CALGARY - Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park is getting 30 kilometres of new bike trails, thanks to an infusion of more than $300,000 from all levels of government.
That's good news for summer visitors, who may have felt left behind four years ago when the province funded multimillion-dollar improvements for cross-country ski trails at the park.
The new money will create a 30-kilometre trail system designed primarily for mountain bikers , but also for hikers and runners.
Centre staff have teamed up with trail builders to design and cut trails for all levels of riders.
The new paths will link up with older trails to create a network with better flow. Vegetation overgrowing some older routes will be trimmed, and a new pump track with undulating terrain will be created in the park's mountain bike skills area, according to centre manager Michael Roycroft.
"This new, integrated trail system will offer something for every level of rider," Roycroft said. "We're really trying to turn this into a year-round centre."
In 2005, about 20 kilometres of cross-country ski and biathlon trails were widened and graded, and a new snow-making system was added. This brought the park up to international standards so it could host the Alberta 2005 World Cup races. The work was part of $26 million in facility upgrades between 2004 and 2008.
The new recreational trail system for summer users is much less ambitious. The province is investing $210,000 in the project. The federal government, through Infrastructure Canada, will spend $77,497 as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan. And the Town of Canmore is contributing $20,000 to create a 500-metre link from the new pathway network to the town's trail system.
Most of this year's pathway work, including five new kilometres, is slated to be finished by the end of October. Work on the remaining 25 kilometres is expected to resume next May and finish sometime in 2011.
Canmore getting new trails!
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