5 Ways to Celebrate International Trails Day

Saturday, June 1, 2024 is International Trails Day and a chance to get out and celebrate the day by enjoying and using the local trails. The day is traditionally celebrated on the first Saturday of June across the world.

International Trails Day is a day dedicated to celebrate trails, their development, uses and the healthy lifestyle they encourage.

Here are 5 ways to celebrate International Trails Day:

1. Try out a new trail

Hike a trail you haven’t done before or maybe an area that you don’t often go to. For example, maybe a lot of the trails you hike are on the North Shore, how about exploring some of the trails in Maple Ridge instead? What about a day-hiking trip to Bowen Island?

Here’s a few examples of hikes that you may not have done:

• Brohm Lake
• Lions Bay Loop
• Woodland Walk
• UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest

2. Volunteer to help with trail maintenance

It’s easy to forget that the trails you hike are no clear all year and someone goes through to remove debris, trim over-growth, repair bridges, etc. These are usually volunteers who plan trail maintenance outings several times a year.

There are lots of organizations to volunteer with. Start your search with:

• BC Mountaineering Club
• Chilliwack Outdoor Club
• BC Parks
• Trails BC
• Trans Canada Trail

3. Introduce a friend to hiking for the first time

Take someone hiking who has never been hiking before. Don’t take them on too challenging of a route but something fun with several points of interest and make a day out of it.

Our previous article about A New Hiker’s Guide For the Vancouver Area has helpful information for someone who hasn’t done much hiking. It explains the “season game plan” and what trails people like to do to work up to the bigger ones in the summer. This doesn’t mean your friend will want to go on one of the larger hikes but try one of the easier ones as an introduction.

4. Donate to Search and Rescue

Donate to one of the many Search and Rescue (SAR) organizations who are run by volunteers and save numerous lives each year. Here are some of the local SAR organizations:

• North Shore Rescue
• Coquitlam Search and Rescue
• Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue
• Central Valley Search and Rescue
• Chilliwack Search and Rescue
• Squamish Search and Rescue
• Whistler Search and Rescue

5. Share you favourite hiking photos with #VancouverTrails

Make sure to share your hiking photos on Instragram with the hashtag #VancouverTrails for others to see. Your photos help inspire others to get out and enjoy the hiking trails in the region.