Joe McWilliams
Speaking of trails, they are being developed all over the province, all the time. They are great enhancements to any community, as pretty much everybody who walks a dog, rides a bicycle, jogs, rollerblades and doesn’t like doing these things on the street or highway knows.
Trail connections between communities is another level of recreational opportunity altogether and more complex and expensive to do. But it is being done, in bits and pieces, all the time, as mentioned.
Around here, a local group had a goal of establishing a set of trails south of Slave Lake and Widewater. Trails already exist, of course, but they are ad hoc, often in bad shape and often harmful to creeks. So formalizing them, upgrading them is a good idea.
Another trail development effort was the interpretive ‘FireSmart’ loop starting and ending at the Slave Lake Visitor Information Centre. There’s hope out there that a trail connection from there to the Slave Lake trail system may one day be realized. That was at least being discussed at the time – it was even mentioned by a candidate running for M.D. council. But nothing has happened in the intervening years.
That Slave Lake paved trail system, by the way, has been a great asset to the community for over 20 years. Former Slave Lake Mayor Gerry Allarie – after whom it was later named – deserves a lot of the credit for pushing it through.
The fact it was extended all the way to Devonshire Beach was even better – it has kept a generation of kids on bikes off the highway and who knows, maybe saved a life or two.
There are rumours the trail along the Hwy. 88 right-of-way will be lost when that road is finally improved. The town and M.D. should be thinking seriously about how to re-establish it if that happens.
There are paved trails in Kinuso and Smith and elsewhere serving exactly the same purpose.
Who knows – maybe one day a trail the length of the south shore hamlets might exist. It would get all those bikers, strollers, walkers and joggers onto a path of their own, making everybody happier, healthier and safer.
Meanwhile, the international renown of the Camino de Santiago continues to grow. That hike – following various ancient religious pilgrimage routes towards Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain – has become such a big thing it might be in danger of losing its charm. But of course, it is very good for business. Numerous little pueblos along the route have prospered because of it – these being places with otherwise shrinking populations and no services.
A great part of the appeal of these trails is that they take hikers off the edges of roads. No cars, in other words. Otherwise, what would be the point? If you have to compete with motor vehicles, you might as well be in one.
It does take time, effort and money to develop trail systems. But it is almost always worth it.
In Slave Lake, where I live, the word is the Allarie Trail system is used more than any other piece of recreational infrastructure. It is an acknowledged quality of life enhancer, and (notwithstanding the occasional bear) is much safer than walking or cycling alongside or among automobiles. More more enjoyable too, of course!
Governments need to acknowledge this and start budgeting for trail development.