for walkers, runners, and bicyclists, parents with strollers and little ones, some mobility challenged, but no motorized vehicles. We hope to keep the trail free of stairs or steep inclines, though there will likely be switchbacks in one place or another because of elevation changes.

Our target audiences are residents, tourists, hikers, walkers, cyclists, joggers, moms and dads and little kids on bikes. Anyone who likes bird-watching, enjoying nature, getting from point A to B, photography, checking out the natural environment, outdoor learning and taking a quiet moment out of life’s hustle-and bustle.

One of the key priorities is safety along the various sections of the trail that by necessity must travel along the edge of the highway. The Lakeside Trail will be a zigzag from existing trails in the Cultus Lake Park Board through Sunnyside to the highway, into BC Parks and back to the highway, and repeat. Think of it as a major connect the dots game.

Side benefits of Ministry of Transportation Highways improvements:
• Increased safety for visitors moving between BC Parks campgrounds.
• Opportunity to address problematic parking along highway.
• Address increasing traffic congestion to area.
• Address first responders concerns.
• Opportunity to engage community to improve the safety of roads in this area.
As you can guess, this trail may take years to complete but we’re dedicated to make it happen sooner than later. If we achieve a positive partnership with the likes of BC Parks and the Ministry of Highways, then we may tackle other trails around the lake, but that’s a ways off.

of Cultus Lake, BC, Canada

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What is The Lakeside Trail?

What is the the Lakeside Trail Society ?

Project description

Working Together as partners: