Spring is here, the days are longer and the snow is receding. Kimberley Trails Society (KTS) general manager Ryan McKenzie has some information for local trail users as spring conditions set in.
McKenzie said south facing trails are the first to dry up and are a good place to start in early spring is the Kimberley Campground Entrance.
“In years past, some trails that are in the sun are passable by mid-April,” McKenzie said. “In the past few years, trails like Thunder Turkey and Mr.Toad are snow free by the first week of May but rarely before that.
“Some good early season trails include Sunflower Hill, Home Run, Hoodoo View and Lower Thunder Turkey. The newer haǂaʔ¢u swaʔ (Sneaking Cougar -Trans Canada Trail) that goes to Matthew Creek should be dry early as well.”
The rest of Kimberley’s trails usually aren’t snow-free until mid-May, esecially up at higher elevations. For example, most of lower Bootleg is ready by mid-May, but the upper mountain, especially if you are shuttling up it, won’t be ready until the end of May.
The Nordic Centre tends to dry out in phases. The third climb to the Magic Line Three and the new trails will most likely be closed until early June to allow for the completion of work on Electrify the Mountain projects, and to tallow the area to dry out.
Round the Mountain is never completely ready to go until June.
In terms of springtime trail etiquette, McKenzie recommends planning your route with a bit of intel, which can be garnered from the website trailforks.com or by visiting local shops like Purcell Outdoors, Bootleg Bike Co. and Black Dog Cycle.
“Some loops may look promising but will have large patches of snow or mud,” McKenzie said. “It only takes a few seconds to make deep ruts in trails and hours for a trail crew to mobilize and fix sections like this.”
The Kimberley Nordic Centre has a lot of new trails from the Electrify the Mountain Project, but you need to check to make sure they are open and ready to ride before you head out.
“Obey all signage,” McKenzie added. “It’s there for your safety when trail work, trail conditions or initiatives like wildfire risk reduction work is happening.”
Another reminder is that Class 1 pedal assist e-bikes are allowed on the trails, but bikes with throttles, or that can go faster than 32 kilometres per hour are prohibited.
Looking ahead, KTS has a few exciting projects in the works, including a grant for a planning a Rails2Trails extension that would go further into town.
“If deemed feasible we hope to help expand the paved pathway closer to the Platzl,” McKenzie explained. “This would be a huge asset for recreation, commuting, the schools, and local businesses. We are working with Teck and the City of Kimberley on this project.”
READ MORE: Kimberley Trails Society proposing an extension of Rails to Trails
KTS has also received a grant from Columbia Basin Trust for the rehabilitation of the White Lightning and Atlas Trails on Bootleg. Adding a new green trail to the mountain will make it more accessible to younger and newer riders on that network.
And throughout the spring, the KTS trail crew will be out and about on the entire network, making fixes to trails in the Kimberley Nature Park, Lois Creek, Nordic Centre and Bootleg.
Kimberley’s trails are predominantly free to use, but McKenzie said user support goes along way.
“If you are a walker, runner, mountain biker or really, any type of trail user, please purchase a Trail Pass,” he said. “Trail passes help fund our trail crew, maintenance and trail projects.”
You can purchase a trail pass at kimberleytrails.org
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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