Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 23/05) - A new walking trail connecting Niven Lake with Anderson-Thomson Blvd. should be in place by November.

Yellow, orange and blue ribbons mark the route for now, but by winter, red posts will point the way across the rock, and a staircase will ease the steep descent at the end of the line.

Andrew Morton, facilities manager for the City of Yellowknife, consulted Back Bay residents about the route. They tipped him off to a prime lookout, where the city will place a bench.

One tree is slated for removal.

The trailhead on the Niven Lake end is about halfway down the path leading from Niven Drive to Fritz Theil Park.

From there the path traverses along the rock face, with two routes of descent. One runs to Fritz Theil Park. The other drops 50 foot via a staircase to an offshoot of Anderson-Thomson.

The staircase will likely be the most expensive part of the project.

There is an easier descent direct to Anderson-Thomson, but Morton said the alternate route was selected to be less intrusive. he path was initially slated to be built in 2003, but Morton said the Multiplex got in the way. Morton was kept busy with the Multiplex project through 2003 and 2004, and now has time to focus on the city's integrated trail plan. Additional trail projects are slated for 2006.