Many Okotoks bikes enthusiasts have earned the right to take a relaxing spin on a network of trails being developed in town.
They have more than earned it, they are building the new trails.
Approximately 15 members of the Okotoks Trail Alliance were out May 17 digging, clearing, packing and getting the recreational single-track trail set on the river-valley slope near the Cimarron area.
“We have hundreds of hours logged in here from people of all ages,” said the association’s Steven Kotowich.
The approximately 1.5 km of trails has enough curves and dips to entertain the best riders.
Kotowich has helped build tracks in the past, including the system at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School. The Okotoks trails are switchbacks going back and forth on the hill.
“By putting in turns like this we are getting more use of the real estate we already have,” Kotowich said. “The Town is pleased we are building and have been great to work with. We are trying to get the biggest bang for our buck.”
The approximately two-foot wide trails are built in a fashion to provide some hills — and the momentum to get up them. However, the switchbacks ensure speeds are kept at a safe level.
By not cutting vertically into the slope, the volunteers are protecting the fastest vessel of which they are a passenger — Mother Earth.
Volunteers have not only been building the paths, but reclaiming land that won’t be used as part of the system but had been damaged by riders in the past.
The association has worked closely with the Town to ensure the trails and the area are sustainable. They are built in a way to drain rainwater.
Volunteers built a small rock gutter system into the trails on May 17 to protect them from the anticipated Victoria Day weekend rains.
“Water will pool in an area and riders won’t ride through it they will go around it,” Kotowich said. “And the trail just gets wider, wider and wider.”
The result is the environment around the main trail is damaged.
So far, all the work has been done the old-fashioned way — blood, sweat and smiles for a hard day’s work using shovels, rakes and man-powered tools.
The only bobcats would be of the feline variety taking in the natural area.
However, vandalism has meant the volunteers have had to waste their valuable time redoing their work.
Logs and boards used to shore up parts of the trail have been ripped out. As well, small trees have been snapped, left dangling over the pathway.
“Someone ripped this thing up— it was all removed,” said Kotowich, while pointing to a small poplar log used to secure a portion of the path. “We had to re-stake, the log was put in, we had to back fill, re-rake and fill again, and we are still not done… I am hoping it is the act of just one or two foolish people.”
Frustrating, but the vandals haven’t dampened the spirits of the work done so far. The association has received countless hours of help from members of the Jesus Christ Church of Latter-Day Saints and the Boy Scouts.
They have already seen the fruits of their labour.
“I was here the other night and I bumped into a young mother she was excited about this,” Kotowich said with a smile. “Her husband was at home, the kids were in bed and she got to go outside to ride her bike for an hour.
“She had a grin from ear to ear which is wonderful.”
The trails can be shared by runners and walkers as well.
The volunteers aren’t done yet.
The new trail and possibly others in Okotoks in years to come are works in progress.
“Down at the bottom where it is flat, we are hoping to add a kilometre or two to build their skills and eventually come up here,” Kotowich said. “But that might be a fall project. We want to take a break in the summer so the volunteers can enjoy their work with their families.”
The association is planning to officially open the system with a barbecue on June 23. Anyone wishing more information can go to the Okotoks Mountain Biking and Trail Alliance Facebook page.
