Tag: Valley Trail

Passing Under Highway 99Passing Under Highway 99

July 23, 2024 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

At a council meeting in July 1984, council member Terry Rodgers stated, “I am very much afraid someone is going to get killed there.” He was referring to the unmarked crosswalk on Highway 99 between the Village site and the Whistler Golf Course. The unofficial crosswalk also connected the Village to the Valley Trail system and so was heavily used. With no marked crossing, pedestrians and cyclists crossing the highway were often unexpected by drivers. Not long before the meeting, Rodgers had noticed long skid marks near the crosswalk left by a large, dual wheel truck.

Rodgers’ concerns about the safety of the crossing, which had no signs for either motorists or pedestrians, was widely shared. A 1983 transportation study called for an underpass, the council sent a letter to the Department of Highways, and WLC Developments Ltd. (the owner of the golf course at the time) promised to discuss the issue at their board meeting. When asked about the safety of the area for the Whistler Question’s “Whistler’s Answers” feature, all three people said no, it was not safe.

The highway underpass under construction, as seen from the golf course parking lot. Whistler Question Collection, 1986

According to Ron Winbow, the district manager for the Department of Highways, crosswalk lines were not an option because Highway 99 was an “arterial road” and the policy on pedestrian crosswalks across highways was that they were reserved for school purposes and were patrolled. Like the earlier transportation study, Winbow suggested that the municipality build and underpass.

Despite worries over the safety of the unmarked crossing, it was another two years before an underpass was constructed. In February 1986, WLC Developments Ltd. called for tenders on the building of an underpass leading off of Whistler Way beneath Highway 99 and an 82-space parking lot near the putting green. The job was expected to cost over $500,000 and be completed in time for the opening of the golf course on May 1. The parking lot was necessary as the lot where golfers had been parking, which also housed the trailers of the Whistler Medical Centre, was slated to become a hotel, with construction beginning in April. (The Whistler Medical Centre was relocated to the basement of Municipal Hall.)

Someone jumps around the underpass. Whistler Question Collection, 1996

Construction of the underpass was underway by April. Because the highway had to be temporarily diverted and a road built to run parallel, the construction timeline was pushed back to ensure the diversion was not in place during the 1986 World Cup races in March. The project was delayed again when work stopped in early May after it was found that the soil under the underpass footing was too soft to support them. Though soil testing had been carried out, it took place in January when the ground by the road was frozen and so only the soil by the parking area had been tested. Though the parking lot had been completed, it could not be accessed until the underpass was complete.

Finally, in September 1986, the underpass connecting the Village to the Valley Trail and the Whistler Golf Course was completed, a few months behind schedule and about $40,000 over budget. With two lanes for vehicles and a raised sidewalk serving as the Valley Trail, the underpass continues to be a much safer approach to both amenities for pedestrians and cyclists (apart from a few incidents with vehicles that proved to be taller than their driver expected).

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Connecting the ValleyConnecting the Valley

September 19, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

No matter the time of year, there are sure to be people out on the Valley Trail, whether biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, walking, jogging, or skiing. The popular multi-use trail system runs throughout Whistler and, for decades, has been used by many for both practical and recreational purposes.

The origins of Whistler’s Valley Trail go back to 1976, just one year after the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) was formed. A Rec Report prepared by representatives of the Whistler Developers Association, the Alta Lake Ratepayers Association, the Advisory Planning Commission, and the RMOW looked at existing recreation infrastructure within the municipality and made recommendations for future recreation development. These recommendations included “a main valley trail of a minimum 12 foot wide, dust-proof surface” connecting the existing recreational and community facilities and residential developments for cyclists and pedestrians.

Winter commuting along the Valley Trail. Whistler Question Collection, 1996.

This call for a trail system through the valley was echoed four years later in the 1980 Recreation Committee Report and by the Whistler Outdoor Recreation Master Plan Study prepared for the RMOW by Professional Environmental Recreation Consultants Ltd. in 1980, often referred to as the PERC report.

One reason that the PERC report prioritized the development of a bikeway was in order to make travel safer within Whistler. According to the report, “the [then] current system of bicycling on Highway 99 through Whistler is unsafe due to the heavy traffic and especially due to the number of logging and other heavy vehicles using the highway.”

To address this issue, the PERC report proposed building about 13 km of paved bikeway over five years to create a north/south spine that began at the RV campground at the south end and terminated in Alpine Meadows to the north. Along the way, the bikeway would link subdivisions and other developments, including the Village. The master plan also included plans for a Lost Lake Loop and a Fitzsimmons Creek Loop that could be added to the trail system, as well as an extension of the spine north to Emerald Estates along Green Lake.

