Very stoked to debut a brand new column on The Wellness Almanac, dedicated to local trail news, contributed by Tracy Napier, a biker, hiker and tool belt wearer who loves maps, dirt, dogs and Pemberton. She’ll be contributing a monthly Trails Update here. You can reach her with questions, news, photos or props, at tjnapier@gmail.com.

Rider, trail builder and photographer (yep, he does it all), Ed Witwicki on the new Pacific trail.

Whether you’re one of those hardy souls who has been riding your bike all winter, or you’re only just dusting it off now that the weather has warmed up and the trails are snow free, spring is an exciting time of year for the two-wheel lovers and this year in Pemberton there’s a lot to be excited about.

There are new trails everywhere. One Mile Park has several new routes off of Overhill, and a great new climb up to Lumpy’s and Pioneer called News Flash. Pacific is a new descent above the Creekside neighbourhood that goes off of the old climb for Squirrel Boy. And in the Benchlands neighbourhood there’s a brand new climb called Smoky Tickler that goes up to the left just before the gate by the CBC tower and descends as Fat Tug. It should be noted that Smoky Tickler and Fat Tug are not shown on the new map and are still under construction, but according to the builders they are close to complete and ready for some traffic. As with any trail, use caution, especially on your first pass.

There have also been a ton of improvements and new routes on Mackenzie and the Mosquito Lake area. One good way to check out all the new and improved trails is to pick up the PVTA map. There’s a brand new map this year that will soon be available for about $12 at the Bike Co.). It’s also worthwhile investing in the pemberton trail app (bikepirate.com.) Actually, both the map and the app are handy to have. The paper map is better for trip planning and buying it supports the PVTA and all the good work they do to keep the trails going and growing. The app is especially handy because it includes a GPS locator, making it easier to figure out where you are in a pinch.

Some other exciting news is that the PVTA has approval to build a kids loop / training loop off of the Sea to Sky trail, just south of One Mile Lake, near the disc golf course. The idea with the new loop is that it will tie in with the growing network of climbs and descents off of Overhill and up towards Lumpy’s and K2 to create a really nice training area with various riding options that increase in difficulty and length. Check in over the summer as this gets completed.

If you’re itching to get out and get your hands in the dirt, the first Trail Day of the season is this Saturday, April 26. The day kicks off with a 9am blueberry pancake breakfast at the Bike Co. parking lot. After breakfast people will be organized into groups to go hit specific projects. Bring whatever tools you have (shovel, fan rake, hard rake, Pulaski, buckets) and don’t forget your gloves.

For more information about trails and what’s happening, check out the PVTA website at pembertontrails.ca and for the most up to date trail status check out bikeco.ca.