Trail linking Horne Lake to Port Alberni being considered
NANAIMO — The concept of a multi-use trail rich in First Nation’s history on mid-Vancouver Island is being pursued by the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN).
The RDN board has voted to have a section of land surveyed to see how complex building a 12 km trail between Horne Lake and Port Alberni would be. Feasibility work for the Horne Lake Regional Trail will cost an estimated $70,000 and could be done by next spring, according to an RDN staff report.
RDN board chair Bill Veenhof says the route has incredible history.
“From a First Nations perspective, it was a trading route between Port Alberni and Qualicum Bay,” said Veenhof. “It’s a natural corridor through the hump…I don’t know how long that trail has been there, but one can easily imagine it’s been there 5,000 to 6,000 years,” he said.