Baden-Powell Trail
The Baden-Powell Trail is a rugged but well-maintained trail that traverses Greater Vancouver's North Shore region. It was named after Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the world Scouting Movement.
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[edit] Geography
The trail is about forty-eight kilometres long, extending (west to east) from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in the District of North Vancouver. In between, the trail winds through the heavily forested North Shore Mountains. It also connects with several other local trails.
[edit] Points of interest
There are a number of scenic vistas and points of interest along the way. These include:
- the summit of Black Mountain (1217m)
- crossing the Capilano River by way of the Cleveland Dam
- the Grouse Grind, a challenging vertical trail at Grouse Mountain
- the Powerline Trail east of the dam
- the famous Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
- a section along Lynn Creek
- a narrow bridge crossing the Seymour Canyon
- the Quarry Rock lookout in Deep Cove
[edit] Identifying the trail
The trail is well marked with bright orange diamond-shaped tags that are attached to trees alongside the trail. In addition, regular signposts indicate directions and provide distance measurements. A number of stairways and bridges are installed along the trail to make it passable in steep, difficult, or dangerous terrain. However, the trail surface is not completely clear; there are many obstacles such as exposed roots, large rocks, and massive mud puddles. Some sections of the trail are especially steep and can feel somewhat exposed.
[edit] Construction
The trail was constructed in 1971 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of British Columbia's entry into Canada as a province. The project was initiated by the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides organizations of B.C. and much of the work of building it was done by their young members.
[edit] Events
Every year, an extremely demanding cross-country trail running race known as the Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (or Knee Knacker) is conducted along the full length of the Baden-Powell Trail.
[edit] Access
The trail has many access points throughout its entirety. On the West end, the trail starts where Highway 99 (Sea-To-Sky) and Highway 1 diverge. On the East end, the trail starts in Panorama Park north from the heart of Deep Cove.
