Editor’s note: This story originated as part of a Mount Royal University community service learning course with the partner Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA). The reporter retained complete editorial control over this story.
On any given day in Canmore, Alta., the trails are alive with motion. Families wobble along routes on first bikes, seasoned riders carve their favourite descents, and volunteers shape corners by hand. At the centre of that spirit is the Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA), a small but mighty non-profit that’s been helping keep the Bow Valley’s trail culture vibrant.
With Alberta Forestry and Parks releasing the Canmore Area Trails Master Plan on Nov. 28, CAMBA finds itself at the centre of one of the most significant conversations about the future of local mountain recreation in years.
New plan, big ideas
The master plan is Alberta’s attempt to “provide the foundation for developing, managing and maintaining an integrated, authorized and sustainable trail network in the Bow Valley.”
It proposes expanding designated trails, formalising long-used routes, protecting wildlife movement corridors, and building a more diverse and accessible trail system.
For everyday and experienced trail users, the plan could change where they ride and how trail and wildlife stewardship looks going forward.
For CAMBA’s Executive Director, Laura Quelch, the plan is an opportunity to align riders and trail users under a shared vision.
“I think having a new approach where it’s looking at better human and wildlife coexistence and ensuring that we’re providing the opportunities and stuff that members and recreationalists are looking for is a really balanced approach. It’s a bit of a new theory, I would say,” Quelch said.
One of the plan’s most significant proposals is to increase variety across the trail network, especially for newer riders.
Chad Holowatuk, president of CAMBA, said that this will include more green and black (difficult) trails, more predictable signage and redesigned staging areas where families can start safely.
“We have several coaches in the Bow Valley that have a lot of young kid programs – like we’re talking little kids that are just getting on trail. They need those trails to learn on. If you don’t have them, you’re going to discourage the sport for the young kids to get into it,” Holowatuk said.
For Holowatuk, the importance of green trails goes beyond his job as CAMBA’s president, but into his personal life as well.
“I remember bringing my niece and nephew, who were really young. We went to the Nordic Centre, and I wanted them to experience mountain biking and get into it. I took them on a green trail, maybe got lost a bit there, and we went on a blue, and they were like, ‘We’re done,’” Holowatuk said.
“They said, ‘Why are we going up so much? Why?’ We have to provide an experience that kids want to keep coming back to.”
Balancing riders and stewardship
One of the draft plan’s most significant components is its wildlife-first approach. It outlines trail-free areas to protect habitat patches, calls for seasonal closures in sensitive zones, and incorporates research on movement corridors.
Holowatuk says that while riders may have some trouble with trails coming off the landscape, the master plan has brought both the riding community and environmental groups together.
For CAMBA, this approach isn’t a barrier, but a gateway to building trails responsibly.
“You know, at first I think it’s about educating riders and users. Bow Valley is a very narrow valley, and it’s one of the few places where wildlife is actually allowed to roam freely and hasn’t been totally shooed away by development,” Holowatuk said.
“The reason for that is that there are designated habitat patches, and there are corridors that connect habitat patches to each other, and provide these conduits and road highways for wildlife to move freely. The trail development in Canmore can happen and needs to occur outside of these areas.”
CAMBA’s trails forward
CAMBA’s Director, Nicole Romanow, says that while the master plan proposes trails for other communities, such as hikers or horse riders, mountain bikers should get excited.
“People are constantly hearing about trail closures and modifications and all this sort of thing, and there’s a lot of negative information about the state of trails in the valley. I hope that people reading the plan and contributing to the open houses and related activities will appreciate that,” Romanow said.
“While this plan is not mountain bike specific, it is mountain bike positive. It’s not gonna create a bike-only network around Canmore and make it exclusive, but it will make the state of mountain biking a lot better in the valley.”
Romanow also sees an “ideal trail” in two lights: as an experienced mountain biker and as the director of CAMBA. She considers factors such as trail maintenance, varied trail types, and adequate signage and navigation.
However, for Romanow, the last component of a good trail isn’t even on the bike.
“The last thing I consider is the things that support the trail network. I’m gonna generalise, but we [mountain bikers] like to go for a bike ride, then have a beer, ice cream, or really good coffee. Mountain bikers are generally people who want to go and enjoy their time in a community, and we have a lot of that in Canmore. I think we have a really good foundation for bringing people here to enjoy our trails,” Romanow said.
Bringing the trails to life
As technical as trail planning can get, CAMBA’s work is ultimately rooted in people. The riders, volunteers, and families who fill Canmore’s trails each day create the energy that keeps the network alive.
Holowatuk has watched the trail community come to life, and while everyone’s needs are different, one of the most important things to consider is the riders’ enjoyment.
“I hope that visitors or locals are thankful that they have an opportunity to recreate on trails. I want them to be smiling. I want them to be hooting and hollering and having a great time. I want visitors to come, enjoy the trail network, and either go to the local brewery for a beer or to the local cafe for a coffee,” he said.
Looking ahead
As public engagement on the master plan unfolds, CAMBA hopes the valley’s trail community will see themselves reflected in the process. The plan brings change, but also possibility — especially for expanding beginner access, improving signage, and building more resilient, sustainable routes.
For now, though, people can get involved and get informed by attending CAMBA’s Canmore Area Trails Master Plan open house on Dec. 15 to learn more about the proposals.