Dakota Ridge "is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to this community," says supporter and Gibsons councillor John McNevin. The Dakota Ridge Project, brainchild of the Dakota Ridge Winter Recreation Society, will produce a groomed cross-country ski facility with a network of trails. The area has potential for all-season use - a hidden treasure being unearthed and polished by dedicated volunteers.
Improved access and publicity resulted in quadrupled holiday-season attendance this year, which gratified Society Co-chair Christine Mutch. "This is just what we are trying to achieve," said Mutch. "Our mandate is to provide winter recreation for the people of the Sunshine Coast within the working forest of Dakota Ridge."
Accessed from the Sechelt Chapman Forest service road at the top of Wilson Creek's Field Road, the first parking lot is at Branch 4. "In good conditions, this is where everyone toboggans," Mutch notes. A sign directs visitors to Dakota Ridge or Dakota Bowl. If conditions permit, visitors may drive another 2 km along an unimproved and unplowable former logging road to what will be a second parking lot. At this point, most visitors park and enjoy a vigorous 2-km hike to the top, followed by a 10-minute walk to the trails. The long, narrow site comprises 1200 acres; few manage to hike or ski to the end of the ridge-top trail and return in a day.
To achieve their mandate, the group has worked closely with the Ministry of Forests (who provided a coveted Permit for Recreation in October, 2001). "They've been absolutely awesome in helping us," enthused Mutch. Coast-wide supporters include the SCRD and the Sunshine Coast Community Economic Development Partnership (SCCEDP). The SCRD's grant-in-aid of $1200 given for each of the past two years has been used to defray the cost of plowing the access roads. However, with each plowing costing $400, "this only allows for three plows a year," says Mutch. This is the group's biggest expense, and they are exploring creative solutions to the problem.
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The society has been fundraising since 1999 for site development. To date, two of the three proposed parking areas have been cleared and roped off, although the recent popularity of the facility indicates the second lot already needs expansion. A logging road has been graded up to the first parking lot. Upgrade of the road between the first and second parking lots (which will permit the road to be plowed and provide better winter access to the lot) is scheduled between March and May - weather and funding permitting. SCCEDP funded the services of a road planner, who has met with Ministry of Forests staff and engineers to discuss recreational access to the area and address environmental concerns. The group is now funding a drive to "shoot for the top!"
Volunteers have been marking trails - a job that can only be done in winter after snow has buried understorey plants, but also can only be done if weather permits. Very attractive "Dakota Ridge" trail signs will denote Blue (intermediate) and green (easy) trails. Beginners can follow an old logging clearcut, while intermediate skiers can get a good workout just getting to the trail from the upper parking lot. The trail itself is easy; it's the access that's difficult!
Before the snow fell, an outhouse culvert was installed; outhouse construction, however, will have to wait until next spring and additional funding. Until then, nature's own outhouse will have to serve, and skiers can still try to write their names in the snow behind the bushes.
The society's ambitions include developing the site for eventual use as a training area for cross-country skiers - and tapping in to the overflow of athletes in the event of a successful Whistler/Vancouver Olympics bid. The potential for additional community economic benefits, should this vision become reality, is huge.
The project is actively recruiting assistance from the community - volunteers, materials, and donated equipment for the project is all needed. Please contact Christine Mutch (604.886.2367) or Craig Moore (604.885.0519) for more information.
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