Cobequid Trail Co Nsulting Rmatourism
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Cobequid Trail Co nsulting & RMATourism Proposed Trail Plan May 2018 Version 1.1 Content Summary Executive Summary 2 1.0 Overview 7 2.0 Resource Assessment 15 3.0 Trail Concept 23 4.0 Market & Justification 35 5.0 Trail Design 45 6.0 Trail Construction 71 7.0 Capital Budget 97 8.0 Operations 103 9.0 Conclusion 110 Report Prepared by Thomas Young RMA Tourism Garnet McLaughlin Cobequid Trail Clare Waque Independant Alexia McLaughlin Cobequid Trail c.~bequ\d 7""°v-R,, Kendra Chalmers Cobequid Trail t.UNl='UILllNt. Corinna Muller Independant 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction The Seawall Trail will be a unique and challenging wilderness hiking experience along one of the most rugged coastlines in Eastern North America. The trail will run for roughly 50 km along the coast, with another 20 km of connecting day-use trails weaving through cliffs and coastal canyons on a scale similar to Gros Morne National Park. This trail project, proposed by the Seawall Trail Society, will be constructed primarily within the Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area (PCAFWA). The PCAFWA has significant attributes for outdoor recreation. Canyons that transect the coastal mountains create exceptional topographic and ecological diversity. The Trail Concept The Seawall Trail will feature wilderness hut to hut hiking. Trails that offer hut accomodations have become increasingly popular over the last several decades and are attractive to international travellers. The trail experience will last five days with four unique hut locations along the trail. The hut system will provide a reward for hikers after the challenges of the trail, allowing them protection from extreme weather and significantly lightening their packs. The Market The trail will be designed for the emerging destination hiking market. This group consists of international travellers with higher than average disposable income. Europe and North America are the primary markets. Many Seawall Trail users will come to Nova Scotia primarily to hike the trail, but are expected to explore the province seeking cultural and culinary experiences while staying in quality accommodations as part of their visit. The trail will also provide recreation opportunities for Nova Scotians and Mi’kmaq communities. Construction The Seawall Trail Society will begin construction as soon as the Trail Plan is finalized and consultation is complete. The trail will be hand-built and constructed as a footpath using partial cut-and-fill and bench-cut methods. Bench-cut construction (described in Section Six) will minimize maintenance and will suit this landscape where the trail alignment frequently travels along side-slopes. Switchbacks will be used to address steep inclines. The primary purpose will be to create a sustainable and low maintenance wilderness corridor. Along with the construction of wilderness huts, trailhead development, and organizational planning, the Seawall Trail will cost approximately $2,400,000. Operations The trail experience will be structured as a one-way, hut to hut hike. Hikers will be required to register and pay a fee for all four huts. A free daily shuttle service will be offered to take hikers from the orientation centre in Meat Cove to the south trailhead. Hikers will pay a fee of $50 per hut ($200 for all four huts). The centre of trail operations and administration as well as the visitor orientation centre will be located in the community of Meat Cove. Secure parking will be provided at the visitor centre. The trail will employ 8-10 seasonal workers including a general manager, field supervisor and ridge-runners (on the trail staff). Ridge runners will circuit through all four huts, doing trail maintenance as they travel between huts and providing support to hikers in mornings and evenings. Huts will be supplied once each season by air. Trail operations are expected to break even by the third year. In subsequent years, the seasonal use of the trail will generate positive net income making it possible to offer a winter product as well. 2 SEAWALL TRAIL PLAN Table Of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 1.0 OVERVIEW 9 1.1 Proposed Seawall Trail Plan 10 1.2 Organizational Structure and Vision 12 1.3 Process for Trail Development (NSE 10 Step Program) 14 2.0 RESOURCE ASSESSMENT 17 2.1 Location 18 2.2 Geology and Landforms 20 2.3 Biological Assets 21 2.4 Cultural Assets 22 3.0 TRAIL CONCEPT 25 3.1 Trail Experience 26 3.2 Trail Standards 27 3.3 Logistics 27 3.4 Facilities 29 3.5 The Hiker 32 3.6 Day-Use 34 4.0 MARKET & JUSTIFICATION 37 4.1 The Hiking Market 38 4.2 Economic and Community Impacts 43 5.0 TRAIL DESIGN 47 5.1 Trail Alignment 48 5.2 Map 49 5.3 Trail Section 1 51 5.4 Trail Section 