We are excited today to release a Trails Master Plan for Woolastook that will guide our construction efforts (both professional and volunteer) over the next several years as we develop the area into a top-caliber trailhead.
We wanted to do this right.
We invested some serious time and money into the development of this plan. That’s why we engaged Professional Trailbuilders Association member and local legend Matt Hadley to lead the development of this plan. Matt, and his team members at McElhanney had an impressive depth of experience to bring to the project. They travelled to New Brunswick on several occasions to walk the woods and to understand our goals. They brought ideas and valuable advice on how to develop a trail network sustainably, that’s got a lot to offer to all riders, and will stand the test of time.
This plan will:
- Reshape Woolastook to offer a far better rider experience. We’ll minimize confusing intersections and instead implement hubs where loops can logically stack together to offer enjoyable routes. Spend more time riding and less time checking a map on your phone.
- Offer a variety of experiences that cater to riders of all levels. Easier trails will be concentrated to the ‘front country’ adjacent to the trailhead and the further you venture into the ‘backcountry’, the more exciting the ride will get.
- Leverage naturally interesting terrain that we have available to us under our agreement with the Province. We’ll develop a dedicated climbing trail to the height-of-land near the popular look-off, and we’ll give you several interesting options to get back downhill.
- Provide trails that are enjoyable for our hiking, running, and other non-motorized friends that share our space while minimizing conflict with ATV users who have their own trails in close proximity to us.
We hope you’ll take the time to read through this, and let us know what you think. You can send us messages, email, or engage us on our social channels. We want to hear from you!
We need to make a few acknowledgements. This plan wouldn’t have come together without expertise of Matt Hadley and his team – that is for sure. Locally, we need to also acknowledge folks like Norm Siebrasse, Bev Bunker, and Adam Hadley, who spent many days walking the bush in Woolastook over the last year. We want to thank Sam Bosence, Mountain Bike Atlantic, and local ambassador Scott Debreuil who’ve helped raise the profile of the park. We want to thank Des as great neighbor and partner at the Woolastook Park Campground for all of his support in developing the area. We also have to acknowledge that this plan was funded – in full – through RVC’s grant under the Canada Community Building Fund. Finally, the whole club owes some thanks to Mike Hutchinson. Mike conceived this project from the start, and he’s running it as quickly as he can towards success.
You’ll learn more very soon about the partnerships we’re striking to start the construction, and having this plan puts us in a great place.
