The Singing Pass Trail is one of the most contentious access issues in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Here is a simplified version of the issue to serve as an introduction.

Garibaldi Park Established

Garibaldi Park was created in 1927. It’s one of the largest parks in the BC Parks system. The Singing Pass trail is one of five key trails used to access the park.

Development of Whistler and Blackcomb Ski Resorts

Around thirty years after Garibaldi Park was established, development of a ski resort began in the area immediately adjacent to the western boundary of the park and expansion and development of the ski resort continues today. The intention was always for practical and free public access to Garibaldi Park to be maintained with road access through the valley to near the edge of the park boundary.

Degradation of Access

Prior to the 1990s, the situation was acceptable. Visitors to the park were able to drive up a road on the south side of the valley between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains to a parking area and trailhead for the Singing Pass Trail. In the 1990s the road became damaged. Instead of being fixed, it was gated and visitors were required to walk up the road for five kilometers and gain hundreds of meters just to reach the trailhead. This added significant time and distance to the trip and made it much less practical and far less enjoyable. In the years that followed, the government and resort continued to fail to fix the road and added insult to injury by making changes to the ski resort that would make it more difficult to restore access in the future.

The Reality Today

In more recent years, the Harmony Creek foot-bridge on the Singing Pass Trail has washed out and has not been replaced. BC Parks now warns visitors with a large sign that the route has many hazards and may not be passable. It is no longer a reasonable route for tourists or families. At the same time, Whistler Blackcomb and BC Parks have partnered to provide paying customers of the resort with “privileged access” (their words, not mine) that gets visitors closer to the edge of the park and avoids the problematic area for the cost of $56.95 per person.

WHISTLER BLACKCOMB & BC PARKS JOIN FORCES FOR WONDER

Working in close partnership with BC Parks, Whistler Blackcomb has developed the High Note Trail on Whistler and the Overlord-Decker Trail on Blackcomb to allow guests privileged access to some of BC Parks’ most spectacular alpine scenery.

For all intents and purposes, free and practical public access to a huge portion of Garibaldi Provincial Park has been eliminated the resort gets to act as a toll-booth for those who wish to access the park.

Frogs in Boiling Water

It’s an overused (and scientifically questionable) analogy but it applies well to this situation. Drop a frog in a pot of boiling water and it will jump out immediately. Put a frog in a pot of cold water on a stove and it will stay in the pot until it dies as the water slowly comes to a boil.

If a multi-billion dollar US corporation and the provincial government came forward with a proposal to build a ski resort directly adjacent to a large portion of a Provincial Park and to decommission the existing access roads and access trails, there would be an uproar. It would be an unthinkable proposal that would never get off the ground. However, that is exactly where we have ended up today and so our response should be no different.

The government continues to forge ahead with little regard for this longstanding concern. On February 24th 2017, the government approved a 60 year Master Development Agreement without resolving this issue which was a massive insult to the people of BC.

What’s next?

This is not an unsolvable problem. The southern access could be restored. Alternatively, access could be provided along an existing road on the northern side of the valley that is in excellent condition and that terminates at a micro-hydro dam near the boundary of the park. A cost estimate for the northern option came in at less than $300,000 which is a rounding error when compared to the $345,000,000 Renaissance project that Whistler Blackcomb has proposed in the same general area.

It’s time for people to send a clear message to the government on this issue. We’re not going to stand by while the government and a corporation allow one of the most critical access roads and trails in the province to become permanently impassable and impractical. Vehicle access to the trailhead must be restored and the trail must be made safe again.

If you are interested in getting involved, I suggest starting by writing a letter to the MLA for the area: Jordan Sturdy.

More reading

Many individuals and groups have been advocating for this issue for a number of years.

Here is some reading if you are interested in learning more:

Re: Whistler Blackcomb Public Access to Singing Pass

http://mountainclubs.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Singing-Pass-Trail-Access-Letter-to-Norman-Lee-February-29-2016.pdf

TIME FOR BACKCOUNTRY HIKERS’ NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED

http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/letters-to-the-editor-for-the-week-of-november-19th/Content?oid=2716983

Singing Pass Trail Fiasco

https://garibaldipark2020.com/all-about-garibaldi-park/garibaldi-park-chronology/singing-pass-trail-fiasco

Happy Hiking,

Steve

stevejoneshikes@gmail.com