By: Patricia Thoni
of the Yellowhead Outdoor Recreation Association
All the valley trails are in quite good shape. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for some of the access roads.
The McKirdy Meadows access road (5-Mile) is rutted and very dusty due to active logging. 4×4 high clearance vehicles are recommended, and of course travel with caution. Once the logging is finished the Community Forest will be improving this road so we will just have to be patient for a little longer.
The Swift Mountain Road has a couple of rough sections in the first 8 km but it’s not too bad for the average car. A high clearance vehicle is recommended for last 3 km.
The West Ridge Forestry Road (Mt Trudeau Trail) is by far in the worst shape. It is almost to the point of ATV travel only. A high clearance 4X4 can still make the trip but it will take you at least an hour to cover the 14.7 km to the trailhead.
On a brighter note the Sand Creek Forestry Road (Mica Mine Trail) is in very good shape. The trail has some wet sections in the first few km but other than that it’s in great shape.
Note: In an effort to make the local trails a little more user friendly YORA will be installing a few more of their green and yellow signs to help identify road access and trailheads for the more common trails. As well we will be putting up our yellow recreation trail ribbon (orange ribbon is added to make it more visible) to help guide you along in spots where there are forks in the road or the trail is not well defined.
