First Nations Projects | Case study
Bedwell River Trail Design
The Challenge?
Assess and design a 20 kilometre trail into Bedwell Sound through Clayoquot Sound.
The Crux?
The trail and facilities must be designed to accommodate hiker and horse traffic.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort approached us with a unique project, to assess an existing trail and old road corridor to make recommendations on how to upgrade it. Their aim, to bring guests into the remote wilderness of Strathcona Park by horseback. Halfway up the trail, they wanted to install a luxury glamping tent. There, users could spend a comfortable and luxurious night in the surrounding wilderness. They tasked us with designing trail and infrastructure that would suit both hikers and horses.
Our scope included creating construction maps, a work plan, construction report and a series of designs.
We worked alongside BC Parks on the project, part of which led on to their land. They outlined certain requirements, such as horses brought into the park had to be given a specialized diet of sterilized food so that no invasive species would be introduced. As well, they wanted all infrastructure- bridges, boardwalks and resting areas, to be rated for horse traffic.
The project involved our specialty, coordinating remote access! All gear and supply caches had to be flown in and dropped off prior to field crews starting their assessment. This allowed us to complete the entire 20 kilometre assessment uninterrupted, without external support.
Location:
Bedwell Sound, Vancouver Island
Date:
2012
Client:
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
Scope:
• Trail and resource assessment
• Design
• Consulting
“The principals of 43K Wilderness Solutions were engaged to work on a project I was supervising for Clayoquot Wilderness Resort. The work involved the inventory and detailed planning required to upgrade the Bedwell River route to a mixed-use horse and hiking trail, including the development of basic amenities at appropriate locations along the route – all to the satisfaction of BC Parks standards and environmental assessment requirements. I found the crew to be professional and effective and would not hesitate to engage their services again – in fact, I have partnered with them on another project since that time in my new role as COO of the Legacy Tourism Group.”
