Wonderland Trail
A smooth journey through a lush forest. The Wonderland Trail is popular among runners, hikers and bikers
Jim Gracie | Squamish Chief May 11, 2016
The Wonderland Trail follows old animal paths and was an indigenous trail into the interior along sections of logging roads and the watercourse of Dryden Creek (named after an early settler T.K. Dryden). The building of this trail is a good example of Squamish locals at play, wherein someone goes out occasionally to add a few more metres to what may become an established trail.
It has slowly been put together over the past 17 years as a link to the popular biking trails in the Cat Lake and Alice Lake areas.
Originally maintained solely by a few keen mountain bikers, it is now kept in good condition by the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA) with the ongoing assistance of many volunteers who can always use more help. (Check out the Squamish Trail Society and SORCA websites for volunteer opportunities.)
This scenic cross-country trail offers a fun and smooth-flowing journey through an exceedingly lush second-growth forest. The thick overhead canopy will keep you cool on the hottest days. Fir, cedar and hemlock trees in this area are more than 100 years old. Bikers will get greater enjoyment by taking the smoother downhill flow, but be aware that you will encounter uphill travellers either hiking or biking.
There are spectacular boulders along the route and the “imprisoned one” is a surprising sight. The many low bridges were built by Duncan MacKenzie, who later died in an avalanche pursuing his passion for our outdoor wonderland. Recent work done by Ted Tempany’s Dream Wizards trail building team have helped elevate the rail bed in key locations to get it out of the organic mud that builds up in low points.
As the trail is at a relatively low elevation, it tends to get ridden year round, which combined with the lack of relief makes managing water on the trail a real challenge, says Matt Parker of the Squamish Trails Society. This trail is also a work in progress as runners, hikers and bikers seek out a drier, smoother line in some sections, causing the trail to grow wider or become braided, losing some of its single-track aesthetic. Work continues on improving trail routing and trail bed to make it more all-weather and sustainable.
A variety of people have volunteered their time to do trail maintenance and cut out fallen trees when they have fallen across the trail, including Barry McLane, Tim Tellevi, Armand Hurford and his family, Shawn Gosnell, Todd Pope, Allistar McCrone, Jim Harvey and others, Parker notes.
Parking is best at Alice Lake entrance. The Depot Road spots are limited, and crowding out the local residents will not be appreciated and could result in your vehicle being towed away. Camping is best at wonderful Alice Lake and very fine at Wonderland Valley Resort off Depot Road.
THE WONDERLAND TRAIL
One of the “sweet spots” in our network of trails. This tree-shaded path is 2.9 km in length.
Origin of name: Theme is from the ever-popular Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll published in 1865. Alice Lake is a wonderland; this trail leads to the lake. There are also trails named Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum in this area.
Trailhead: On Alice Lake park road about 500 metres from Highway 99.
Use: Single track, hiking and biking.
Difficulty: Green to blue over roots and low bridges.
Elevation: 38 metres to 163 metres.
Distance: 2.9 km
Etiquette: Go through centre of muddy spots to keep trail narrow.
