A trail in Campbell Valley Regional Park in South Langley is one of two that Metro Vancouver has designated as a "silent trail."
Walkers are encouraged to be quiet while on the trail, so that they and other trail users can focus on the founds of nature around them, from birdsong to the wind and rain in the trees.
The project came out of the work of Tara Brown, a doctoral student at UBC who began the idea partly because of a frustration with noise in parks. She had studied a number of parks in the area, and found that many of the trails had a significant amount of noise already.
She approached Metro Vancouver Parks, and was approved to create two silent trails. She got support from park planners, who gave her a list of trails they thought might be good candidates.
"I assessed many, many trails," said Brown.
The silent trail selected in Campbell Valley is the Ravine Trail, which runs east from the Annand/Rowlatt farmstead site off 204 Street. The easiest access to the trail for visitors is via the South Valley Entrance, which is in the 20300 block of 8 Avenue.
There is another silent trail in Pacific Spirit Regional Park.
The Langley choice was made for a number of reasons – it has a seasonal creek, and there is a board walk that dampens sound from feet on gravel, along with a viewing point where people can stand to watch swallows swooping, said Brown.
It's also relatively close to the park's Nature House.
Brown said she's collecting responses to the silent trail via a link available on signs in the area.
There have been a few unexpected comments in the more than 100 responses so far.
"There's a high percentage of visitors who responded who said they have sensitivity to noise," she said. Others were from parents of neurodivergent children who also prefer quiet places.
The pilot project began in August and wraps up in December.
"My hope is that we can continue the pilot, and also consider other trails," said Brown.
People need a respite from city noise, where they can hear nature, she said.
