Parks Canada joined the local biking community to launch a new trail network on Tunnel Bench in Banff National Park, Friday (June 13).
The event celebrated the achievements of the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance (BVMBA) in championing the development of diverse biking trails that are able to accommodate everyone from experienced, technical riders to children and beginners.
“Today, on the eve of Bike Fest, we’re here to officially launch the network of cycling trails on Tunnel Bench,” said Dave McDonough, Banff superintendent. “An addition of 20 kilometres of new trail now means there is over 40 kilometres of diverse mountain bike opportunities in this area alone.”
“The locals here have always known there is great road biking and mountain biking and they’ve enjoyed it and taken part in making it better,” said Stuart Back, interim CEO of Banff Lake Louise Tourism. “A couple of years ago Banff-Lake Louise Tourism, Parks Canada and the Town of Banff took the initiative to look at some of the ways we could increase awareness of the great experiences that are offered here in Banff National Park and one of those ways was to really focus on our hiking and biking and offering classic experiences offered here.”
BVMBA had a lot to do with re-establishing existing trails, and much towards the new trails being offered. “It’s been the Mountain Bike Alliance who has developed this network right here on Tunnel Mountain,” BVMBA director Robert Earl said. “Members were involved in planning which trails make the most sense in terms of the complete offering – an entry level, an intermediate level and a high level design of trail.
“It took a lot of input and, most importantly, rebuilding. In the last three years we put about 1,000 hours of volunteer time per year, and as mentioned, the Topp Notch Trail that we recently finished is the one we are most proud of – there’s nothing like Topp Notch between here and Calgary, and I would even say even points west.”
Earl added newcomers who wish to explore and discover what Banff has to offer should ask friendly, local bike enthusiasts. “Your best bet is to come to one of the biking stores in Banff and talk to the shop there and maybe they can help you out – it’s always the best bet in terms of getting your cycling information – or come to the visitor information centre,” Earl said.
If you want to find out about the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance and/or get involved in volunteering, you can visit the group’s Facebook page at Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance.
“We’re easy to find, and we post there what’s going this week and what we’ve done recently, and you can have a look at some of the photos and work we’ve done in the last few years,” said Earl.
