Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance - Update on the ROWG trail use recommendations

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Update on the ROWG trail use recommendations

Thanks to the broad participation by bikers at the open houses, there are a number of positive trail recommendations that are moving forward from the Recreational Opportunities Working Group (ROWG). There are also some disappointments. What is important is that these recommendations will be presented at an open house in Canmore on June 10 (tentatively at 7pm). We need another big showing at the open house. Please voice your objections and support for the recommendations freely (but responsibly - the mountain bikers continue to wear the oppressed label and the sympathy vote counts for more than the bullying tactics used by some groups). Moving around the valley - here are some of the recommendations that you will likely see. Remember - the ROWG draft report is not yet final and that these are only recommendations to the Bow Corrodor Ecosystem Advisory Group (BCEAG). The good news is that the land managers are not going to wait necessarily to move on some of these recommendations (i.e. - some work likely to start in June).

Basic recommendations:

Loop trails will be sought on both sides of the valley to allow users to travel the length of the study area as much as possible without using roads.
There is the recognition for the need to provide high quality single track.
The land managers are happy to allow volunteer groups to build new approved trails (and maintain existing ones).
No more trails will be closed until an alternate trail is either built or identified.
There will be an ongoing committee with mountain bike representation that makes recommendations to the land managers on new trails/resolving trail conflicts

Starting east of the Alpine Club near the Graymont Quarry. The time restriction has been moved from June 15 back until May 15 and this I have requested to push it back further. The bad news is that there is a strong desire to limit the amount of trails in this area and for those of you who have been there recently, you will have seen a proliferation of new lines and cuts. In the new world, maverick trail building will not be tolerated.

Coming west to the spaghetti of trails above the Alpine Club, the major change will be the creation of a new "exercise loop" that is geared to bikers and runners that will replace the highest trail that crosses from Cougar Creek east to the next water shed. The Exercise Loop will be designed and built by people like us with the only stipulation that its high points should be well below the high trail today (next to the existing "blue" trail which will be geared for walkers and horses).

Continuing west - there will be a crossing or bridge across Cougar Creek near where the start of the Lady MacDonald trail and high entrance to the Exercise loop (no more going down to Cougar Creek parking lot). A major change is proposed for the upper Benchland trail - it will be closed and replaced by a trail that skirts the top of the golf course, rises to the existing high point on the Benchlands trail as a viewpoint but then immediately retreats back down to the old trail that borders the 9th hole tee box. This trail continues to the junction with the down trail on the west side of the SilverTip loop and then climbs to meet with the existing high Harvey Heights Trail. Silver Tip is also being forced by the Town of Canmore to put in another trail that cuts across the middle of their property - roughly from the 6th tee on a level over to the clubhouse. Lady Macdonald trail will be off limits to bikes. There will be a new access near the Lady Macdonald start that keeps bikes off the steep dirt switchbacks that ties into the Cougar Creek crossing and links to the new Benchlands trail.

Confused - don't worry I'm just starting.

The trails across to Harvie Heights are largely unchanged except it is recommended that there is no seasonal closure on the high trail. Also the last westerly part of the high trail that ends up above the radio tower will likely be off limits, sending bikers down the old Tibbets mine road instead. A new trailhead on the 1A 1 Km east of Harvie Heights and linking trails are proposed to keep people from going through the streets of HH.

Moving to the Nordic Centre - good news. The recommendations are to reclaim and open skull mountain and the coal shutes, to build a series of new singletrack links within the existing ski trail footprint to form long continous single track loops at the Nordic Centre. The June 15 seasonal closure will remain in effect for the Keller Bees/Oven/Downhill/Nectar Noodle/Nordic Norm portions but we will be allowed to develop replacement trails close to the 10 KM ski trail in the same area. I welcome suggestions (detailed level please) on single track links that would result in the formation of better loop riding at the Nordic Centre before May 29.

The Quarry Lake area remains up in the air because of the G8 legacy possibly building a crossing across the canal. What is recommended to move ahead regardless is the completion of the Reclaimer and a new highline trail linking the Riders of Rohan potentially all the way to Wind Valley. This highline trail will stay above all the existing trails but there will be up/down trails to it from Quarry Lake, behind Peaks of Grassi and at Three Sisters. With all my toes and fingers crossed, the current recommendation reopens the Cooler and the Pirate Trails veering to the east from the bottom of the Cooler. There will also be a trail skirting the Three Sisters developments in a treed buffer zone. This location has to wait until the Town approves Three Sisters plans. Note that with the development of the highline trail, the spaghetti trails directly above Peaks of Grassi will be closed except for the one up/down trail. This will bug people who live there.

Please remember that this is still at the formative stage and none of this is for certain. Come to the June 10 open house and there is a better chance of it being for certain.

Ken Davies