The Valley’s premier recreation organizations shared how they work together to prevent rogue trail-building and protect sensitive natural areas.

Tourists come from all over the world to run and ride on Pemberton's extensive network of trails. Now, the groups behind those trails are sharing their process with the Valley’s residents.

During its first-ever public information project on April 3, the Pemberton Valley Trails Working Group (PVTWG) gave locals a peek behind the curtain at the work that goes into building up and maintaining local trails.

The massive group is comprised of representatives from Recreation Sites and Trails B.C., the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD), the Village of Pemberton (VOP), Lil’wat Nation Title and Rights, Pemberton Valley Trails Association, Pemberton Off-Road Cycling Association, Pemberton Wildlife Association, Stewardship Pemberton Society, and Spel’kúmtn Community Forest.

“Anyone who isn’t here tonight is probably a rogue trail-builder,” said the Lil'wat's Xzúmalus Roxanne Joe, to laughter from the audience.

The PVTWG is responsible for the 2020 Pemberton Valley Trails Master Plan, which sets out a vision for the development of the area’s trails. The creation of that plan, the result of a collaboration between the wide range of stakeholders listed above, marked the start of closer collaboration between the area’s key recreation groups. In addition to building up the Valley’s network of trails, the Working Group exists to reduce the cultural and environmental damages done by constructing rogue trails.

Unsanctioned trails on unceded territory
Pique sat down to chat with Xzúmalus after the Working Group event. She’s been on the Working Group since 2021, when her boss recognized Xzúmalus’ mountain-biking bonafides.
With its nearly 800,000 hectares of unceded traditional territory, the Lil’wat Nation has a vested interest in minimizing future unauthorized incursions onto its land. Sometimes, that takes the form of unsanctioned, or rogue, trail-building.
Rogue development in the Valley is nothing new for the Nation; the issue dates back well before mountain bikers were tearing up the slopes.
“It's been an ongoing concern for Lil’wat since the arrivals of settlers in our territory, [and] more recently, with the recreation industry making its way north of Whistler to where we are today,” said Xzúmalus. “It's not that long ago, our community members could go up on the McKenzie and go hunting and fishing and gathering and just walk around with their rifles on their back. Now, they can bump into a visitor mountain biking and get into this uncomfortable situation because the mountain biker thinks that this person shouldn't be here with a gun.”
Xzúmalus said damage isn’t restricted to just trail-builders, but anyone who disrupts the earth without consent and without the proper due diligence.

“There could be potential damage to cultural and archeological [and] harvesting sites, and those who take it upon themselves to alter the earth without consent and consultation with the nation [in which] they are recreating,” she said. People who build unsanctioned trails aren’t trying to do damage deliberately, Xzúmalus said; even children within the Nation will occasionally go out onto the land and build their own jumps and trails. To reduce that damage, the Lil’wat Title and Rights department (recently rebranded from Lands and Resources, to reflect the high-level politics that the department is regularly tasked with) has worked to increase knowledge among visitors, like a 2023 signage campaign reminding recreationists about the hunting and gathering in shared areas. Xzúmalus said those knowledge campaigns, along with the trails master plan, have contributed to a decline in rogue trail-building. Making the process clearer and providing new trails a path to legitimacy has helped. “It's hard to reprimand someone just doing something that they love,” said Xzúmalus. “And we don’t want to police people. So it’s just about education and working together.”
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Messing with moss and moths
Veronica Woodruff is quick to remind attendees of the Pemberton Valley’s unique environment.
“We're right at this cusp between the Coastal and the Interior forest,” Woodruff told the audience. “Also, we've got the low elevation up until up into the alpine tundra. So when you have overlap, that is where all the species live.”

Woodruff represents the Pemberton Wildlife Association (PWA) in the Trails Group. She noted Whistler’s annual BioBlitz, which has slowly moved up the Sea to Sky, has clocked nearly 2,000 distinct species in Pemberton—including more than 49 types of bees, 188 types of moss and, unfortunately, 22 types of mosquitoes.

Because all those distinct species exist in the same spaces as the Valley’s network of trails, Woodruff said deliberate trail placement and adequate water management are key—particularly with atmospheric rivers set to increase in a changing climate.
“I think that this has to be really, really well thought out, because what happens when you don't build great drainage, you get this big storm and then you get water in hibernacula, that's where the snakes and reptiles are sleeping,” she said.
Xzúmalus expressed a similar concern.

