Whyte Lake and the trail leading to it have been loved by local hikers and runners for years.

Now the District of West Vancouver is set to protect the popular area as a park.

At 120 hectares, Whyte Lake Park will be the largest park in the municipality, even larger than Lighthouse Park, which covers 75 hectares.

“Whyte Lake is a sanctuary that people visit daily. The struggle at Eagleridge Bluffs taught us to pay attention to what we took for granted,” councillor Trish Panz said in a district news release today (June 5). “It has taken ten years to get to where we are now, but today we can be proud of dedicating Whyte Lake as a park, in perpetuity.”

The park dedication bylaw will go to council for first reading on June 16.

"The new Whyte Lake Park will bridge Nelson Canyon Park to Cypress Provincial Park, creating a large and contiguous area of protected land supporting and enhancing the rich ecological values found there," the release states.

The main trailhead for Whyte Lake is on Westport Road, south of the Upper Levels Highway at Nelson Canyon. The trail involves a six-kilometre round trip.