Recreation Trails Strategy

ADVISORIES

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Latest Status

The municipality will initiate a Recreation Trails Strategy in 2019.

Overview

The Recreation Trails Strategy (RTS) project will provide a strategy document establishing policies to address the management, access, development or improvement of new and existing trails and related elements.

Components

Potential elements to be considered in developing the strategy include:

economic limits to trail investment
jurisdictional responsibilities
trail network inventory and optimization
trailhead access, parking, and trailhead facilities
environmental, cultural and special features
ecosystem-based intensity of recreational use or no-use areas
e-bike use
trail closure procedures related to season, wildfire and wildlife
tenured, commercial and event uses
marketing, messaging and communications
trail construction and signage standards
trail ranger, research hut opportunity and other monitoring programs
preliminary trail master planning

A number of these topics are more immediate in nature and are being considered through other municipal projects and initiatives. Examples include the Grizzly Bear-Human Conflict Mitigation Strategy and e-bikes.

Geographic scope

The geographic scope targets trails and related recreational or natural amenities located within municipal boundaries. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the interface between the Whistler Urban Development Containment Area boundary (identified as the WUDCA boundary in the draft OCP) and immediately adjacent lands, as well as assets of municipal interest or investment outside of the municipal boundary.

The alpine trail network located on Mt. Sproatt and Rainbow Mountain and the 21 Mile Watershed would be included in the project. The Whistler Interpretive Forest would also be included within the project subject to discussions with Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

Whistler Blackcomb’s Controlled Recreation Area (CRA) and Garibaldi Provincial Park would be excluded from scope, but engagement would occur with these organizations to best align policies.

The strategy will aim to achieve consistency across jurisdictions with different land managers where possible and feasible.