Whyte Lake Trail

Pleasant trail through old growth forest connecting the Trans-Canada Trail with the Baden-Powell Trail to Black Mountain.

Statistics

Directions

Take Upper Levels Highway to exit #4 and go west on Westport Drive, north of then under the highway. There is a large area to park on a service road off Westport Drive just below the highway (parking for 20 cars). Walk under the highway on the gated service road and up the Nelson Canyon Trail (Trans Canada Trail), then over the Whyte Lake Trail.

The trail can be reached via bus. Take the 250 to Cranley Drive, walk up Cranley to Seaview Walk, and go up the hill from here.

Details

This is a connector trail between two much longer trails, and is part of the detour for the Baden Powell trail during highway construction. The Nelson Canyon entrance (photo of tree with writing on it) is near the top of Nelson Canyon Trail, which is part of the Trans Canada Trail connecting Horseshoe Bay (via Seaview Walk) with Cypress Provincial Park and Cypress Falls Park (via Eagle Creek Trail and access roads). The trail goes from Nelson Canyon trail down to Nelson Creek, crosses the creek just north (upstream) of Whyte Creek, follows Whyte Creek along the north side, crosses to the south side, and joins the Baden Powell south of Whyte Lake. There is another trail that branches to the right just after the end of the boardwalk and goes north along the west side of the lake. This trail joins the Baden Powell trail further up (flagging at both ends). This trail has trees down near the lake but is clear further up (December 2007). You can access the lakeshore from this trail.

The trail is a gentle undulating uphill walk (going southeast to northwest). A great deal of work has been done on it and a new bridge was added across Nelson Creek sometime in the fall of 2008. When the Horseshoe Bay entrance to the BP trail reopens it will make a loop from Horseshoe Bay through the forest (BP, Whyte Lake, TCT).

Updated dog policy: off leash on Nelson Canyon Trail and on leash on Whyte Lake Trail.

Photographs

GPS Waypoints

Upper Seaview Walk trailhead (Cranley Drive)	N49.36010 W123.26305	10U 480899 5467521
TCT leaves Seaview Walk	N49.36108 W123.26314	10U 480893 5467630
TCT leads beneath overpass	N49.36209 W123.26215	10U 480965 5467742
TCT connects with old highway	N49.36292 W123.26156	10U 481008 5467834
Nelson Canyon parking lot (Westport Road)	N49.36057 W123.25748	10U 481304 5467572
Watershed access gate	N49.36092 W123.26017	10U 481108 5467611
Westport Road access trail leads beneath overpass	N49.36160 W123.26057	10U 481080 5467687
Westport Road access trail junction with TCT	N49.36231 W123.25971	10U 481142 5467766
Water resevoir	N49.36344 W123.25874	10U 481213 5467891
Whyte Lake Trail junction	N49.36683 W123.25437	10U 481532 5468267
Bridge over Nelson Creek	N49.36887 W123.25379	10U 481575 5468494
Whyte Lake	N49.37531 W123.25918	10U 481186 5469211
Boardwalk	N49.37519 W123.26003	10U 481124 5469198
Baden-Powell Trail junction	N49.37983 W123.25840	10U 481244 5469713