Walks In West Vancouver - Hikes On Hollyburn Ridge 

Opportunities for Recreation In West Vancouver
By Porter - The West Van News - July 10, 1929

Campers and Hikers

The District of West Vancouver includes a very large area which must always remain in a nearly natural state by reason of its elevation. Scenic highways and high-level hotels are frequently spoken of in connection with the Hollyburn Ridge. But these things cost money, both to build and to maintain; and it is not all likely that a sufficient revenue will ever be forthcoming to make the commercialization of more than fraction of that wide plateau possible. There will still remain many hundreds of acres where the camper and the rambler will feel at home, provided forest fires are effectively guarded against. Much of this area will be accessible even to people who are no longer young. There are few places on the Ridge which present more complete facilities for a quiet picnic than the trail by the side of the old flume. It offers complete shade, a copious supply of clear cold water, and little of the noisy element. And when the progress of exploitation has wiped out this agreeable spot, there are many others waiting to be discovered. One has to traverse some of the lesser known parts of the Ridge under the guidance of a man who knows it, before one realize the extent of its recreational resources.

Easy Climbing

The young and adventurous have been finding their way in ever-increasing numbers to this last of the unexplored areas of moderate elevation in the neighborhood of Vancouver. They need no assurance that it repays investigation. It is more important, however, to assure the people who need recreation most that there is no difficulty in reaching even the 2000-foot level by a reasonably gentle grade. Long before that altitude is reached, however, they will have come to shady places with water and firewood near at hand. If they wish to make the utmost of a summer day, they can start from Marine Drive for a leisurely climb not later than 9:30, and reach the continuous shade of the woods by 10:30 at the latest. They will then be sheltered and cool till they reach the 2000-foot contour; but they can picnic quietly at anything over 1000 feet.

Shade and Quiet

We are by no means restricted however, to the high forest. There are long stretches of road lit about the 1000-foot level which, while completely satisfactory for any walker in reasonably dry weather, are not attractive to the driver of an auto. Every fine Sunday and holiday sees many middle-aged and even elderly people, who have come all the way from Vancouver to enjoy quiet and a little nature. There is shade, even if it is only the shade of second-growth trees, There are frequent gardens. whose owners are glad to talk flowers with any passer-by who is interested. There are homes too, unpretending perhaps, but which in their surroundings are a refreshment to the eye of the city-dweller who is tired of the sight of continuous rows of houses. Whether these attractions commend themselves to the advertiser or not. they are permanent. cheap, and easily accessible. There is no better way of spending a fine afternoon than in making the ferry trip to West Vancouver and spending two or three hours on its less frequented roadways up the hill.

The camera and the sketchbook can find opportunities in this lower zone. This is especially the case as regards the little vignettes which provide "the harvest of a quiet eye." A walk straight up the hill from the ferry for eight or ten blocks will lead past several places where judicious selection will yield attractive little pictures; and this is only a beginning of the possibilities for the seeing eye.

 The Ridge

By Pollough Pogue - The West Van News - July 10, 1929

Hollyburn Ridge, the great forest clad hog's back, on the lower slopes of which West Vancouver is built, stretches from the Capilano westward to the· shores of Howe Sound. It is approximately 3000 feet high, and on the top it spreads out in a large plateau containing miles of forest and park areas and a beautiful chain of lakes. From this plateau are visible marvellous panoramas of beauty. To the north and east are the great surrounding mountain ranges, to the west the eye looks down on the waters of the gulf, while to the south there is Burrard Inlet and Vancouver with Mount Baker and the Olympic mountains in the distance.

The amazing thing is that it is possible to get into such characteristically delightful mountain country in one day from Vancouver. Starting from the city in the morning with light packs, a hiking party can be in a magnificent mountain fastness by early afternoon. The most popular trail leading from West Vancouver is well known as the Twenty-second street trail. It is a continuation of Twenty-second street, Dundarave, an old skidroad which climbs the mountain on very easy grades. The other trail, a little farther west, is reached by Twenty-fifth street, Dundarave. Both go up about 1500 feet to what is known as the box-flume trail, which runs east and west along the mountain. The Twenty-fifth street trail continues up the big sidehill until the ski camp is reached. The Twenty-second trail climbs from the head of the street to the box flume, follows the flume west to where the Twenty-fifth come up. From there one trail leads to the ski camp. The Twenty-fifth trail is a more direct path to the ski camp, but it is a little steeper and rougher than the Twenty-second.

Alpine grandeur, sylvian beauty and every aspect of wild nature that the devotee of the woods and mountains could desire, are here at their best. The amateur photographer, the landscape painter, the botanist, or the lover of birds and wild animals can ask no more than this high green plateau affords. The admirer of bird life finds here many species which he has had no opportunity to study at lower altitudes.