Two new trails linking a community centre and a school opened to the public last month in Port Coquitlam.
The pathways off Hickory and Newberry streets are the first new trails in five years to be built by the city. Both routes were officially carved out by contractors last fall at a cost of $48,000. They are already popular with pedestrians and cyclists heading to the Hyde Creek recreation centre and Minnekhada middle school as well as dog walkers and joggers, said Ron Myers, PoCo's manager of parks planning and design.
Myers said two informal corridors through the Hyde Creek Nature Reserve had already been formed. Crews went in to clear brush and cut down about half a dozen dead trees before excavating the ground for a 3 m wide path and laying six inches of mulch.
During a walk with Myers on Monday, much of the debris from the clearing and previous wind storms and logging was visible.
Still, Myers said opening up two sections was important as they had become hiding places for thieves: many empty backpacks and items stolen from the rec centre were recovered and graffiti and illegal drug paraphernalia were also found.
"There was a lot of evidence of people doing illegal things in here," he said.
The Hickory trail runs about 400 m while the Newberry path is 200 m. Both are linked on the west side by the Minnekhada middle sport field and, on the east, by a north-south reserve path from Prairie Avenue.
Wildlife such as bears, deer, birds and squirrels are a common sight - along with walkers, joggers and cyclists - so Myers cautioned users to be on guard. The two trails will be maintained every eight weeks for security reasons and litter removal.
@jwarrenTC