A newly paved section of the Valley Trail heading towards Alpine Meadows in 1983. Whistler Question Collection, 1983.

Over the next four years, the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission (ARPC), guided by its chair Trevor Roote, led public consultation meetings, passed a referendum to fund their master plan, and negotiated rights of way throughout the valley for the Valley Trail. By 1982, the trail was paved from the Village to Alta Vista and from the River of Golden Dreams to Rainbow Drive. According to Roote, the trail “immediately became a popular commuting route, particularly with school children who no longer had to ride their bikes to school along Highway 99 playing dodge’m with logging trucks.” In 1983, the trail was paved from the Village to Whistler Cay and from Rainbow Drive through Meadow Park.

Many elements of the trail system described in the PERC report are part of the Valley Trail today. The ARPC did incorporate the trail right of way into the negotiation of sewer rights of way and the general location of the trail matched much of what the PERC report proposed. The next five year plan of the ARPC (1985 – 1989) included the expansion of the Valley Trail out towards Emerald Estates. The physical design of the trail, however, is not quite as the PERC report envisioned.

Steve Martin? No, this wild and crazy guy is parks worker Ted Pryce-Jones who was out last week painting arrows and yellow lines on Valley Trail curves and bends. The new lines and arrows are designed to give cyclists and pedestrians warning and keep users to one side. Whistler Question Collection, 1984.

While most Valley Trail users are accustomed to a mix of walkers, cyclists, skateboarders and more, all keeping to the right of the yellow line except to pass (and then using their bell or calling out to alert those they’re passing), the PERC report proposed a 6′ two-way paved bikeway with a separate but adjacent 3′ gravel pedestrian trail.

The importance to the community of developing recreation and in particular the Valley Trail was recognized quite early on. For his work as the chair of the ARPC, Trevor Roote was named Citizen of the Year in 1981 and was awarded the Freedom of the Municipality in 1984. Since then, the Valley Trail has continued to expand throughout Whistler and continues to be a popular commuting and recreational route for residents and visitors alike.

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Creating Whistler’s Parks: Emerald Forest, the three-wayCreating Whistler’s Parks: Emerald Forest, the three-way

May 30, 2023 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

Nancy Wilhelm-Morden made many important decisions for the Whistler community during her time as councillor and mayor. However, the accomplishment she is most proud of from this time is the protection of the Emerald Forest.

Emerald Forest is the 56.3 hectare (139 acre) protected area between Whistler Cay and Alpine. It is a significant habitat corridor for many of Whistler’s furry and feathered friends and is enjoyed by hikers and bikers.

Before 1972 when the BC Highways Department extended Alta Lake Road connecting Rainbow Lodge (now Rainbow Park) to Alpine, there was limited access to the area now known as the Emerald Forest. The extension of Alta Lake Road, along with the construction of the first section of the Valley Trail between Whistler Cay and Alpine, meant that the Emerald Forest Lands became more readily accessible to recreationists.

When mountain biking took off in the 1980s the local trail builders started what are today Whistler’s world-renowned mountain bike trails. Many of the earliest trails were built through the Emerald Forest despite it being privately owned land.

Dan Swanstrom scanning one of his trails in 1994. Dan was responsible for building many of the popular trails through the Emerald Forest. Whistler Question Collection.

The lot had been bought by Decigon Corporation in the late 1970s. As the area became more popular with mountain bikes, ‘no trespassing’ signs started to appear. There were additional challenges as well when a mountain biker broke their back in the early 1990s and brought a lawsuit against the landowners.

Decigon made multiple unsuccessful attempts at getting the land rezoned throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Then in 1996, the municipality increased the minimum parcel size of land with the Rural Resource 1 Zoning (RR1) from 20 acres to 100 acres. This meant that parcels zoned RR1 could be subdivided into 100 acres at minimum. Trying to maximise their return on investment, Decigon came forward with proposals to develop the land before this change came into effect.

Their preferred plan was for high-density development on a small section of the land. Forty single-family lots with a total of 240 bed units were proposed for 20 acres. Under this plan, the remaining undeveloped land would be protected as parkland, therefore retaining many of the bike trails. This would require rezoning of the land and the municipality was reluctant to approve the proposal because the number of bed units exceeded the development cap.

WORCA president Al Grey appeared in the Whistler Question in 1995, discussing etiquette and maintaining trail quality as more and more riders were getting into mountain biking. Whistler Question Collection.

