New Trails in Fish Creek

More trails = more fun

Submitted by pinkrobe on January 29, 2009 - 23:10.


Working with the Friends of Fish Creek Park, we've been helping to plan the next segment of trail from Shannon Terrace to Bridge #1.


Adding onto Rob's map:
  • The yellow line is the existing path that links to the trail by Bebo Grove. It's a straight shot across the field, then turns north parallel to the road, where it meets the next section.
  • The blue line as shown is a combination of existing and planned trail. It starts where the yellow trail leaves off, turning south into the gully, then winding back up until it pops out of the trees into the meadow. That section is built and ridable. The views from the meadow are awesome! I can't wait to ride across there with the sun going down behind the mountains. The proposed trail rolls west to the edge of the park, crosses the asphalt path and winds downhill to the 5-way crossing.
  • The red line represents what could happen, but probably without the loop. The idea is to avoid the flood management and wetter areas to the west [outlined in green], but still have some twisting singletrack through the forest that will finish up at Bridge #1.


    • If all goes according to plan, these new sections of trail will be finished by the end of September 2009. We will need lots of volunteers to help dig all summer. Trail days will be announced once they are scheduled.

    If you have comments on this, or any other trail in Fish Creek, please post!

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Fish Creek Trail Day May 9

Submitted by pinkrobe on May 6, 2009 - 21:09.

 

The next section of singletrack has been planned out for the far West end of Fish Creek park.  It will cross a large meadow and make its way to the farthest NW corner of the park.  CMBA planned this trail in conjunction with the Friends of Fish Creek Park. 

There is a trail day to work on this new section Saturday, May 9th.  The meeting place is in the lower parking lot of Shannon Terrace @ 9:30 a.m.  The organizer/leader for the day is Chris Lalonde [he'll be hanging around by a small green SUV].  All tools are supplied, and the work area is a short walk from the parking lot.  Wear long pants, bring gloves, sunscreen, and whatever food and drink you need.  Chris usually has water and granola bars on hand, but it will be a good idea to bring a proper lunch.  You can contact Chris directly at chris@friendsoffishcreek.org

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CRAP!!!

Submitted by pinkrobe on May 8, 2009 - 16:44.

 
I just heard from Chris with the Friends of Fish Creek Park.  Park management has declared that a fun piece of singletrack winding across the meadow is a bad idea.  As a result, Parks Mgmt. has declared that the singletrack must run straight down the hill to the paved path.  Boooooo! 

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It doesn't get better...

Submitted by pinkrobe on May 10, 2009 - 16:08.

 

I checked out the new section of trail today.  I figured I'd walk along the access road, then pick up the trail where it meets the paved path.  As I was walking along the path, I kept my eyes peeled for a track to follow.  Still walking - not seeing anything - oh wait, that looks kind of like a trail, maybe they didn't get quite to the end on the trail day.  I followed the "trail" for a few metres, but it turned away and kind of vanished.  Okay, that's not it.  I decided to cut straight across the field to where I knew the actual trail came out of the trees.  Bear in mind that I did not have my bike with me. 

Just as you exit the trees, it turns a hard left and runs down along the periphery of the wooded area.  Then it jogs left and hooks up with the existing trail, forming a loop.  ???  Just before you get to the ravine area, the trail splits and heads almost straight down the slope to the access road.  I was so shocked and disappointed, I forgot to take pictures.  I did capture a GPS track and put it into Google Earth:

The black line is the new trail.  What a let down.

I don't know what to do now.  Should we let it go, or do a little guerilla somethin' somethin'?

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Not Surprised

Submitted by chrissa on May 11, 2009 - 13:59.

 Honestly, I'm not surprised the idea got shut down. Those that remember the World Police Fire Games race course back in '97 would remember the ABA provincial warm-up race a month earlier on the same course. The day of the race, residents from properties that backed onto the field were out protesting and attempting to move course markers to keep riders from using the EXISTING single track that had been there for years. I rode that single track for years afterward and once had people throw rocks from their backyards at me. The construction of 37th pretty much shut down my use of that trail.

