Stunning elevated pathway through forest opens in West Vancouver (PHOTOS)

Stunning new elevated pathway through forest opens in West Vancouver (PHOTOS)

Temporary Christmas lights on the newly built Trestle Bridge of the Mountain Path. (British Pacific Properties)

The pathway network through the forest in the Upper Lands areas of West Vancouver continues to grow, with an impressive newly-built elevated segment seeing its grand opening earlier this week.

A 200-metre-long wood bridge, formally named the Trestle Bridge, spans two branches of Cave Creek through the new Uplands neighbourhood of the municipality. It is accessible about 500 metres west of the intersection of Chippendale Road and Cypress Bowl Road, along the route up to Cypress Mountain Resort.

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Its design was inspired by the wooden structures that supported railways across BC, particularly the 1918-built Houlgate Creek trestle in West Vancouver, and the historic Kettle Valley trestles in the Okanagan.

The wooden structures of the new Trestle Bridge were strategically built for a minimal environmental impact, with the elevated pathway crossing over the creek and ravine’s riparian area. Construction first began more than two years ago, and the railings and final finishings reached completion last week.

west vancouver british properties mountain path trestle bridge

Construction activities on Trestle Bridge on the Mountain Path. (British Pacific Properties)

A section of the Trestle Bridge also offers stunning panoramic vistas of Burrard Inlet, the Burrard Peninsula, and beyond, providing an alternative view point to Highview Lookout at the second switchback of Cypress Bowl Road.

This is part of British Pacific Properties’ (BPP) upper Mountain Path, which is a 2.1-km-long, three-metre-wide, paved, sustainably-built pathway from the first switchback of Cypress Bowl Road to Chippendale Road. It forms part of the broader system of paths and trails connecting the Rodgers Creek neighbourhoods, including the previously built 1.8-km-long section of the Mountain Path along the hillside from Marr Creek to Westmount Creek.

When fully complete, the pathway system will stretch a distance of more than five km between Chippendale Road at Marr Creek and Cypress Village.

This is in addition to 8.3 km of secondary trails reaching other recreational areas and points of interest, with 4.3 km complete and another four km to be built. Altogether, there will be 24 bridge segments of pathway; so far, 19 bridges have reached completion, and five more are planned.

Grand opening of Trestle Bridge on the Mountain Path on December 2, 2021. (British Pacific Properties)

Trestle Bridge on the Mountain Path. (British Pacific Properties)

BPP is also in the process of installing permanent overhead lighting along the Mountain Path to increase its usability year-round. This lighting will dim after 10 pm and reactivate upon motion detection.

On the newly opened Trestle Bridge, temporary Christmas lighting has been installed along the railings for BPP’s 2021 outdoor holiday experience, which officially opens to the public on Saturday, December 4 and returns every weekend thereafter over the month. Visitors are encouraged to stroll across the festive trestle, and warm up with a hot chocolate or coffee at The Shed, located at the pop-up village on the future site of Cypress Village. The railing lighting will be removed in the new year.

To access Trestle Bridge, visitors can park their vehicle at the Uplands parking lot, located at 3182 Chippendale Road. The path from the parking lot to the trestle is lit at night. The system goes on automatically at dark and off during the day, based on ambient light. The same system controls the Christmas lights. The path lights (but not the Christmas lights) go dim (using less power) at around 10 pm, but if anyone walks on the path the lights turn back on bright.

Temporary Christmas lights on the newly built Trestle Bridge of the Mountain Path. (British Pacific Properties)

$west vancouver british properties mountain path trestle \$

Permanent overhead lighting on Trestle Bridge on the Mountain Path. (British Pacific Properties)

December 2021 operational map of the Mountain Path. Click on the image for an enlarged version. (British Pacific Properties)

Cypress Village, located at the first switchback of Cypress Bowl Road, is proposed as a new neighbourhood for 7,000 people, within a mix of low-rise and mid-rise buildings, as well as taller buildings between 15 storeys and 25 storeys. There would also be a pedestrian-oriented retail village with up to 135,000 sq ft of neighbourhood-serving commercial uses, including a grocery store and restaurants, and potentially an office building or small hotel, given its close proximity to the ski resort. The entire neighbourhood would be built in phases through the 2040s.

New recreational spaces, such as Mountain Path, are necessary to meet the needs of the growing population in the Upper Lands. During the grand opening of Trestle Bridge, both West Vancouver mayor Mary-Ann Booth and BPP president Geoff Croll remarked about the importance of creating amenities for the community, particularly providing access to nature and the outdoors.

Road network and bus transit route plan for Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

Conceptual artistic rendering of Cypress Village. (District of West Vancouver)

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