Those who for years have made the long arduous climb to the top of McDougall Rim on Kelowna’s Westside knew that once they approached the last quarter of the climb they would be treated to some of the best, most scenic single track around. The McDougall Rim Trail upper portion winds its way through beautiful forest and down a ridge line with views overlooking Rose Valley, Okanagan Lake, Kelowna and the mountains beyond. The single track in this area could once have been described as near perfect…flowing and smooth with just enough technical sections thrown in.
On a recent journey to visit an old favorite, xc/all mountain director, Stewart Evans and fellow MTBco member, Lee McKay were shocked and saddened to find that the entire single track section from top to bottom has been widened and eroded by ATV users. Many of the trails signature flowing turns have now been ridden and worn straight through. The two MTBco members even found an abandoned, broken ATV left for trash on the trail.
In the past this trail had been known only to hardcore hikers and cross country mountain bikers who were willing to make the effort to get to it. At one time an area hiking club even maintained the trail (MTBco is unsure as to whether this group exists today). The forest service roads in the area seem to draw more and more ATVer and dirt bikers as time goes on. There are just simply more people involved in these activity in our area overall.
MTBco does not in any way assume that all motorized trail users are to blame for this type of misuse and abuse. It is truly a shame that some users feel the need to ruin trails that where never intended for motorized use. In an area with an abundance of forest service and double track roads there is room for all of us to enjoy our sports while respecting that each of us places a value on differing types of trails.
The McDougall Rim Trail has been a gem within the mountain bike and hiking communities for years. It is the kind of trail that had so much to offer and so much potential for future development. Its a shame to see others treat it with such disrespect and lack of regard for other trail users.
This is just the type of issue that MTBco needs to address. A letter will be sent to the Provincial body responsible for the area to explain the situation in the area and to make it clear the the single track trails in the area need to be specifically protected from damage from ATVs.
Mike Kittmer
2 Comments
Sucks to hear about the damage at McDougall Rim. I’m kind of new to this sport and that trail was next on my list to explore. I know the province can declare parks free of motorized vehicles – what about trails? The motorized crowds seem to stay off the Smith Creek trails. Is there some kind of understanding there or is the trail just too tight for dirtbiking?
There is a large group of mountain bike enthusiasts that would gladly get behind a push to try and preserve this trail for hiking/biking. The ATV’s could easily co-exist in the area if they simply built their own trails to a standard that would still preserve the beauty of the area.
Please feel free to keep me in the loop and with a little push in the right direction could likely preserve this trail.
Doug Knight
doug@knightfinancialservices.com