Centennial Trail Loop Almost Complete
City worker gets ready to install two interpretive signs at Cottonwood Island Park – photos 250News
Prince George, B.C. – A 30-kilometre trail featuring close to 50 interpretive signs aimed at educating and getting people outdoors more is almost complete.
Work on the Centennial Loop Trail started about a year and a half ago thanks to a generous donation from Husky Energy to help mark the City of Prince George’s centennial.
They include flora and fauna signs along with heritage signs and go around the entire loop connecting trails and sidewalks says the city’s community coordinator Doug Hofstede.
“It starts at Lheidli T’enneh, comes over to Cottonwood Island, goes up to Cameron Street Bridge, over to Moore’s Meadow and then it connects with Foothills and goes all the way up University Hill, comes around Tyner, down to Ginter’s Meadow and down to Carrie Jane Park and connects with Lheidli T’enneh.”
He says there were a couple of reasons why they built the trail.
“We have distance markers along the whole thing. So, people can figure out how far they’re walking” says Hofstede. “We try and get people out and about more. We have lots of linear trails and lots of really good parks so we just want to make sure there’s an easy way for people to find out how to connect to all those different resources.”
He says they’ll be finished shortly.
“We’ve got a couple of kiosk signs that we’re doing up in the next couple of weeks so along with the 50 interpretive signs, we’ll have nine kiosk signs and numerous directional signs.”
Does he see the trail as a tourist attraction?
“Absolutely. Especially with the heritage signs – people love that kind of stuff. Heritage tourism is really big and people want to find out about places and our heritage signs give them nice little snippets as people enjoy our lovely parks.”
Comments
The Centennial Trail Loop is an awesome concept, but unless the City is will to maintain the Cottonwood Island area the whole thing is literally going to fall into the river. This area is rated as PG’s #1 tourist attraction. Yet, if folks from the City like Doug actually went out to the area, they would find that the whole area is in complete disrepair.
The Cottonwood Island to Cameron Street Bridge section is one of the worst areas. Not only is it sandwiched between industrial garbage and decaying buildings, the lack of any preventative rip-rap or other means of controlling the river has led to the complete erosion of the path. There are a couple sections with wood boards on it that are so washed out that it is just a matter of time until a small dog or a child falls and gets stuck (or drowns).
Cottonwood Island itself is beautiful, but the lack of bridges (that washed away) means that there are a number of trails that literally just fall off into the river.
I have high hopes for this area of town, but if the City continues to fail to support the Cottonwood Island area, all of these Centennial signs will soon just end up falling into the river and floating downstream.
yes Cottonwood park is an unkempt embarrassment. Why is it allowed to fall into such disrepair?
The Elmer Gunderson carvings are terrific though.
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