The town of Grand Bay-Westfield has a fabulous waterfront development and trail building plan in the works. We can see the progress every time we pass by the Westfield Ferry Landing. Work on the Brundage Point trailhead is well underway. I wrote about the entire development plan in an earlier column and it includes the extension of the trail system along Route 177 and the development of a backcountry trail network. The plan is a good one and when completed will certainly be a welcome addition to the community.
We don’t have to go far to see how a well planned out and maintained trail system can contribute to the quality of life in a community. The city of Fredericton has over 70 km of trails to explore within the city limits. The non-profit and voluntary Trails Coalition looks after these trails year round. The Coalition members include the local Outdoor Enthusiasts club, area bicycle clubs, a running club and the x-c ski club. There are 17 trails in the city and about 9 recreation areas. I’ve walked on some of the trails in the summer and recently I had the chance to ski on a few of them this winter. This superb trail system is one of the best things about Fredericton.
There was about 10 cm of fresh snow on the ground the day I took my skis to Odell Park. A network of ski and hiking trails winds throughout and around the park. In the winter the trails are groomed for x-c skiing but the groomer hadn’t been out that day yet. Plenty of other skiers had though. If you have the trails people will use them. I skied almost ever trail in the park that day. The snow conditions were perfect. The park is located on the side of a hill so some of the trails are challenging, especially on the way down but what a ride! It’s a fabulous place to ski and it’s right in the city.
I still had some legs left so next I went to the UNB Woodlot and Game Refuge beyond Regent Mall and toward New Maryland. Skiers just call this place “The Woodlot”. I don’t know how many kilometers of trails there are but it’s a lot. I wanted to ski for about half an hour but got lost and ended up experiencing a lot of what the Woodlot has to offer. I eventually found the trail out to my car about an hour and a half later. The trails were all freshly groomed, packed and tracked by machine. The local Wostawea Ski Club looks after the trails in the winter and they were wonderful that day.
It was an absolute treat to ski on well maintained groomed trails. I don’t have an opportunity to do that very often. Most of the skiing we do in this area around Saint John is of the backcountry variety. We either break our own trails or share them with ATV’s and snowmobiles. This is the kind of skiing I like but I have to admit how nice it sometimes is to have that groomed track and not to be concerned about motorized traffic on the trail. I have no problem sharing our vast trail system here. There’s plenty of room for everyone who wants to get out in the backcountry and explore.
But if we are to become known for our trail system and waterfront here in Grand Bay-Westfield I think we’ll have to make sure that some trails are reserved just for hiking, walking, skiing and perhaps mountain biking. Hikers will not come to explore our trails if they’re overrun with ATV’s. It would be ideal to have a section of forest somewhere nearby with a few kilometers of linked trails on it just for non-motorized use. If the trail is there people will use it just like they do in Fredericton. And if we ever get a winter with reliable snowfall again, I bet skiers would use the trails all the time. I know I would. And if enough of us do, maybe just maybe we could have groomed trails and form a club. It’s a big attraction in Fredericton and it could be here too.
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