It is called the “mighty” Fraser River for a good reason.
From the salmon fishery to the logging industry, it’s hard to understate how important this major waterway has been to the growth of the B.C. economy.
Above all, the Fraser is a beautiful river. It is the longest in B.C., and is home to some of the most spectacular salmon runs in the world.
But now, there’s a plan to complete a world class trail system from canyon to coast that will hopefully draw thousands of tourists and further connect communities to this priceless natural resource.
“This river sustains almost 30 species of fish, and has the largest sturgeon population,” says Mark Angelo with BCIT’s Rivers Institute. “It has some of Canada’s most important cultural sites. Visually, it is spectacular. And it is so important to the history of our province. This is a special river, and I think one of the greatest in the world.”
Angelo is the creator of International Rivers Day and is just one member of the “Experience the Fraser” team.
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Their goal is to make the lower Fraser more accessible with a network of connecting trails.
“The trail is going to run from Hope to the Salish Sea,” says Angelo. “That is about 160 km as the crow flies, but by the time you tie all various aspects of the trials, the offshoots, the fact that is going to run on both sides of river, you are looking at well over 500 km of trail when all is said and done.”
The experience would be, by no means, restricted to hiking.
“You could river raft down to Hope. You could take jet boat tours on the river. You could bike, you could walk, you could horseback ride…there are some many things that you could do,” says Director of “Experience the Fraser” Gayle Martin.
The province has already committed three and a half million dollars to the project, which will wind its way through 16 municipalities.
“One of the great things about the trail is it is going to offer an incredible diversity of experiences. Some of it is going to run through wild land, through park land, some of it will run through rural landscapes and some of it will run through cities and communities,” says Angelo.
Forty three per cent of the trail network is already in place, but it will be years before the other 57% is completed.
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