Castlegar Parks and Trails will continue work this year on its Grandwazoo Loop, thanks to $17,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust.
“We’re trying to build a climbing trail,” says executive director Sarah Meunier. “It will be multidirectional but the main purpose is so people can pedal to the top of a couple of existing trails in the Rialto forest service road area.”
Meunier says the existing trails are very popular but they’re trying to accommodate people who want to ascend the trail by mountain bike or ebike.
The first three kilometres of the trail were built last year, thanks to volunteers and Trust funding. The latest round of cash will allow them to extend the route another 1.5 km. Depending on other funding sources, they may be able to build another four to five kilometres this year, Meunier says.
“It’s all dependent on the different sources of funding available and how much we receive. We’re still waiting to hear back to find out how much we’ll accomplish this season but we’re going to be fundraising for the next few years.”
When the trail is done, it will be 17 kilometres long. Meunier says they are hoping to have a segment usable this year.
Meanwhile, they are recruiting new members. “All funding for projects starts with memberships and donations as seed money to leverage larger funds,” she says. “Small contributions help get these larger sums.”
