BC Parks Foundation

You Did It!

Thanks to wonderful park angels like you, and your love for BC’s natural beauty, the funds necessary for the purchase of the Mt. Erskine Trail connector have now been raised. Hooray!!!

This would not have been possible without the volunteer efforts of dedicated Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club - most notably Charles Kahn and Gary Quiring who spearheaded the project and were steadfast champions and fundraisers - and all the donors who responded so strongly to this appeal. 

If you came here to contribute, please continue to do so, as we will use any remaining funds to contribute to trail maintenance, or go towards the protection of more beautiful land in BC.

Congratulations! Please spend some time to sit with the feeling of being a part of something great and enduring.

Andy Day, CEO

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Mount Erskine Trail Connector

Mount Erskine Provincial Park on Salt Spring Island protects endangered coastal Douglas-fir and contains an extensive network of trails that lead through wetland and ecosystems that support many species at risk. Visitors are rewarded with breathtaking views of Sansum Narrows and Vancouver Island.

In 2003 the Salt Spring Island Conservancy acquired the 50-acre Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve. Two years later, the Conservancy fundraised in order to buy the centerpiece of Mt. Erskine Provincial Park in partnership with BC Parks and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

What wasn’t realized at the time was that the trail connection between Manzanita Ridge and the provincial park crosses a piece of private property. This is the land that BC Parks wants to acquire now - highlighted in purple in the map below.

If this property is developed and a house built over the existing trail, we will no longer have a connection between Manzanita Ridge and Mt. Erskine Provincial Park, as the adjacent land is too steep for a safe trail.

The addition of this land to Mt. Erskine Provincial Park will secure public access to one of the longest public trails on Salt Spring Island. Just as important, the addition of this piece of land would provide the park with several additional beautiful viewpoints and potential picnic sites. As a trail already exists on this piece of land, no new trail construction would be required.

Your support can help BC Parks, the BC Parks Foundation, and the Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club purchase part of this property and preserve this popular trail, forever.

In order to purchase the property, $243,700 needs to be raised by February 10, 2021.

Your generous gift to this effort will:

• secure public access to the trail corridor from Mount Erskine Park to Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve
• ensure a complete trail connection between Collins Road and Toynbee Road
• give hikers several stunning viewpoints that bring the magic of this area to life
• remove the need to build a new trail, as this property holds the existing one

Leave your legacy with Mount Erskine Provincial Park

As the BC Parks Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization, every donation over $20 will be eligible for a charitable tax receipt. We also accept non-cash donations through stocks and securities, and other options. Please contact gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca to learn more.

Make your donation through the form above, by emailing gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca, or by calling the BC Parks Foundation at 604-343-3975. 

Charitable registration number: 731307492RR0001

Every donation keeps Mount Erskine Provincial Park, and all of B.C., beautiful.