Finishing Clayburn Creek Trail

On my second walk down Clayburn Creek, accompanied by my son-in-law and grandson, we started at the second trail entrance, at the bottom of Atwood Cresc., between houses numbered 36330 and 36336.  The trail entrance is obvious and signed.

Through the gate, and the trail curves down behind these houses to the railway bed below.

As long as you choose the downhill direction, the trail itself is pretty easy walking.

As always, there were plenty of moss-covered trees down in the ravine.

We could hear Clayburn Creek roaring through the ravine deep below us, but at one point you could step off the trail to get a view of the creek back upstream.

After this I let my grandson and his dad head back up the stairs and continued walking down the trail to the end, not actually much further.  I arranged to call for them to pick me up so I could avoid walking back uphill!

Certainly couldn't tell what kind of tree this was, but I liked the lumpy moss going up the trunk.

I headed on down the trail to see where it would come out, and how far it went, still quite easy walking.  It was only another 10 minutes to the end.

It comes to an abrupt end at Straiton Road.  If you're on a bike, be prepared to put on the brakes!  I'm not sure where the old railway went from here; it may even be the route the road follows, on downhill to the old village of Clayburn.

Right beside the road you cross over another creek, Poignant Creek.  I suspect the two creeks join downstream.

Eventually the creeks drain into the Fraser River, and obviously there has been some salmon rehabilitation work done.  Both Clayburn Creek Trail and this salmon habitat are managed by the City of Abbotsford.  So far, I'm impressed.

While I was waiting I kept occupied trying to get close-ups of the moss.

And later I got a picture of the old Clayburn Village General Store.  Clayburn was B.C.'s first company town, established by the brickyard company to provide housing for employees.  The Clayburn Company provided houses, a school, a church, the store, and a medical doctor, very good facilities at the time.  Today it is designated a heritage site, and several of the original buildings can still be seen.  The company is still making bricks in Abbotsford, but not at this location.  There's a walking tour available, which we may try to include in our next visit.

Clayburn Creek Trail turned out to be a great walk.  The easiest loop is from the east entrance on Blauson Blvd. down as far as the stairs, and back up.  If you walk the rest of the way down to Straiton Road you'll have to either walk back uphill or get picked up; Straiton Road is a narrow road in the woods with no safe shoulders for walking.  The loop should take you less than an hour, though you can always go slower!