The Goat River Trail received some much needed attention this summer, with an upgrade to the cable car that crosses the Goat River, a set of stairs at a troublesome location near the Milk River Trailhead (i.e., East end), and a Garden Throne toilet installation near the cable car. These upgrades were primarily paid for from a provincial CERIP grant (Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program) that we were successful in obtaining. The Federation of Mountain Clubs pitched in with assistance in purchasing the Garden Throne toilet.
The CERIP grant will also aid a trail relocation effort next year, as we are rerouting the west end of the 50km trail from a deactivated logging road onto a ridge that leads up and over Kruger Mountain, pretty much along the northern boundary of Bowron Lake Provincial Park. The new route will avoid the perpetual issue of old roads brushing in and provide a much more scenic hike. In addition, it will recapture a few km of the original trail that historically used the northern shorelines of the northern lakes in the Bowron circuit — or the lakes themselves if travellers were so equipped.
