Juan de Fuca Trail Construction

The Challenge?

Maintain and upgrade 47 kilometres of rugged backcountry trail on one of the most scenic and well-visited stretches of coastline on Vancouver Island. 

The Crux?

Replace two kilometres of exposed, steep trail that had been wiped out entirely by violent winter storms. 

Our crews spent several months in the winter of 2019 on the Juan de Fuca trail assessing, designing and building a range of infrastructure along this busy hiking route. The project began by evaluating the unique and challenging environmental factors that would require geotechnical engineering expertise. One cliff section on the trail had eroded so badly that only vertical rock remained. As a solution, we designed an aluminium boardwalk that bolted into the cliff to give it a strong foundation. This allowed us to keep a spot with amazing views on the trail without posing an unacceptable level of risk to guest safety.

Without road access, all materials and tools had to be helicoptered into site. This included a one ton air compressor that had to be affixed to a tree hanging over the ocean in order to stay put! Staff worked in inclement west coast winter weather conditions to build boardwalk, stairs, bridges, drainage and engineered walkways uniquely designed for the site. Safety was a top priority for our crews as much of the build took place in extremely rugged and exposed work areas. This required additional training and personnel planning in order to mimizime their exposure to risk while working in potentially dangerous locations on the trail.

Location:
Sombrio Point, Juan de Fuca Trail, Vancouver Island 

Date:
2019

Client:
BC Parks

Scope:
• Facility Design
• Backcountry Construction