Any spots left? Mount Seymour Provincial Park gridlock due to popularity
Mount Seymour Provincial Park has been so popular this winter that visitors have had to endure a trail of bumper to bumper traffic along Mt Seymour Road in what's become the Lower Mainland's latest traffic trap.
This video shot by the CBC's Chris Corday shows the long line of parked cars on the weekend.
"It's been quite challenging to get up the road and into the parking lot and not just at Seymour Park, but a number of parks in the system," said avid hiker and blogger Steven Jones.
It's no surprise that the park is busy, given the amount of snow, and blue sky days the region has had so far this winter. Users say each morning there is a lineup of cars at the gate well before the 7 a.m. PT opening.
Jones, along with 300 like-minded people, has been lobbying for earlier access.
"I think one of the easiest things we can do is to open the gates to the park a little earlier so that people can get in and out and out of the way before other users try and get into the park," he said.
Now, it appears that may be a possibility as the province has concluded a survey about use at the popular park, and is now considering solutions to ease or spread out the heavy use.
"There might be some ways to alleviate it," said David Karn, a spokesperson with B.C.'s Ministry of Environment.
"That is basically what they're looking at with that survey. Just to get some ideas going."
Karn, though, is downplaying just how busy the park may be overall, saying there are always a few weekends out of every year that are especially busy.
Mt. Seymour Resort, which operates the ski area and plows the roads, and parking lots for skiers, snowboarders along with backcountry users, says use is up overall however.
"Interest in the backcountry has increased every year," said Simon Whitehead who speaks for the resort. "It's beautiful, it's 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver where the population keeps growing and social media is playing a role."
The resort reserves use of the upper parking lots for skiers and snowboarders during peak periods, meaning backcountry users can face up to a 30 minute walk to get to the trailhead from the lower lots despite a regularly-maintained, groomed pathway.
Along with advocating for an earlier opening time, Jones and his friends also want the province to move quicker on developing master plans for other parks.
Those include Coquitlam's Pinecone Burke Provincial Park where Jones would like to see marked trails for winter backcountry use.
That, he said, could help siphon some users away from Seymour.
The province says over the past five years, B.C. Parks has spent around $60 million in park facilities, "delivering projects directed at attracting young families, offering new recreation opportunities and increasing attendance."
with files from Chris Corday and Jane Armstrong
