The Baden-Powell Trail is a rugged but well-maintained 48 km hiking trail, that traverses from Horseshoe Bay in

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...

to Deep Cove in North Vancouver, BC. It was named after Robert Baden-Powell,

Lord Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; (Commonly pronounced by others as ) 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the wor ...

, founder of the world

Scouting Movement Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

Geography

The trail is about forty-eight kilometres (48 km) long, extending (west to east) from Horseshoe Bay in

to Deep Cove in the District of North Vancouver. In between, the trail winds through the heavily forested

North Shore Mountains The North Shore Mountains are a mountain range overlooking Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. Their southernmost peaks are visible from most areas in Vancouver and form a distinctive backdrop for the city. The steep southern slopes of the No ...

. It also connects with several other local trails.

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) * Hollyburn Mountain Old-Growth forest. * crossing the

Capilano River The Capilano River flows from north to south through the Coast Mountains on Vancouver's North Shore between West Vancouver and North Vancouver (district municipality) and empties into Burrard Inlet, opposite Stanley Park. The river is one of three ...

by way of the

Cleveland Dam The Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back Capilano Lake, also known as Capilano reservoir. Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it stores a portion of ...

* the Grouse Grind, a challenging fitness venue on Grouse Mountain (closed November- April) * the famous

Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge The Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is a pedestrian bridge located within Lynn Canyon Park, in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia. It is high from the bottom of the canyon. The bridge was built as a private venture in 1912. The brid ...

in Lynn Canyon Park * a section along Lynn Creek * a narrow bridge crossing the Seymour Canyon * the Quarry Rock lookout in Deep Cove * a view of nearly all of Vancouver from "Eagle Bluff," near Cypress Provincial Park.

Identifying the trail

Baden-Powell trail marker North Vancouver, British Columbia

The trail is marked with bright orange triangular tags that are attached to trees alongside the trail and some blue directional signage. 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.

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.

Events

Every year, an extremely demanding cross-country trail running race known as the

Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run The Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run, also known as the Knee Knacker, was established in 1989 and is a 50 km ultramarathon trail run in that takes place in British Columbia, in the Greater Vancouver area on the second Saturday of July each yea ...

(or Knee Knacker) is conducted along the full length of the Baden-Powell Trail.

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, however there is very limited parking at this location. At the East end, the trail starts in Panorama Park, north of the heart of Deep Cove.

External links

References

{{reflist North Vancouver (district municipality) West Vancouver Scouting and Guiding in Canada Hiking trails in British Columbia