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Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District Plans Parking Lot for Maplehurst Park
Maplehurst is a four-kilometre length of trail located mostly in Cherry Creek. The park was originally developed through a Maplehurst subdivision process more than 100 years ago, and although the subdivision never went ahead, the park remains.
Over the past few years, trail use in the park has increased significantly and the ACRD no longer has the infrastructure for the traffic.
Earlier this year, the ACRD started a public input project to learn more about park use, to identify a long-term vision for Maplehurst and learn about priorities for park enhancements and protection of the natural environment.
There’s a lot of people really passionate about this area,” said McGregor. “We received a lot of public engagement with various different ideas and priorities.”
McGregor said most of the public input expressed a desire for the park to stay natural.
“We appreciate what’s there now,” said McGregor. “We want to maintain a natural area for public use.”
But trail users also commented on the lack of parking. The trailhead is located at the end of Willow Road and cars park on the shoulder of the road. On busy days, traffic gets congested.
Based on this feedback, and recommendations from McGregor, the ACRD board of directors voted on Wednesday to apply for a license of occupation and a lease with the Province of BC for a parking facility within Ministry of Transportation right of way and Crown lands at the end of Willow Road.
The board also voted to prepare a project plan for establishing a secondary park access off Cowley Road.
The ACRD board also adopted on Wednesday a management plan for the park, which will include adding wayfinding signage and collaborating with Hupacasath and Tseshaht First Nation on interpretive signage within the park, as well as a potential name change
“Maplehurst was the name of a subdivision over a hundred years ago that never went ahead,” said McGregor. “I don’t think the community has a great attachment to the name.”
ACRD staff will also pursue an expansion of the Maplehurst trail system on adjacent Crown Lands in Beaver Creek.