“There's a lot of these trails that are game trails, or they used to be hunting trails, or someone's mushroom trail that maybe a recreator just started to build on top of,” she said.

Woodruff told the audience the environmental effects of a trail can often extend well beyond what one might think.
Case in point, a zig-zagging climbing trail doesn’t just affect the space where the trail is cut into the mountain, but all the space between cutbacks. What might seem like a straightforward cris-crossing line is actually a massive tract, potentially upending a delicate ecosystem.
“So even though you’re on this trail that zig-zags back and forth, your effects are actually this huge area in between,” said Woodruff. “When you put a slight buffer on that trail, it's three times the area that you are going to be impacting.”

As a solution, she suggested strategic narrowing of trails; some parts of a trail, particularly berms on a tight corner, see much more traffic than the other side.  

“The area of travels are changing over time, but we continue to maintain the whole width. Let's stop doing that,” she told the audience. “The trail experience is better when the trail is more narrow, anyways.”

The proper channels
The Working Group revolves around the pursuit of Section 57 exemptions. Under Section 57 of the Forest and Range Practices Act, any group that wishes to perform "construction, rehabilitation or maintenance of a trail or recreation facility on public land" needs to get the go-ahead from the provincial government.

For the PVTA’s Luke De Jager, that means re-orienting “keen young guys who want to build their own trails” to either maintain or build proper, authorized sustainable trails. It also means building with an eye towards protecting the cultural values of the Lil’wat Nation and environmental values that make the Valley so special.

The PVTA evaluates potential new trails internally. Should they wish to proceed, that trail will then be presented to the PVTWG for everyone to look over and cross-check.

Then that will be reported to the Lil’wat Land Use referral committee for any recommendations they might have—which will likely include an archeological study and an environmental study by an ecologist, followed by an assessment of the levels of support from landowners and local development.

Once the Lil’wat Nation, the SLRD, VOP, developers and other stakeholders have been consulted, the PVTA will send off a Section 57 application package to Recreation Sites and Trails B.C.

Once a trail has been approved, officials from the provincial government will perform a walk-through—after which construction can begin. Another walk-through will be done after construction is completed. 

“Once all that goes through, the PVTA has the responsibility to build [and] maintain trails going forward in collaboration with those other parties,” said De Jager.

The PVTA obtained a Section 57 exemption in November 2024, for the Tour de Soo 1, 2 and 3, Dogwood Ridge and Umik trails.
Xzúmalus said while rogue trails damage relationships, the consultation standards set out by the Working Group and provincial law are contributing to better relationships between all parties. But she also noted a one-size-fits-all approach to Indigenous consultation on recreation might not be appropriate.

“I love to remind people that something that's acceptable in one Nation may not be acceptable in another Nation. We have different lands and resources, we have different values," she said. “It's always good to just establish a connection and get to know each other.”
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The Trails Working Group wrapped the evening’s workshop with a screening of the documentary Dirt Relations.

​The Pique Newspaper
Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Apr 9, 2025 7:45 AM

The Pemberton Valley Trails Association (PVTA) held its latest annual trail expo and free pancake morning on a sunny April 5—bringing in a record 100 attendees with a wide range of outdoor interests, from mountain bikers to runners, paragliders to hikers, dirt bikers to equestrians.
PVTA members and local volunteers of all ages worked with tools provided by the association to get the trails ready for action this season.

“We were thrilled to see the community come out together again and grow this event even further this year,” said PVTA president Kyle Leitch in a statement. “Seeing so many different trail user groups come together to celebrate, collaborate and give back to the trails is what the PVTA is all about.”

The free pancake breakfast, sponsored by local businesses including Pemberton Valley Supermarket and Pemberton Coffee Co., has been running for more than 15 years.

Booths from Lil’wat Nation’s Title and Rights Department (formerly the Lands and Resources Department) and local organizations like the Pemberton Off Road Cycling Association (PORCA), Pemberton Wildlife Association (PWA), and more, gave attendees a chance to connect, learn, and get involved.

The PVTA noted last year’s event helped formally launch the Pemberton Valley Horse Association (PVHA), which returned as a first-time vendor this year. The development is “an example of how events like these help deepen community and collaboration across user groups in the valley,” according to a release by the PVTA.

Lil’wat’s Xzúmalus Roxanne Joe and Lhpatq Maxine Bruce closed the Expo with reflections on community and land stewardship. The department represents the Nation in the massive Pemberton Valley Trails Working Group, which brings together key stakeholders—including the PVTA, PORCA, and PWA.

