The Brewis Trail branches from the Baden Powell Trail and heads down beside Lawson Creek to reach Pinecrest Drive at the top of West Vancouver's housing developments. We wanted to explore how much further it went down and how to reach the waterfront. So, meeting in downtown Vancouver, we and a number of Filipino nannies, took the British Properties bus. We got off at Cresswell and Eyremount and walked up Eyremount to the start of Millstream Trail. Following this trail briefly west, we reached Lawson Creek and crossed on its bridge. A few metres further west on the trail, we met one of the British Pacific Properties metal gateways where a sign showed that Brewis Trail headed south here.


The trail followed the stream down and at a place where it widens, we looked back to see the Shields Log Dam. This dam was built in 1917 to store red cedar shinglebolts, which were then transported by flume to a shingle mill two kilometres below. Continuing, we came to Pinecrest Bridge where we found that there was, in fact, a continuing trail, although not called Brewis.

We followed Lepp Trail down, enjoying the trees and the canyon and passing a side trail to Errigal Place before reaching Chippendale Road. Crossing, we followed a grassy swath, mowed in places by the neighbouring residents, as it turned west and then followed West Lawson Creek south. We followed this narrower trail, stepped in places, passing a side trail on the left leading to Cammeray before reaching Camridge.
The trail on the other side led into Douglas Woodward Park, where we followed the west side trail all the way down until it emerged onto Westhill Wynd at the bottom. Community bus #256 passes the end of this stub street at about 10 minutes to the hour. (Continuing down Westhill Drive would have brought us quickly to 21 Street at Exit 10 of Upper Levels Highway; hourly buses also cross 21 Street at nearby Queens or further down Inglemere.)
The west side trail had been crossed by other trails in two or three places so we went back up to the first one and headed east. This took us across a bridge over West Lawson Creek and then to another bridge over Lawson Creek. This led along a major path to a grassy clearing at the main entrance when a sign on a rock at the side of a cairn read Mr and Mrs P.A.Woodward and Douglas. Here we stopped in the sun for an early half-lunch.

For the final section of this trail, we went toward the road and turned sharp right along a path. This led west, reaching a point close to the confluence of the two Lawson Creeks. We then branched left and followed the creek further south. We were in a wild wide canyon when we reached the long-audible, now visible, Upper Levels Highway. A chain link barrier led us to a long set of steps up to Tyrol Tyrol Place and then Tyrol Road.

There was no easy way to follow further, so I decided to followed a favourite route of mine that basically follows a 10 Street alignment to Marine Drive. We continued on Tyrol Drive to Cross Creek Road, followed it down briefly on its east side behind the crash barriers and, when a set of steps soon appeared on the left, took them down to Ottaburn Road. Taking this quiet street to reach 11 Street, we made a jog down and across to Wildwood Lane and a few houses down on the right side, found the path leading across a pedestrian overpass of Upper Levels Highway. On the far side we turned left to have lunch at Burley Drive Park, which was visible in the east. On the way, we passed Braeside Street which we would follow after lunch.

Returning to Braeside, we followed its slightly uphill grade until it dropped at its end into Leyland Park. I had remembered from a long ago past that we had to keep left to the eastward part all the way down. This took us first of all to a beautiful lookout over Burrard Inlet. We stayed there a while and wished we had saved lunch for here. Then keeping to the east again, we went down steps to cross Esquimalt Avenue into 10 Street (the only short section that exists). At its foot I had to know that a trail continued on its alignment, so we went to the utility pole facing, looked behind and, sure enough, there was the trail. It made its way down, with a gap on the right to Clyde Avenue, and coming out onto Keith Road at the bottom.

I wanted to see the state of the grave of the Capilano and Mathias families having first seen it many years ago, unprotected and weedy. Later a railing had been placed around. So we turned right and could see brightly coloured First Nations poles and a well-protected and maintained site. It is railed and gated and you are asked to respect the elders. Tom Snyders' Namely Vancouver notes that Mary Mathias was the granddaughter of George Mathias who had met Captain George Vancouver at Point Grey in 1792. Chief Joe Capilano, the son of the chief who had met Simon Fraser on his arrival in 1808, told the stories used in Pauline Johnson's Legends of Vancouver. Mathias Joe Capilano, the son of Mary and Chief Joe, was a famous carver.

Following this visit we made our way east angling down the access road to the apartment block below. When a yellow fence prevented us which barred us from the footpath leading to Evelyn Drive, we followed the worn trail around the end of the fence and scooted down to Park Royal below and to the buses home.

MAP TO FOLLOW

RETURN TO FURTHER WALKS.