Decigon’s alternative proposal involved subdividing the entire lot into 20 acre parcels for six single-family homes with 36 bed units. This fit within the RR1 zoning restrictions, however, would be a huge loss of established biking trails. Local community groups Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment (AWARE) and Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) were also very active in campaigning for the protection of the forest for the environment and recreation.

Between 1996 and 1999, Decigon, led by the Houghton brothers, was constantly in the media trying to garner support from the Whistler community and council. However, they could not come to an acceptable agreement with the council and Decigon became more and more outraged as the years passed. Most meetings were held in-camera – closed to the public – and rumours were swirling about an impending lawsuit against the municipality.

Then, in August 1999 it was finally announced that a deal had been made for the Emerald Forest lands. Unbeknownst to the community, Intrawest had been brought in as a third party to finally make the deal happen. In the three-way deal, Intrawest purchased the Emerald Forest lands from Decigon for an undisclosed sum. The municipality then paid Intrawest $1 million and gave them approval for an additional 476 bed units so they could develop two further hotels in the Benchlands, in exchange for the Emerald Forest.

There was some disappointment toward this agreement because it meant that Whistler would far exceed the development cap outlined in the Official Community Plan. However, the unique agreement succeeded in ensuring the Emerald Forest was protected in perpetuity.

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Building Meadow ParkBuilding Meadow Park

July 13, 2021 Whistler MuseumWhistler Museum 0 Comments

In 1980, while Blackcomb Mountain was preparing to open and the Town Centre was still in early stages of construction, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) was putting together a plan to build parks throughout Whistler. The Outdoor Recreation Plan they proposed suggested plans for lakeside parks, such as today’s Lost Lake Park, Wayside Park, and Alpha Lake Park, as well as calling for smaller parks within subdivisions. In Alpine Meadows, the plan proposed a park with a playground, softball field, open play area, nature area, bikeway terminus, and parking with highway access. Over the 1980s, this suggestion of a park would become Meadow Park.

Municipal trail crews cut through the brush to make the final connection between the Alpine Meadows trail and Meadow Park trail (under construction). Paving to complete the trail system will begin at the end of July. Whistler Question Collection, June 1983.

Work on Meadow Park began in the early 1980s with the building up of 11 acres of marsh. By September 1983, though still a work-in-progress, Meadow Park was connected to the Whistler Village by an early section of the Valley Trail and tennis courts had been installed. Despite this progress, the park was still a long way from finished. In May 1984, a feature article in the Whistler Question described the area as “a sorry sight,” with skunk cabbage where other parks boasted daffodils and a brown patch in place of a playing field. By the River of Golden Dreams, however, a grassy picnic site featured panoramic views of mountains.

Over the summer of 1984, the brown patch would be seeded and transformed into a field complete with baseball diamond and backstop, the Valley Trail would be paved and extended to the highway, and a playground would be installed near the tennis courts. According to Parks Planner Tom Barratt, the RMOW’s plan with these facilities was “to make the park as much a community park as it is a local, subdivision park.”

Meadow Park moms gathered on a Tuesday afternoon. The pre-nap strategy: “Get them out and let them run wild.” Whistler Question Collection, 1993.

The next major addition to Meadow Park was made in 1988 with the installation of the water park. The water park was partially funded by a grant from BC Lotteries and was built by L.A. Systems, who had just finished installing a similar park in Horseshoe Bay. According to municipal parks director Bill Barratt, the water park would offer a safer alternative to lakes for small children during hot weather.

The water park was completed by August 1988, featuring water cannons, sprinklers, geyser, water slide, and “a fish that blows wherever the wind does.” A community event, referred to by some as the “Big Splash,” was put together by the Alta Lake Community Club to celebrate the water park’s opening. Dandelion Daycare sponsored a bicycle-decorating contest, the Rotary Club provided ice cream, the Lions Club brought hot dogs and drinks, and local businesses provided prizes. Children and parents “flocked” to the new facility.

The water park being well used during the summer months. Whistler Question Collection, 1995.

The water park continued to be well used by residents and visitors alike and Meadow Park was soon established as a neighbourhood park. In a 2016 post for the Whistler Insider (the blog hosted by whistler.com) author Feet Banks wrote that, “The water park was an integral part of childhood for Whistler kids who lived in the north end of town. With no public transit, this was the closest cool-down option and we made almost daily pilgrimages to splash down the slide, run the spray tunnel, refresh and play Frisbee on the massive grass fields.”

The Valley Trail system has been extended and public transit introduced making it easier to access other parks and lakes, but Meadow Park continues to be a popular park for those who live in Alpine Meadows and many others. Picnickers can still be found next to the River of Golden Dreams and, especially when the temperatures rise, children and adults alike can be seen splashing in the water park.

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