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Switchbacks ease Holland Creek trail climb

New path section near the footbridge makes the link to Heart Lake more accessible
16418909_web1_HeartLake-earlysummer

Mike Youds Special to the Chronicle

The hike to Heart Lake and surroundings is a little easier thanks to recent trail improvements.

Town of Ladysmith crews have completed work on a steep section of Holland Creek Trail designed to provide a more accessible option for residents and visitors when they travel the popular Heart and Stocking Lake loops.

RELATED: Ladysmith’s battered trail system mostly repaired

Several gravel switchbacks have been built just past the Upper Holland Creek Bridge (near the new water filtration plant) to make the route easier, particularly for people with mobility challenges, young children or families with strollers.

As planned, the trail that previously led around construction of the new water treatment facility was decommissioned and is no longer accessible to the public as work continues on the project. The plant is scheduled for completion sometime this summer.

Hikers, cyclists and joggers now travel a couple hundred of metres through the forest with views of Holland Creek rejoining the Heart Lake Trail loop near the gas pipeline corridor.

The new trail section was designed wide enough to accommodate the Parks Department’s service vehicle. A gravel surface should give the trail more durability while landscaping enhances its appearance.

A fierce December windstorm forced the temporary closure of the popular trail network last winter.





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