Semiahmoo Trail
The Semiahmoo Trail (or Semiahmoo Road as it was originally named) was constructed from 1873 to 1874. It was the first road across what is now Surrey and linked New Westminster with the United States, running approximately 40 km from Brownsville on the south bank of the Fraser River, to the settlement of Semiahmoo, now Blaine, Washington.
In the 1880s a stage coach service ran three times a week along the Trail from New Westminster to Semiahmoo but little is known now about the extent of other uses. With the coming of the railways at the turn of the century the Road began to fall into disuse and the age of the automobile resulted in its almost complete abandonment.
A few miles of the Trail in North Surrey were incorporated into the modern road system but only the section between Crescent Road and 24 Avenue in South Surrey remains in something close to the original condition. By the 1970s, some of these parts were forgotten and overgrown and the route was “rediscovered” by citizens concerned with the preservation of Surrey’s history.
Since 1997, the Semiahmoo Trail has been protected by a City of Surrey bylaw and since 2003 local volunteers have actively assisted in the maintenance of the Trail with planting of native trees and shrubs and the removal of non-native plants. Their ongoing efforts provide the community with the opportunity to enjoy a natural jewel with both historical and ecological value.