2 53 5.5 Trail Section 3 55 5.6 Trail Section 4 57 5.7 Trail Section 5 59 5.8 Day-Use Trails 61 5.9 Cape North Spur Trail 63 5.10 Overnight Accommodation Concepts 64 5.10.1 Site Descriptions 64 5.10.2 Specifications 66 5.11 Opportunities for Future Development 69 3 6.0 TRAIL CONSTRUCTION 73 6.1 General Guidelines 74 6.2 Construction Methods 75 6.3 Interactive Map 77 6.4 Trail Construction Plan 82 6.5 Signage Recommendations and Costs 99 6.6 Timeline and Logistics 100 6.7 Timeline 101 7.0 CAPITAL BUDGET 104 7.1 Trail Construction Costs 105 7.2 Cost of Huts 106 7.3 Signs and Wayfinding 106 7.4 Total Project Cost 107 8.0 OPERATIONS 110 8.1 Revenues 112 8.2 Staffing 113 8.3 Maintenance Activities and Costs 113 8.4 Other Costs 114 8.5 Operating Budget 115 8.6 Operations Development Timeline 116 9.0 CONCLUSION 117 APPENDIX 1: OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS 118 APPENDIX 2: ORIENTATION CENTER & PARKING 124 APPENDIX 3: SIGNAGE PLAN 127 APPENDIX 4: LAND OWNERSHIP 130 4 5 1.0 OVERVIEW 6 1.0 OVERVIEW 1.1 Seawall Trail 1.2 Organizational Vision and Structure 1.3 Process for Trail Development ( NSE 10 Step Program) 7 1.1 Proposed Seawall Trail Plan The Seawall Trail will be a multi-day, hut to hut, coastal hiking experience. It will be unparalleled in Eastern Canada and well positioned to become one of Canada’s iconic wilderness attractions. The experience will be a challenging coastal wilderness hiking trail through the mountains, canyons, mixed forests and lowlands of the Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area (PCAFWA). The majority of the proposed trail is within the PCAFWA through small portions utilize TIR administered "K" roads, federal lands and a few privately owned parcels. The trail will run through the longest continuous section of undeveloped coastline south of Newfoundland and Labrador while encompassing significant variations in topography and elevations: from sea level to 420 m (1,400 ft). The total of vertical ascents throughout the 50 km coastal trail amounts to more than 3,500 m (11,500 ft), representing an elevation gain of over two miles. With the exception of a circuit through the Upper Polletts River Canyon and a proposed spur trail alignment to Cape North, the entire trail will be within two kilometers of the ocean. Parts of the trail will have alpine hiking characteristics. Large sections of the proposed trail alignment run along the edge of high capes, 400 m above the ocean, or traverse steep side-slopes that plunge into the sea. Watersheds that drain the elevated plateaus run through faults that form deep canyons. Viewscapes from the upper edge of these canyons are breathtaking and the ascent from canyon bottoms to the high ridges is a challenging experience found only on top international trails. It is expected that the proposed trail will be a destination for adventure travellers in the international tourism market. The goal is to be positioned as one of the premier multi-day hiking or trekking experiences worldwide. In the long run, it is likely that this trail will generate high demand not unlike British Columbia’s West Coast Trail. 8 The proposed trail traverses an extreme wilderness environment, but will have access to an excellent base of tourism services as a result of its proximity to Cape Breton Highlands National Park (CBHNP). The pairing of the Seawall Trail and CBHNP adds to the destination appeal of both products. CBHNP offers a series of day use trails and one or two longer trails, but nothing of a comparable scale, scope or degree of outdoor adventure as the proposed Seawall Trail. The Seawall will offer a more challenging wilderness experience than anything offered in CBHNP, adding substantially to the tourism product mix of Nova Scotia. This plan contains a detailed trail alignment founded on a process of evaluating site conditions and possible route options. Sources of information include personal accounts by guides and outfitters, mapping information, satellite imagery, aerial observation and extensive on-the-ground assessment. Additional fine tuning of the trail alignment and hut locations within Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area is expected as a result of pending field inspection by Nova Scotia Environment (NSE). The primary intent is to avoid areas with rare plants, other sensitive species, and ecological communities which may be impacted by trail use, while ensuring a high-quality trail experience. The plan begins with a review of site assets and an analysis of the market. Trail standards and construction guidelines, trailheads and overnight facilities are then described, and a budget for trail construction is provided. The trail plan is concluded with guidelines for trail management and operation. PCAFM p ( w w ovas I a C noo d w p PC~F02p POU• .ETT S cove.