tea,

eg Lt DAS GS OES

Demonstration forest, parks
draw tourists, hikers, cyclists

From page 36
is the first time the area has been
open to the public in 60 years.

Milavsky also attributed the
forest’s - popularity to its educa-
tional 2

“It’s got a different slant than a
park; it’s got an educational
twist,’? Milavsky said.

Moreover, since the forest in-
dustry has been in the ‘‘hot seat,”’
the demonstration of an actively
managed forest is particularly
timely, she said.

Seymour Demonstration Forest
is open year-round, offering guid-
ed walks on the interpretive trails.

In addition, Milavsky said cycl-
ing — with trails for mountain
bikes and the 11.5 km road to the

dam and hatchery —- is one of the-

main attractions,
.“There’s a lot of cycling because
it’s such a unique cycling opportu-

-nity,’’ Milavsky commented.

Cypress Bowl and Mount
Seymour Provincial Parks are also
enjoying a rise in popularity, net-
ting a combined two million park

Many of the visitors are tourists
and local sightseers who come for
the spectacular view, said Wayne
Stetsky, manager of visitor ser-
vices, south coast region for the
B.C. Ministry of Parks. .

But hiking is also on the rise
during the peak summer months.

Lucien Campeau, zone manager
for the Lower Mainland parks,
said despite the the late snowfall
this year, he expects park use to
increase by 10-15 per cent. .

From July to October hikers are
attracted by the summer and fall
colors, wild blueberries and the dzy
trails, Campeau said, adding that
the trails are still a little spongey
for July.

Both Cypress Bowl and Mount
Seymour offer extensive trail net-
porks with varyin ig degrees of dif-
ficuity. peau said Seymour
bas trails ranging from short
walks, such as the Goldie Lake and
Flower Lake Trails, to overnight
hikes, such as the Elsie Lake
Trails,

Although hiking is not a new
phenomenon on the North Shore,
it is becoming more a sport than a
recreational pastime.

The North Shore Hikers have a
membership exceeding 1,000 and
offer more than 306 hikes per year,
including a North Shore hike each
weekend. .
cat west hee ae Seniors

(7 a hiking club of regu-
lars who hike every Tuesday
throughout the year.

The 60-member North Van-
couver Recreation Commission
Outdoors Club also makes the
North Shore mountains a frequent
destination.

The local mountains are working
hard to build their share of the
summer market.

Grouse Mountain Skyride man-
ager Ian Mackay estimated that the
number of summer visitors to
Grouse is up 10 per cent from last
year.

“We're definitely experiencing
greater numbers this year in terms
of tourists,’’ Mackay said,

Grouse is still experiencing
spin-offs from Expo, Mackay said,
with the majority of its visitors
coming from the U.S. and Western
Canada.

The Biack Chair up Cypress
Bowl takes sightseers up into the
Cabin Lake area for a hike and to
see the alpine flowers.

Mount Seymour offers a similar
service with the Mystery Peak
Chair, which takes people up into
the high alpine during the summer.

Steisky said snow play activities,
such as cross-country skiing, snow
shoeing and, most recently,
snowboarding are also oa the rise
on the local mountains.

All three North: Shore mountains
are welcoming snowboarders to
their runs.

Grouse Mountain and Mount
Seymour provide designated
snowboarding runs with a suitable
terrain in addition to the downhill

See Tourists
Page 41

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