Mt Baldy tops list of new Shuswap trails ready for winter

The Shuswap, British Columbia – The snow seems to turn pink out on the trail in late winter afternoon light. That’s the experience shared by participants during the recent winter Bigfoot trail snowshoe walk this past weekend out on the new Mt Baldy Lookout trail. The walk featured one of the newest additions to the growing trail system throughout the Shuswap this year. 

The posting on the ShuswapTrails website describes the new Mt Baldy trail as “a 2.8 kilometer intermediate walk uphill through mixed forests to a great little lookout over the South Shuswap.” (See www.shuswaptrails.com) It is a collaborative project between the Columbia Shuswap Regional Dirstrict Area C Parks Commission, the Sorrento and Area Community Association, and the Shuswap Trail Alliance. 

“We’re just so pleased with it,” says Jay Scholton, with the Sorrento and Area Community Association. Jay championed the need for the new trail when an existing old forest track to the lookout became closed to local access. With the help of volunteers through the Shuswap Trail Alliance, including well known trail blazing veteran, John Coffey, and the support of CSRD Parks staff, a new trail was plotted. 

CSRD Parks staff supported local volunteer trail planners, then worked with the support of Splatsin Archeological services and local First Nations leadership to access the trail for potential impacts, and then worked with the Provincial Recreation Sites and Trails office to review and authorize the new trail alignment. “It takes thoughtful consideration to determine the best final alignment for a trail,” observes Phil McIntyre-Paul, with the Shuswap Trail Alliance. “There were at least 10 field sessions between beginning the process and final authorization. Even then, the need for ongoing monitoring of a new trail is important to ensure it holds up to continued use.”

The Mt Baldy Lookout trail joins over 12 kilometers of new trails added this year to the already impressive list of great trails throughout the region. Other new trails built by regional partners in 2013 include The Flying Nun, the Hobby Horse, PPT2, and PPT2 Backloop trails at South Canoe (2.5 km); completion of the new Veggie Delight and Connector trails at Rubberhead (3 km); completion of the Raspberry Hill addition to the Larch Hills Traverse (1 km); the Gayle Creek Loop, Pileated Woods Owl Prowl bike connector, and two sections of new Hillcrest greenway trail in Salmon Arm (2 km); the MV Beattie School Greenway path in Enderby (420 meters); and the new Wild Rose Bay trail with CSRD Parks in the South Shuswap (850 km).

“We all need to applaud the hard work of regional, band, and municipal staff, provincial agencies like BC Parks and Recreation Sites and Trails BC, local political leadership, stewardship organizations, consulting partners, sponsors, and community champions,” says McIntyre-Paul with the Shuswap Trail Alliance. “We’re continuing to see a strong commitment from communities to make the Shuswap a healthier, more sustainable, and beautiful place to live.”

To find out more about Shuswap Trails throughout the region and links to partner trail stewardship organizations visit www.shuswaptrails.com.

***

Photo Caption: Bigfoot Snowshoe participants explore the new Mt Baldy Lookout Trail. It’s the latest addition to the growing greenway trail system in the Shuswap. Check it out at www.shuswaptrails.com

For further background on this release, please contact: