| Baden-Powell Trail | |
|---|---|
 A Trail Marker on the Baden Powell Trail | |
| Length | 30 mi (48 km) |
| Location | Vancouver, BC |
| Trailheads | Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver |
| Use | Hiking, Backpacking |
The Baden-Powell Trail is a rugged but well-maintained 48 km hiking trail, that traverses from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was named after Robert Baden-Powell, Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the world Scouting Movement.[1]
The trail is about forty-eight kilometres (48 km) long, extending (west to east) from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cove in the District of North Vancouver. In between, the trail winds through the heavily forested North Shore Mountains. It also connects with several other local trails.
There are a number of scenic vistas and points of interest along the way.[2] These include:
The trail is marked with bright orange triangular tags that are attached to trees alongside the trail and some blue directional signage. In addition, regular signposts indicate directions and provide distance measurements. A number of stairways and bridges are installed along the trail to make it passable in steep, difficult, or dangerous terrain. However, the trail surface is not completely clear; there are many obstacles such as exposed roots, large rocks, and massive mud puddles. Some sections of the trail are especially steep and can feel somewhat exposed.
The trail was constructed in 1971 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of British Columbia's entry into Canada as a province. The project was initiated by the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides organizations of B.C. and much of the work of building it was done by their young members.
Every year, an extremely demanding cross-country trail running race known as the Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (or Knee Knacker) is conducted along the full length of the Baden-Powell Trail.[3]
The trail has many access points throughout its entirety. On the West end, the trail starts where Highway 99 (Sea-To-Sky) and Highway 1 diverge, however there is very limited parking at this location. At the East end, the trail starts in Panorama Park, north of the heart of Deep Cove.[4]