After the pancake breakfast and comments from users, the event switched gears to the first of eight spring Trail Days. This first expedition, sponsored by local business Murphy Construction Ltd., saw more than 50 volunteers join the PVTA’s trail crew to help “complete essential maintenance on a variety of trails—including mountain bike routes, horse trails and kid-friendly favourites.”
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The next volunteer trails event is set for Sunday, April 13. For a full list of the planned trail days, visit the PVTA’s website.
Luke Faulks, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Pique Newspaper

After more than two years of dedication, vision and hard work as the PVTA's part-time Executive Director, Allison Gilchrist is moving on. Allie has helped lay the foundation for an exciting future and we couldn't be more grateful. Now, we are looking for a new Executive Director who can carry this momentum forward. 

If you are a dynamic leader with a love of the trails, expertise in nonprofit management and a commitment to collaboration and inclusion, we want to hear from you. As the Executive Director, you will lead the PVTA by overseeing operations, strategic planning, community engagement, and ensuring the sustainability of the trail network.

Key responsibilities include managing a small staff team, collaborating with the Board of Directors, strengthening partnerships with local organizations, securing diverse funding, and representing the PVTA in the community. You will work respectfully with community partners, including and importantly with Líl̓wat Nation, whose unceded territory we gratefully live, work and recreate on. 

Employment Details:

• Location: Remote Work. Must be available to meet and attend community events in Pemberton and surrounding areas.
• ​Type: Approximately 15 hours/week with a flexible schedule
• Compensation: $35-$38/hour, commensurate with experience and qualifications

Read the full job posting with details on how to apply here. Applications will be accepted until January 3rd, 2025.

Questions about the PVTA or this role? Please contact Julia Poetschke, Vice President, for more information: [email protected] 

The Pemberton Valley Trails Association (PVTA) said this year’s cross-country ski season was completely saved by a kind gesture from a local business.
The association previously brought groomed tracks first to Beer Farmers and more recently classic and skate tracks to @bigskygolf. Recently, it became clear a previously donated snowmobile used for cross-country ski grooming would not survive the 2024 season. The organization turned to the local community, who did not disappoint. Some offered temporary technical solutions for the sled, or generously donated money towards a new vehicle. Others volunteered to groom the trails themselves to kick-start the season.
Thankfully, @backcountrymotorsports performed a “Christmas miracle” and saved the season. The team offered PVTA access to a Polaris 4-stroke corporate demo machine for the 2024 winter season entirely free of charge.
PTVA has been blessed by kind acts of kindness from the community since its cross-country ski program first started in 2020. Executive director, Allison Gilchrist, said its first donated sled started a series of heart-warming gestures.

“As a small non-profit charity, we rely on the support of the community to maintain the trails,” said Gilchrist. “We are so grateful to the team at Backcountry Motorsports for helping to make sure our cross-country ski program can go ahead as planned this year—once the conditions are right. Currently, Big Sky Golf Club generously offers the community the use of its facilities and donates staff time for grooming to provide an exceptional experience for cross-country skiers”
Backcountry Motorsports’ owner, Andrew McBride, said they were eager to keep the fun going this season.
“We try and support the local community whenever the opportunity presents itself and it's within our capability,” said McBride. “The Pemberton Valley Trails Association is an awesome local asset for the community and our support of them runs deeper than just the XC Ski track.”
PTVA is eternally grateful to local companies for keeping the program going, but a more permanent solution is needed.
“We are glad that together with Big Sky Golf Course and Backcountry Motorsports we can offer the community access to one of their favourite cross-country ski tracks this winter,” said Gilchrist. But the organization is still in need of a permanent, tow-capable, working sled that partners can use with PVTA’s grooming equipment next season and beyond.
The association is eager to make sure this the trails are open for many years to come.
“We know that many people in Pemberton value these winter trails—our next step is to find a permanent tow-capable solution, whether that be through a grant, donation or a formal partnership, so we can offer this program for years to come,” said Gillchrist. “We hope the community will join us in finding one.”
Businesses or community members who may be interested are encouraged to get in touch with PVTA at [email protected]. PVTA also welcomes donations of any size from cross-country skiers and community members who would like to support the program. Read more at pembertontrails.com/give-back.html.

All of us here at the PVTA have been out enjoying time on the trails. We are once again thankful for our volunteers and donors who help to create opportunity for our organization to do great things! 

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