Darn

Submitted by jliu on May 10, 2009 - 16:41.

Well I was looking forward to the new track.  I did a walk through with Chris earlier this spring and he was really pumped about the future of the trail too.
 

flawed fish creek singletrack trail

Submitted by shenyyc on May 11, 2009 - 00:32.

First of all I agree with the above comments regarding the 'new' trail developed at fc trail day 1.  This trail was meant to go west across the meadow and then down the hill and find a route to bridge 1. Instead what we are left with is a fragment of a trail that actually goes nowhere except loops back around to its starting point.  This is an ill conceived trail and offers little new to riders.  I will ride it on occasion but I doubt it will get much use.
What actually needs to be done is a trail cut from the top of the Shannon Terrace road (this is the woodpath community around 130ave) through the valley and all the way down to this Shannon west loop.  It then needs to be  linked to bridge 1 by traversing west and then down, keeping as far from the five way junction as possible.  Without the bridge 1 connection I see little purpose to the trail.  It has become clear to me that the FOFC group has little concept of what it means to ride or what a good trail actually is.  I support the idea of a single loop through fish creek as that is all I pretty much need to be satisfied - a good trail you can ride in both directions that offers good flow and is continuous with minimal intersections and paved components.  I agree with the former poster about the hypocrisy of a park that goes full bore on the water retention ponds yet cannot allow a hardly visible singetrack to loop around the damn and catchment area.  Not to get started on what was done to the best segment of the park over on the souithwest corner.  That is a paved disaster and is unsafe for all users particularly when there is a bit of water on the trail and overnight freezing.  I have had the misfortune of walking there with my chariot stroller and it is almost impossible to go there in winter.
Seems to me like there needs to be more pressure put on the park.  I have increasing doubts about what FOFC really intends for the sections of trail that border evergreen that have yet to be ruined for bikes by paving and encroachment.
On a more favourable note the event was well attended and there seems to be a lot of good energy focusing on making a better trail despite what those in charge actually intend to allow.  I will attempt to get involved again.  A good tactic may be to find out who is actually making the decisions in park management and petition them rather than complain to FOFC.  

CMBA to meet with FCP mgmt.

Submitted by pinkrobe on May 21, 2009 - 18:51.

 
As luck would have it, the CMBA is meeting with Fish Creek Park management on Monday.  We'll keep you aprised of the results of that meeting.

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not convinced

Submitted by Crosscheck on February 3, 2009 - 01:13.

Is it too late to challenge this "one trail only" concept in Fish Creek? I don't trust the Friends of political correctness, er, I mean Fish Creek and I can't help to think that this is just the first step to turning Fish Creek into Weaslehead/Nosehill/Beaumont South. I've been riding in FC for over 10 years now and I'm having trouble understanding why this is good idea.

Please, someone, make a good argument on how this single trail is a positive step forward and help me see the light....

Good point

Submitted by pinkrobe on February 3, 2009 - 16:03.


You make a good point - is a "single" trail really the best thing for mtn bikers in FCP? Personally, I'm fine with finishing the trail through Shannon Terrace, taking out the crappy dirt jumps and stunts by Marshall Springs and leaving everything else alone. That's probably not going to happen. Doing walkabouts with the Friends, the only "trails" they have considered closing are ones that are short connectors that serve little or no purpose.

For example, just on the south side of Bridge 1, there are two [maybe 3] entrances to the singletrack that goes up to the top of the bluff/slope/whatever. They connect together about 15-20m in, and there really isn't much point in having more than one. The driest, most sustainable route will be left in place, and any others will be reclaimed. Other closures would be made where a trail splits and goes around both sides of a tree or something like that. More aggressive closures will be almost impossible to enforce without putting up hundreds of metres of fencing and parking a CO in the area 24/7; this will cost a fortune, surely mess with animal movement, ruin park aesthetics and generally make the area crappy - like Bowmont. I don't think that the Friends want that any more than we do.

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