The outdoors were a refuge for many during the pandemic as people hit their local trail networks to mountain bike, hike, run and walk, but advocates in British Columbia say the value of trails isn’t reflected in the level of support they receive. Betty Birrell, 76, rides her mountain bike on a trail while posing for a photograph, in North Vancouver, B.C., on December 9, 2024. Birrell has been mountain biking since about 1993, when she says it was an anomaly to see another woman riding through the lush forests. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck VANCOUVER — The outdoors were a refuge for many during the pandemic as people hit their local trail networks to mountain bike, hike, run and walk, but advocates in British Columbia say the value of trails isn’t reflected in the level of support they receive.
Deanne Cote, executive director of the North Shore Mountain Bike Association, said no one could have anticipated the surge in people using the local trails.
“It’s just kind of mind blowing,” Cote said in an interview.
“It’s a fine balancing act of well, the forest can only handle so much outdoor recreation, but there is so much pressure … that we do need more capacity.”
Martin Littlejohn, executive director of Mountain Biking BC, said trail networks offer a “huge opportunity” to attract tourists, while boosting community well-being.
But the bump in people using trails underscored the extent to which local, volunteer-driven groups like Cote’s are stretched thin, he said, as they pick up slack to […]
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