Pemberton Valley Utilities committee backs new trail projects to improve user safety, reduce rogue trails

Published by Pique News Magazine – read article here. 

The Pemberton Valley Utilities & Services Committee has approved funding for a new trail connector and endorsed a letter of support for a Section 57 application to formalize a local dirt bike trail.

During its Oct. 9 meeting, the committee voted unanimously to grant $5,800 from its Arts, Culture and Recreation stream to the Pemberton Valley Trails Association (PVTA) for its Blood, Sweat and Fear to Happy Trail connector project.

PVTA executive director Ariane Larouche told the committee the connector will link two existing trails—Blood, Sweat and Fear and Indy 500—to the Happy uphill trail, eliminating a dangerous crossing point where riders currently end near train tracks.

“It is a real hazard,” Larouche explained. “It happened to me in the past where I was ending the trail and a train was coming. So, it is not safe.”
The $5,800 is part of the overall $10,000 budget for the trail connectors, with the Pemberton Rotary Club and contributors pitching in $2,200 and $2,000, respectively. The money will go towards trail-building supplies, the trail-opening ceremony with Lil’wat Nation members and to cover labour costs.

The new route, roughly 250 to 500 metres long, is one of several trails in the region to have been built only after securing a Section 57 authorization—a provincial requirement for constructing or altering recreational trails on Crown land. According to Larouche, the PVTA’s approach marks a shift from Pemberton’s historical “build first, ask later” culture.

“[With] this trail we've been through the process since day one,” she said. “So there's no shovel that hit the ground whatsoever before we obtain the Section 57.”

What is a Section 57?Under Section 57 of B.C.’s Forest and Range Practices Act, individuals or groups must receive approval from Recreation Sites and Trails BC before building or modifying a trail on Crown land. The process includes consultation with First Nations, environmental review and archaeological assessment. Once approved, the trail becomes a legally recognized recreation site and part of the province’s managed network.

The committee also supported a letter of support for the PVTA’s Section 57 application for the Minesweeper Trail Project—the proposed rebuild of a 3.5-kilometre dirt bike trail in the Rutherford area developed jointly with the Pemberton Dirt Bike Association.

Mayor Mike Richman noted the project aims to “formalize a dirt bike trail out there so that rogue trails are used less.” By designating a single trail and staging area, he said, it will “keep the dirt bikes from going off into all these other little side trails.”

The project has already received approval from the Lil’wat Title and Rights Department, which found “no concerns” with the proposal following a field assessment.

With both initiatives now supported at the regional level, the PVTA hopes to continue developing trails that are safe, sustainable and built in collaboration with the Nation and local users.