ICET: | $102,259 |
Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Fund (CERIP): | $306,778 |
Total Budget: | $409,037 |
This 57 km trail set among the soaring mountains and cedar forests of BC’s Sunshine Coast has seen visitor use increase by 8-13% year over year for the last 5 years. This project will create additional capacity in its 23 campsites, and make improvements to the trail.
The Powell Forest Canoe Route is one of only 3 wilderness paddle trails in British Columbia and is considered a hidden gem on the Sunshine Coast. In recent years, the trail and campsites have been serving far more visitors per year than it was originally designed/built for, highlighting the need and opportunity to upgrade campsites and on sections of the trail.
Led by the Powell River Educational Services Society, the Powell Forest Canoe Route Revitalization project will improve and add new amenities to sustain the route as a world-class destination trail.
The project will bring the trail up to modern trail and environmental-use standards, develop a new gateway staging area, install historical and Indigenous interpretive signage. Project goals include creating local employment opportunities, enhancing the overall visitor experience, extending economic impacts into the shoulder seasons and ensuring long-term protection of the asset.