By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: May 24, 2013
An advanced trail for mountain biking enthusiasts, new staircase, and three picnic tables: These are just some of amenities being added to the Smoke Bluffs Park this year.
In the coming few years, residents can also expect a better, wider landscaped entrance to replace the dusty potholed road that now greets them.
“A better landscaped, grander entrance is our top priority right now.”
“We will go the whole nine yards for it,” says a smiling Brian Moorehead, the chair of the Smoke Bluffs Park Committee.
Moorhead, also known as the Mayor of Smoke Bluffs Park, is in his 70s, but he could easily leave any man half his age puffing and panting behind him in the trails.
It’s clear Moorehead knows the park intimately as he gives a glimpse into some of the improvements made to the park and those planned in the near future.
As any climber in Squamish will tell you, the park is the pole star for local and international climbers.
But it should be no less an exciting place for bikers, hikers, and young moms with strollers, Moorehead says.
To that end, the committee has spent almost 90 per cent of its funds to benefit the general public with improved trails, viewpoints, and picnic areas.
“We want it to be accessible for all members of the community,” Moorehead said.
Committee member John Harvey realigned a hydro access road into a commuter and a technical bike route, paving it with gravel and building a wooden bridge for a better connection to a trail above.
The Squamish Trails Society also helped in financing the road.
The road will further connect to a new trail the Smoke Bluff Committee is planning to build near the Neat and Cool/Burger and Fries area this year.
The overarching idea, Moorehead said, is to provide independent space within the park for bikers, commuters and climbers.
“We want the park to be an inclusive place,” he says.
Also on the cards is a car park expansion that would accommodate 500-700 visitors that visit the park on busy summer weekends.
The committee plans to increase parking space by at least 50 per cent, a necessity given the popularity of the park.
“Come here on a hot summer day and you will realize that this is a very, very busy park,” says Moorehead.
Other members of the Smoke Bluffs Parks Commitee include Mayor Rob Kirkham, John Harvey, Todd Gerhart, Bob Brant, Jamie Finlayson, Laura Modray, and Spencer Fitschen.
