New coastal trail opens at Labrador Nature Park

A new walking trail with scenic views of the coastline along Labrador Nature Park and 100 species of trees and shrubs is now open to the public.

The 340m-long Keppel Coastal Trail, which passes through part of a restored coastal forest, lies away from busier areas of the park for a more serene experience.

It features an elevated boardwalk that is 1.5m off the ground, built with rising sea levels in mind. Access ramps to the boardwalk are barrier-free for wheelchair users.

Lucky birdwatchers can spot white-bellied sea eagles on the trail, and others such as the yellow-rumped flycatcher during bird migratory seasons, mostly in March and April, and between August and November.

The trail connects to the jetty at the southern end of Labrador Nature Park.

Speaking at the opening of the trail on Jan 25, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said the trail’s completion complements government efforts to transform Labrador Nature Park into a destination park.

It will be one of three such large parks with unique features to attract visitors. The other two are HortPark and West Coast Park.

Labrador Nature Park is part of a cluster of 13 parks in south-west Singapore that are being enhanced to expand the variety of nature-based recreation for visitors.

For instance, Pasir Panjang Park, another park in this cluster, will be extended by 2ha of parkland at the former industrial waterfront of the Pasir Panjang Power District. This will expand the park to 8ha.

Mr Lee said: “It will serve as a major activity node with play features and paths for park visitors to cycle or stroll along the coast. We will develop this node sensitively and strengthen the coastline along the park extension.”

When completed, the expanded Pasir Panjang Park will link other green spaces, like West Coast Park and Jurong Lake Gardens, to Labrador Nature Park via the continuous Park Connector Network.

The National Parks Board (NParks) will be calling for a tender for design consultancy services later in 2025.

There is much to look forward to, Mr Lee said, noting the Keppel Coastal Trail and the new park extension at Pasir Panjang Power District.

“These are part of our efforts to transform Singapore into a City in Nature, where we bring people closer to nature, while bolstering the ecological resilience of our habitats.”

Labrador Nature Reserve is one of four nature reserves in Singapore. The other three are the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. 

Labrador Nature Reserve houses a coastal hill forest and a rocky shore, and is one of the last few remaining patches of that habitat on mainland Singapore.

The nature park, which houses the new trail, is adjacent to the reserve and acts as a buffer against the impact of urbanisation, protecting the flora and fauna within the nature reserve.

More than 3,800 trees have been planted in the reserve and park to help restore coastal forests there.

Apart from the boardwalk, the trail also features a 250m-long rustic path with swales designed with the help of young people from NParks’ Youth Stewards for Nature programme. Swales are low areas of land with sloping sides, which serve as habitats for fauna and natural drainage solution, filtering surface run-off before it reaches adjacent drains.

The construction of the trail was supported by a $1 million donation by Keppel through the Garden City Fund.

Ms Daisy Lim, 67, a nearby resident, frequents Labrador Nature Park with her domestic helper weekly.

“I’m happy to see that our parks in Singapore are well loved and taken care of. New additions like this trail are so welcome – greenery plays such a big role in helping seniors like me stay active.”