District of North Vancouver Council will consider permanently decommissioning the central and southern sections of the Hastings Creek Trail at its June 15 meeting, following decades of safety concerns and repairs that have failed to stabilize the ravine.
Staff will be recommending the trail sections be closed for good and the area allowed to revert to natural space — the cheapest of three options presented to council. The trail has been closed south of Hoskins Creek since July 2024.
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The creek corridor is prone to ongoing erosion, slope instability and storm damage. A 2021 geotechnical assessment identified 13 locations with moderate to high risk of failure, and conditions have worsened since. The trail has been closed for roughly five of the last six years.
In March 2026, staff brought in five specialized trail building contractors to explore lower-cost alternatives. All advised that the terrain, shifting creek alignment and ongoing erosion make the area costly and complicated to maintain as an official trail, with no guarantee any investment would hold.
According to the report, full decommissioning would cost approximately $500,000 — funding already approved in the 2026 capital budget. Repairing only the southern section would run $2 to $3 million. Restoring the full trail through major engineering works is estimated at $4 to $6 million, not including $100,000 in annual operating costs.
Both costlier options would require additional borrowing or deferral of other capital projects, with no guarantee against future washouts. The District’s total annual budget for all 188 kilometres of official trails sits at approximately $1 million.
A community petition bearing more than 1,500 signatures asked the District to pause any permanent closure decision, prompting council to request the options now before it. According to the report, Lynn Valley Community Association representatives acknowledged the safety concerns but said some members wanted the decision reconsidered.
If decommissioned, the trail will be signed, but may remain partially accessible to users who enter at their own risk.
