The Squamish Canyon is getting a new walkway that will allow people of all ages and abilities to experience the beauty of British Columbia, all year-round.
The walkway is part of a bigger plan for the Canyon. A plan that will allow visitors to have a fun, engaging and safe experience, no matter your age.
The new walkway will have a zero-waste café, a playground area and outdoor canopies that will allow the venue to remain open all year-round. That means visitors will be able to get out in nature anytime they want – even when it rains.
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Squamish Canyon Walkway
There will also be educational components to the walkway where you can learn about geology, ecology and First Nations history.
Educational talks will be held under the rainforest canopy, while families enjoy locally sourced goods, making the community space their home in the forest and playground for children. #SquamishCanyon #Canada #Rainforest #SquamishBC
Photo by Randy Tarampi on Unsplash pic.twitter.com/DKHvjOQoH8
— Squamish Canyon (@SquamishCanyon) January 26, 2019
Canyon Founder, Robin Sherry, is also proposing to add cameras where the salmon habitat exists so people can watch from above and on their way home if they’d like.
The new feature is becoming a reality, not because of donations from the public, but because of investments.
The concept for the Canyon was made public last fall and crowd equity raised $282,000 for the project.
Rather than donating to a cause, crowd equity allows people to invest in having shares of a company or project.
Sherry said he chose this model “so the community could own part of the project and be shareholders and ambassadors.”
He also stated this allows residents to be a real part of the changes that are happening in Squamish.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us and for believing in our purpose. The overwhelming support from our community has been incredible and we’re so stoked to have achieved our minimum campaign raise target which means we can begin the engineering work. Bring on 2019! pic.twitter.com/O8O3VSKagI
— Squamish Canyon (@SquamishCanyon) January 14, 2019
Experiencing Nature
The Sqaumish Canyon website states there is a need for “year-round, all weather, all-ages experiences that can safely and sustainably absorb the demand.”
The website also notes, this project will bring together tourism, diversify the economy of the area and create a place for the community to really enjoy the “natural, rustic beauty of Canada’s outdoor recreational capital.”
The total price of the project is estimated to between $4 to 5 million.
Throughout October to mid-January, 31 local investors pitched in $250 to $5,000 each to reach the Canyon’s minimum goal. They made it.
The cafe selling local produce food along with the children’s play area are made out of natural materials and under cover. They will be a place for families to meet, play and be in nature all year round. Local artists and merchants will be able to sell their local wares too. pic.twitter.com/PkXa4a7tnF
— Squamish Canyon (@SquamishCanyon) January 3, 2019
“One of the things we wanted to show was how tourism and community space and industry could all coexist together, and how heavily used land can be reclaimed and turned into something that could be preserved,” said Sherry.
Those interested in investing in this project can do so in late February when their second round raise will open.
Sherry hopes the Canyon will be open by this year, however details for the site plan have not been released.
