After growing demand, consultation and planning, South Island mountain bikers are pumped about the region's newest addition to a popular park used by many different outdoor enthusiasts.
The Capital Regional District (CRD) has officially opened 12 kilometres of new sanctioned trails for mountain bikers to explore at Thetis Lake Regional Park.
The CRD says the new trails provide a safer, greater connection to nature and offers visitors an experience that differs from other mountain bike trails within the CRD parks system
Existing multi-use trails have been used by mountain bikers at Thetis Lake Regional Park for some time, as well as some unsanctioned trails in more sensitive areas of the park.
The planning of the new trails took into account the protection of those sensitive ecological areas and decommissioned several unsanctioned trails.
New signage has been installed on the sanctioned trails, which are ranked from easy to difficult, much like a ski hill with "green" being easiest and "black diamond" the most difficult.
The new trails are primarily "blue"-rated cross country trails and are designated as multi-use for a range of park users, including mountain bikers, walkers, hikers, and trail runners.
The South Island Mountain Bike Society (SIMBS) says the trail addition will complement the region's off-road trail network.
"It’s also going to be great because it links to our existing sanctioned riding areas," said Mahon Lamont, the director at large for SIMBS.
"You can almost imagine, it’s like a spine through an island of trails, so it’s going to be a really important link," said Lamont.
The CRD says the newly designated trails in Thetis Lake Regional Park fit within the existing management plan of the park, and were part of the short-term actions identified to support the Mountain Biking Advisory Committee’s Advice and Guidance Report.
In 2021, the CRD committed to building positive relationships with mountain biking communities in the region and to address the recreational needs of mountain bikers in regional parks, while giving consideration to other stakeholder needs and following the direction of approved management plans.
The designated trails within the park will be operated and maintained by the district through its existing parks budget.
The mountain biking community is excited to have access to trails closer to the city, allowing riders to ride to trails near urban areas, rather than driving out to the Hartland Landfill in Central Saanich where the Mount Work Regional Park mountain biking trail system is located.
Some of the new trails in Thetis Lake Regional Park now connect with the Mount Work Regional Park trails, giving riders new opportunities to explore.
"There’s a bunch of new bridges, which is awesome," said Lamont. "There’s some new routes that allow trails that we lost to be connected again, so that’s pretty cool."
The mountain bike advocate hopes people will get out and try the new trails now that they are officially opened.
More information, including a map of the trails, can be found on the CRD website.
