The Siwash Rock Trail has always been my favourite Stanley Park running route. It (and the Merilees Trail) connect Third Beach with Siwash Rock and, eventually, Prospect Point. You can see them on the trail map here.
It used to look more or less like this:
This is actually the North Creek Trail, leading to Prospect Point from Beaver Lake, but you get the idea – a footpath harmoniously integrated into the forest, with the minimum intervention needed for safety and drainage.
Regrettably, I never took a photo of the Siwash Rock Trail, even though it had some of the most spectacular views in the park as a consequence of its elevation along the cliffs that overlook Lions Gate. I can’t photograph that trail now because it’s gone. Today it looks like this:
A consequence of the windstorm of 2006 of course. The forest was devastated and the trail ruined. Recovery and stablization efforts required the Park Board to bring in the heavy machinery and conduct a logging show for months thereafter. And then the trail became effectively an access route set back from the cliff edge.
I have to confess to some ambivalence. I loved the trail as it was, but these widened trails make for safer running and cycling. Views have opened up and the light shines through. In time, the hardness of the pathway will be softened by nature, as has happened elsewhere in the park.
In the meantime, we can enjoy the new views – like this one, taken late Sunday afternoon. Very Group of Seven, with the ever-popular Siwash Rock.
A few weeks ago I stopped along the seawall during a bike ride and found myself looking at the Siwash rock when one of the tree branches moved. That’s a bird! thought I. Sure enough, a bit of watching revealed a blue heron hidden on the far side of the trunk. Ah, the delights of taking a moment from riding too fast to enjoy the scenery. Last weekend husband and I rode the seawall and paused to see if anyone was at home. There was a pair! Maybe they got fed up with the crowded bird conditions at the nearby tennis courts.