Time: 10:00AM–12:00PM

The next SFURA walk will be mostly on the northern part of the Fisherman's Trail and on the paved Seymour Valley Trailway on Wednesday, August 4 at 10:00 AM. David Ryeburn will lead the walk.

The walk is rated as moderate because of its length and one steep descent section. Carry a lunch on the walk — the leader did not do so on his reconnaissance walk, which took a little under three hours. Carry enough water or bring treatment equipment. Drinking untreated Seymour River water is not a good idea.

If the weather is good, bring a lunch.

Driving directions:

From the Upper Levels Highway, take Exit 22A to Lillooet Road and head north, past Capilano University, to the end of the portion of the road open to general traffic. Park in the large parking lot to the right. We will meet near the washroom facilities at 10 AM.

Map:

Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve

The route we will walk:

The walk begins on the Twin Bridges Trail (really a road) to the Homestead Trail, which descends quite steeply almost to the Seymour River. Here we turn north on the Fisherman's Trail, walking to its end and continuing on the Hydraulic Connector Trail. This leads to the Mid Valley viewpoint and picnic area (washrooms), the first place suitable for lunch. There is a shelter in case of rain, but the picnic tables are not under the shelter. We will continue a short distance to the Butterfly Garden, which has lots of wildflowers. Although there are no picnic tables at this site, it would be a pleasant lunch spot in good weather. We then ascend the rest of the Hydraulic Connector Trail, steep, but not as steep as the Homestead Trail which we descended near the beginning of the walk. At its top, about 1 km later, where it meets the paved Seymour Valley Trailway, there are picnic tables and washrooms, but no shelter. We turn south on the Trailway, populated with runners, walkers, bicyclists, and in-line skaters. The up and down slopes along the Trailway are gentle, a welcome feature at this stage in the walk.

If the weather has been dry for a number of days, running shoes will be OK but if the trail is wet, lightweight hiking boots would be better for the steep descent. Most of the trail is umbrella-friendly, but short sections are not. The outbound part of the trail is in the trees so it should be cool; the return section along the paved Trailway has shady portions.

If you have questions, you can email David Ryeburn.

Special note: If anyone is interested in leading a walk or walks, please contact us. (To continue having walks every week, we will need more leaders.)