Wednesday December 1, 2021 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Capital Regional District (CRD) has signed a license agreement with the Sooke Bike Club to maintain existing, authorized mountain bike rated trails in Sea to Sea Regional Park in order to create a better quality mountain biking experience.
The announcement came today, December 1, 2021 from CRD.
This license agreement aligns with the newly implemented Mountain Biking Guidelines which recognize that mountain biking groups play a key role in championing mountain biking etiquette and sanctioned trails, monitoring and advocating for safe and quality experiences, and celebrating the recreational community. The Guidelines were developed with the advice and guidance of the Mountain Biking Advisory Committee who also advocated for increased community involvement.
Key role by local bike club:
The Sooke Bike Club is a non-profit organization operating in the Sooke Hills region of Vancouver Island. Their mandate is to promote cycling and mountain biking in their community through fun events, the expansion and maintenance of trail networks, and advocating on behalf of their members.
The Sooke Bike Club has a long standing connection to Sea to Sea Regional Park.
Second-largest park in the CRD:
Sea to Sea Regional Park is the second largest CRD Regional Park. It is a wilderness area that encompasses almost 4,000 hectares.
The park offers outstanding outdoor wilderness recreation that allows park visitors to remain in close touch with the natural environment. This parkland is part of the Sea to Sea Green Blue Belt, a corridor of protected green space linking Saanich Inlet in the east to Juan de Fuca Strait in the west.
The trail network in Sea to Sea Regional Park was established through the park management planning process, which included stakeholder engagement. Mount Manuel Quimper, within the park, has mountain biking trails ranging from “Easy” to “Extremely Difficult.”
The trails take advantage of natural rock formations which create exceptional technical features, from drops to jumps. Although some trails are mountain biking only, much of this 57-kilometre network of trails is shared by hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers.
The trail grade is moderate to challenging.
Visitors can help promote responsible and safe use of these multi-use trails by practicing simple etiquette, says CRD.
Plan and covenants:
Any work done under this license agreement will align with the existing park management plan, honour land covenants and protect park values, says CRD.
Improved and monitored trails will help mitigate environmental impacts. For more information, visit the CRD park page.