Article by Cliff Wells of the "Western Star"
CORNER BROOK — The Humber Valley Trail is officially open.
The 25-kilometre hike from the Ballam Bridge to Humber Valley Resort had the International Appalachian Trail sign unveiled at its start Friday morning.
Paul Wylezol, chair of the International Appalachian Trail of Newfoundland and Labrador, said the event may have been two years in the making, but it was well worth the wait.
“The (Newfoundland portion of the trail) was officially opened two years ago in Portland Creek on the Northern Peninsula,” Wylezol said. “Last year we opened a section between Stephenville and Stephenville Crossing. Now we’re opening the Humber Valley Trail. That was developed mostly last year and finished this year and signed, although the signage is ongoing.
The trail association is also working in the Bay of Islands area on a trail between Benoit’s Cove and Frenchman’s Cove, and the Blow Me Down Mountains over to York Harbour, and then into Serpentine Valley.
“That’ll connect with another project — the Lewis Hills section,” Wylezol said.
Work on the trail system is going according to plan, he added. He said there will be a full hiking trail system in place from Port aux Basques to the Northern Peninsula at Crow Head, near L’Anse aux Meadows.
“It’s important to keep the momentum going as we’re developing more trails,” he said. “We want to, for the sake of hikers and the adventure tourism market to keep trails opening every year or two to have something new for the local hikers and tourists to hike. Over the next seven or eight years, it fits in the 10-year plan to get all the trails done ...starting with the marquee trails — the ones people are going to want to come from around the world to see, like the Lewis Hills, the Blow Me Down Mountains, Parsons Pond-Portland Creek watershed.”
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