Residents heading to the Oldman River Valley will soon be benefiting from a sanctioned trail system.
Lethbridge City Council recently voted to have administration proceed with adopting a sanctioned trail network in the river valley. By having this network, it can provide benefits to the community to better inform and educate the public about permitted trail use and prohibited activities, protect culturally and ecologically sensitive areas, promote recreational activity, potentially reduce the amount of unapproved trail building in the river valley and have the trails properly maintained.
“Our river valley is such an important resource to our residents and our community, so we need to promote historic resources, sustainable use and recreational activity moving forward,” says Councillor Belinda Crowson, chair of the Civic Works SPC.
“Council is proud to support this project for the benefit of those who now use the trails, as well as for generations to come.”
Back in June 2020, city council had rescinded the previous Pathway 24 project from the 2018-2017 Capital Improvement Program and since then city admin have been working with local groups who utilize the coulees to work on strategy, framework, and partnership for those experiencing the river valley.
The Lethbridge Trail Alliance (LTA) helped in the planning of the trail signing at staging areas, access points, and intersections to make sure community values were incorporated into the design.
“The Lethbridge Trail Alliance is excited to see the City of Lethbridge move forward with the sanctioning of a single-track trail network within the river valley,” says Ralph Arnold, LTA president.
“The LTA looks forward to partnering with the City to ensure the network works for as many people as possible while maintaining environmental and cultural conservation.”
Currently, the sanctioned trail network will only be on the east side of the river valley. The west side needs to have more studying of cultural and historical resources to ensure nothing will be damaged.
More information regarding maps of the trail system can be found on the city’s website.