Trails society keeps rolling out new trails

Mike Zwicker at the top of the former Upper Oasis downhill - Andrew Zwicker photo

As we roll into midsummer, the Telegraph checked in with the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society this week as their efforts to keep folks rolling on two wheels continue to expand and refine the top notch trails system in our region.

Perhaps the single biggest project happening this summer has been taking place in the recently designated Black Jack Recreation Area stretching from the Black Jack trail network, through the Hanna Creek Biathlon Range up to and beyond the knob on which the Upper Oasis trail used to begin its descent. This area will likely be particularly welcome among the biking and hiking crowd following Upper and Lower Oasis’ permanent closure at the end of last summer.

As part of the final year of a two year project in conjunction with the federal economic stimulus plan, the Black Jack recreation site has been seeing lots of work on building new trails thanks to the grant they received to hire unemployed forestry workers. One of the stipulations of the grant was that workers can only work on provincially recognized trails on crown land. That in conjunction with the designated recreation site status means the Trails Society “doesn’t have to go through the same elaborate processes that would have been required otherwise to develop trails and recreational facilities in that zone,” explained Stu Spooner.

“We’ve started with an out and back trail called the Larch Ridge trail. We’re also utilizing one of the existing downhill trails in the area and are adding a new upper section to that. Over the next few years we’re planning to develop a whole variety of cross country and downhill trails of different levels within that area.”

Using the new 2.4 km Larch Ridge Trail which encompasses pieces of the former uphill portion of Upper Oasis as part of the up-track the area will become essentially a bike park of Its own.

“We’re going to have trails dropping down from the ridge onto the Neptune Creek forest service road and use that as they come around or shuttle pick up zone. We’ll have cross country style trails throughout the zone and also are imagining how we can get the maximum amount of downhill trails that will have a shuttle pick up at the bottom for people that enjoy that style of riding.”

Currently a local group of trail builders calling themselves the Free-ride Group had already developed the BS downhill trail in that area. The KCTS this summer has been working on developing an upper and lower extension to that trail to create a longer downhill route to somewhat makeup for the loss of Oasis creating a tight loop linking up the Larch Ridge with the Neptune Creek road for a seamless route. 

In addition to The Kootenay Columbia Trail Society's three person maintenance crew’s regular work inspecting and repairing existing trails, the other marquee trail development of the summer has been the backside of the Dewdney Trail. The front side, dropping from the Cascade Highway down towards Patterson, has long been a blue-rated single track favorite. This summer, with the backside being opened, the Double Dewdney shuttle drop has become a popular option for downhill riders.

“The backside of Dewdney drops down from the summit of the Cascade Highway back into Big Sheep creek,” said KCTS head honcho, Stewart Spooner. “It’s an old trail that was in place but was pretty overgrown and neglected. By putting a bunch of work into that, we’re able to create a much more usable shuttle-serviced ride. Adrenaline Adventures and people that who like to do shuttle rides have been loving it.”

For the non-shuttle crowd, a new climbing route on the south side of the valley has steadily been coming together throughout the summer to access trails in the Malde Creek zone such as The Flume, Whiskey, and Crowne Point. 

“We’re trying to develop the Tamarack trail, which provides a climbable route to service all of the tails on the other side of the valley,” explained Spooner. “We now have a good quality single track to service those trails so you don’t have to do a vehicle drop. We’re working on that trail right at the moment to make it as reasonable a climb as possible. Really, the more reasonable we can make the climb the more accessible that trail becomes to more people.”

Looking forward, the regionally-funded society has been putting some extra focus on developing new trails outside of the Rossland area. They are working in Trail and as far afield as the Beaver Valley. With the Antenna trail system now well under way, KCTS has been in talks with the Village of Fruitvale about developing a new trail network in the Tuidsmuir Scout Camp lands. This development should get under way during the next two summers.