The famous West Vancouver hiking trail was closed after landslide damage

West Vancouver Police Department spokesman Constable Kevin Goodmerby estimated that about 30 feet, or 9 meters, of the trail fell into the Capillano River.

Below that he said, there was still a large slide, which widened down the slope and was near the river.

The witness saw the path slide

Goodmorby said no one was injured, but one person missed being trapped in the landslide.

“We talked to a witness who actually made the initial call, they passed that point, heard some noises behind them, went back and saw that the path was disappearing,” he said.

He said an RCMP integrated helicopter was used to conduct an aerial search for anyone in distress.

“Authorities confirmed the path was closed at both ends of the slide. We took parks and district engineers to the site.”

West Vancouver District said the trail is well used by pedestrians. It is hoped that people will heed the warnings to stay out of the way as the slope is still considered unstable and dangerous.

Engineers and district staff are assessing the area and investigating what caused the landslide, and a fence has been erected to block the path in both directions.

The route was recently reopened

District spokeswoman Donna Powers said there will be a very small slide at the same location in December 2019. At the time it was built of rope to allow path users to cross the gap, but the damage was far-reaching.

The route was recently reopened on December 16, 2020 after being repaired.

“It is not clear whether the repair failed or the slope further down from the repaired area failed,” Powers explained.

He said it was important for people to respect obstacles and road closures.

“It’s important to acknowledge that these trails are on steep hilly terrain. It has rained a lot recently.”