I was thinking, hey, wouldn't it be great to write a brief history of the development of trails in Fish Creek Provincial Park? I did it anyway, so read and enjoy.

In the beginning...

1980-1990

I lived in Deer Ridge and Deer Run when I was a kid.  This gave me easy access to the SE portion of FCP, and I got out there as often as I could during the long, dry summers.  There were already plenty of trails to ride on beyond the shale paths.  Hull's Wood had footpaths going off in all directions, especially down to the creek and along the Bow.  There were also plenty of paths coming down from Parkland, as there was no reason to drive all the way to Bow Bottom Trail and park someplace just so you could go for a stroll.  You could walk out your front door and head straight down the slope, so that's what people did. 

1990-2000
Around 1991, I got my first really nice mountain bike.  No suspension, but it only cost $1500 [!].  By that time I had moved to the SW, and only got down to my old stomping grounds on occasion.  All the trails were still there, but things had changed a bit.  Somebody had dug holes in the narrow singletrack, especially along the creek.  The holes were often as wide as the trail, about 2' across and 1' deep, and definitely created with a shovel.  They were easy to spot at walking pace, but if you happened to be looking at the burbling creek or up at a interesting-looking bird in a tree, you could end up going over the bars pretty quick.  Around this time I heard rumours of wire being strung across the paths and singletrack at about head height.  I don't recall if anyone was injured, but things could have become very nasty.

Eventually, I ventured farther afield and began riding in K-Country.  It was a few years before I would get back to FCP.  In 1997, the World Police and Fire Games descended on Calgary, and the mountain bike race was held in Fish Creek, starting in Bebo Grove.  After the race was done, I rode the course.  It was amazing!  Twisting, turning singletrack wound its way from Bebo Grove out past Shannon Terrace, across the creek then up and down the south slope.  Very little trail was created for the race.  Most of it had developed as horses, walkers, runners and bikers ventured into the woods, away from the ubiquitous red shale paths.  It was so much fun, and a nice break from the extended climbs and rougher terrain found in the foothills and mountains.  The variety of trails was quite impressive.  There was no need to bushwhack or create new routes - I just rode what was there.

2000+


The last 9 years have sort of flown by. The trails remained more or less the same up until the construction of the Evergreen community. A large pond close to the West boundary of the park was drained by simply pumping the water to the top edge of the slope and letting it flow down the slope. This cut a 2' x 2' channel all the way down, and created a fetid swamp at the bottom. Then came the Great Flood of 2005, destroying many of the bridges in the west end of the park, making trail access difficult and washing away some bits of trail that ran close to the creek. The vast majority of the trails were untouched, so I rode more or less as always. Bridge reconstruction destroyed more sections of trail, but again, the vast majority were the same as always. The construction of Evergreen also included paving over a fairly long stretch of trail close to 37 St. The paved section is so steep in one area that I would consider it dangerous, particularly if wet or icy. In contrast, the old singletrack is not as steep, and has several switchbacks included to make it an easier climb.

In the last couple of years, a few dirt jumps have been built along some of the singletrack. These are most likely built by a few kids from the communities surrounding the park and are easily reclaimed. More troublesome are a couple of ladder-style drops that have been built closer to Marshall Springs. They are very poorly built, badly designed, and should be taken down as soon as possible - before somebody gets hurt. The Friends of Fish Creek Park have been developing a trail in the West end of the park to connect Bebo Grove, Shannon Terrace and Bridge 1 with some nice singletrack. It's quite possible that it will be finished by the end of 2009. The CMBA is working closely with the Friends to make the trail fun and sustainable. So far, so good! Other than that, things are much the same as they have always been...