The dream of having a single trail connecting communities in the corridor is one step closer to being realized following the completion of a key part of the Sea to Sky Trail connecting Cheakamus Crossing to Brandywine Falls.

“The Sea to Sky Trail is meant to be the arterial route throughout the region, so as we go through Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton it would be the main trail throughout these communities,” said Gordon McKeever, Sea to Sky Trail project manager and former RMOW councillor.

The completion of the Sea to Sky Trail portion also comes coupled with news that the Spring Creek to Cheakamus Crossing portion of the Valley Trail system — part of a separate trail program within Whistler — has been completed. The new Valley Trail portion essentially connects one end of Whistler Valley to the other. And while the Sea to Sky Trail and the Valley Trail system are two separate initiatives, the Sea to Sky Trail actually incorporates parts of the Valley Trail.

“The Valley Trail is an incredible visitor and community resource for both transportation and recreation,” said Mayor Ken Melamed in a statement. “The trail offers a quiet alternative for people’s commutes and is a recreational favourite of residents and visitors alike.”

While the completion of both portions of the trail systems are something to celebrate — with a community event and trail ride set for Sunday (July 17) to do just that — McKeever said there’s still a ways to go before the Whistler portion of the Sea to Sky Trail is completed.

“The Whistler portion right now has a couple of gaps in it. Essentially, Whistler Village down to Brandywine Park, the route is pretty much complete with the exception of Spring Creek,” explained McKeever. “Temporarily, from Cal-Cheak down to the bungee bridge, the alignment is along the forest service road. We would like to go over the suspension bridge in Cal Cheak and from there over to the bungee bridge, but there are some private land issues that need to be resolved. There’s also a small gap that needs to be addressed from Cheakamus Crossing over to the playing fields on the other side.”

As for the part of the trail that runs north of Whistler Village, McKeever said work is ongoing from Whistler Village to Lost Lake and up to the northern boundary.

“It started last year and they’re hoping to go through this year and hoping to complete in 2012,” said McKeever of the work on the north part of the trail. “That would see Whistler’s portion of the Sea to Sky trail complete boundary-to-boundary.”

Initially envisioned in 1991 by a group of dedicated individuals called the Sea to Sky Trail Society, the idea for the project gained momentum and support throughout the ‘90s before eventually winding down in 1998.

“Basically it was too difficult a task for an eclectic group of volunteers, no matter how passionate or hardworking they were willing to be. It was just too big of a job,” explained McKeever. “The core group, the first group of people, kind of kept it going in a small way for the next few years and then it really wound down basically to a halt.

“Around 2003 we worked to revive the project with a different model, which was to turn it into a corridor-wide, community-driven effort with all levels of government involved.”

Since that revival, the project has taken on a life of its own, something McKeever attributes to adopting a more all-encompassing approach.

“A critical element of success we’ve had to date is the multi-stakeholder agreement,” said McKeever. “Not only with the passion that’s been there all along, but also the ability to move the project forward.”

However, construction isn’t the biggest challenge facing the completion of the Sea to Sky Trail. According to McKeever, having the trail legally recognized and protected is the most important aspect of the project — something he said is still ongoing.

“The challenge with a project like this is to establish the trail as a legal entity, as a permanently entrenched part of the legal landscape,” said McKeever. “Without that legal authorization of the trail it’s kind of like building sand castles — they’re lovely to look at and fun to play with but the next high tide they’re gone. Once you get it legally established it becomes part of the landscape and any future changes made to the landscape have to accommodate that trail.”

In the meantime, the Sea to Sky Trail project and the RMOW are inviting the community out to celebrate the recent completion of the to Cheakamus-Brandywine portion of the trail with a community ride. The event will be held on Sunday (July 17) and will kick off with some festivities in Cheakamus Crossing across from the HI Hostel at 10 a.m.