Little Stawamus Trail

A delightful stroll along a bubbling brook

This trail links the subdivisions north of Little Stawamus Creek to the commercial centre of Valleycliffe and its schools.

The wide single-track is 1.2 kms long from McNaughton park southwest to Guilford Dr. It is planned to extend the trail eastwards 1.3 kms to Plateau Road along the creek.

There have been frequent inundations of the lower section of this creek west of McNaughton Park. These lower side channels have provided good salmon rearing in the past. A steady decline, however, started in the late 1940s when logging and urbanization began in earnest.

Efforts since 1990 by the provincial Salmon Enhancement Program and the Squamish Watershed Restoration Program are aimed at restoring the reproductive capacity of this stream. Juvenile coho and rainbow trout were sighted in the lower reaches in 1998 and some have continued to appear each year since.

This was a direct result of linking the side channels, stabilizing eroded banks and repairing culverts.

Yet, Mother Nature does have a mean streak as was evidenced when a very heavy rainfall caused the stream to breach its banks in October 2014. About 300 metres of this trail were washed away and much of the spawning and rearing area was destroyed.

Streamkeepers removed a large logjam to enable the stream to regain its original flow and the Trails Society aided municipal crews to reroute the trail. Municipal, DFO, SRWS and MFLNR all acknowledge that fortification of the banks is necessary. Rebuilding and armouring the creekside was completed in August 2019.

Sensitive Habitat Protection 

Riparian is land next to streams, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes. Flood attenuation, biological diversity, wildlife habitat and safe fish rearing all depend upon these sensitive areas.

Protecting riparian areas is mandated by BC Waters Act, BC Fish Protection Act and B.C. environmental regulations.

In some cases the adjoining buffer zones widen the riparian zone beyond the legal 30 metres each side of the high water mark.

Preventing damage and reporting non-compliance is everyone’s responsibility.

Dumping of pesticide treated yard waste is a particularly bad practice and is subject to a municipal fine of up to $10,000.

Also, we all need to be mindful of inadvertently causing bank erosion.

Our municipality is currently processing the data collected from airborne reconnaissance and will be updating the sensitive habitat and wildlife corridors onto their maps at www.squamish.ca/webmaps.

Rogue Trail Closed Down

In May 2015, the large rogue trail above McNaughton Park was closed down.

This illegal mountain biking rip zone compromised slope stability and led to degradation of the hillside and the watercourse flowing into Little Stawamus Creek.

It would have been a large waste of our municipal tax dollars to fix these problems and even to integrate this mess into the approved trail network.

“Build first and beg forgiveness later” cannot be tolerated when safety of people and property is compromised. We are not yet a nanny state, but we can no longer do as we please.

Contact municipal operations, Trails Society, SORCA or SDBA before the urge to whack out a trail leads to an unnecessary repair bill.

These agencies may even support your plan and will definitely provide good technical advice.

Combat Invasive Species

Cedar Valley Montessori School has been an active participant in combating invasive species.

The school borders Little Stawamus Creek and the young students take advantage of this wild play area, which is now more comfortable with the absence of prickly bushes.

Local invasive species include knotweed, hogweed, yellow iris and Scotch broom.

For proper removal, report all sightings:

Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council 604-698-8334 Municipal Operations 604-815-6868

LITTLE STAWAMUS TRAIL

Origin of name: The trail is named for the stream it follows. Stawamus means sheltered in the indiginous language and refers to the protected all season village of the Squamish Nation located at the mouth of the Stawamus River.

Trailhead: McNaughton Park in Valleycliffe, which is named after General Andrew McNaughton, commander of First Canadian Army from 1940 to 1943.

Use: Multi-use non-motorized.

Difficulty: Easy green.

Elevation: 16 to 66 metres.

Etiquette: Keep sight lines open and be cautious at corners.

Bears are out and about forging for food, so take care when walking through the woods. Photo: Brian Aikens