North Coast Mountain Bike Association Master Trail Plan Is Here!
The North Coast has always had the ingredients for something special: rugged terrain, committed riders, determined volunteers, and communities that understand the value of outdoor recreation. Now, there is a shared plan to help guide what comes next.
The North Coast Mountain Bike Association is excited to share that our Master Trail Plan is complete and available for community review. This plan sets out a long-term vision for trail development, maintenance, and access across the North Coast. It reflects the input, effort, and passion of riders, volunteers, partners, and community members who care deeply about our trails and the places they connect.
This is more than a planning document. It is a practical guide for how we can build and care for trails in a way that supports recreation, strengthens local communities, respects the land, and creates more opportunities for people to ride.
Read the full Master Trail Plan here.
A long-term vision for trails on the North Coast
The North Coast Mountain Bike Association Master Trail Plan gives our association, partners, and community a clearer path forward. It looks at how trails can be developed, maintained, improved, and accessed over time.
Good trail systems do not happen by accident. They take planning, permissions, volunteers, funding, stewardship, and long-term care. They also need input from the people who use them and the people who live near them.
The Master Trail Plan helps bring those pieces together. It gives us a shared reference point when we talk about future trail work, apply for grants, plan volunteer days, work with land managers, or advocate for better access.
The plan supports several key goals:
Build trails with purpose
New trail development needs to fit the land, the riding community, and long-term risk and zone capacity.
Management and maintenance of trails
Maintenance is just as important as new construction. Well-maintained trails are safer, more enjoyable, and more sustainable.
Improve access
Access includes parking, trailheads, signage, route information, and clear communication with landowners and partners.
Support a wide range of riders
A healthy trail network includes options for beginners, families, experienced riders, and visitors who want to experience riding on the North Coast.
Strengthen community connection
Trails bring people together. They support health, outdoor learning, volunteerism, tourism, and pride in place.
A plan like this gives us a solid foundation to build on. It helps turn ideas into priorities, and priorities into projects.
This plan belongs to the community
One of the most important parts of the Master Trail Plan is how it came together. It reflects the voices of people who ride, build, maintain, support, and care about trails across the region.
That includes weekly riders who know every root and corner. It includes people who are just getting started and want welcoming places to learn. It includes volunteers who show up with tools, community partners who support access, and residents who see the value of healthy outdoor spaces close to home.
The plan is stronger because of that input.
A trail network works best when it serves more than one kind of rider. Some people want technical descents. Some want a short after-work loop. Some want youth programming, family-friendly trails, or better signage so they can ride with confidence. Some may not ride at all, but still value community recreation, active transportation, and responsible land stewardship.
All of those perspectives matter as we move from planning to action.
We want to thank everyone who shared ideas, raised questions, offered feedback, attended discussions, or helped shape the direction of this work. Your time and honesty helped create a plan that reflects real needs and real opportunities on the North Coast.
Thank you to the sponsors who made this possible
This work would not have been possible without the generous support of our funders and sponsors. We are grateful for the investment they have made in the future of trails, recreation, and community health on the North Coast.
Thank you to:
The Province of British Columbia, through the Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program, known as REDIP
AltaGas
Northern Savings Credit Union
Prince Rupert Regional Community Foundation
OzCan
Rotary
Lions
Your support helped make this planning work possible. Your investment in this plan is an investment in healthy, connected, and active communities across the North Coast.
Trail planning may not always be as visible as a new bridge, a fresh section of singletrack, or a completed trailhead. But it is the foundation that makes those future projects possible. A strong plan helps local organizations make responsible decisions, seek funding, build partnerships, and care for trails over the long term.
We are thankful that our sponsors saw the value in that work.
Why a Master Trail Plan matters
Mountain bike trails can bring huge benefits to a community, but only when they are planned and managed well.
A strong trail network can help people spend more time outside, build skills, connect with neighbours, and enjoy the landscape around them. It can support youth recreation, volunteer involvement, local events, and tourism. It can also help communities become known for outdoor activity and quality of life.
At the same time, trails require ongoing care. Drainage needs attention. Natural materials shift. Weather leaves its mark. Signage needs updates. Routes must be planned in ways that respect the land and the lands we are on, reduce conflict, and make sense for long-term use.
That is why a Master Trail Plan matters.
It gives the association and its partners a tool for answering important questions before work begins:
Where should future trail development be focused?
Which existing trails need maintenance or improvement?
What types of riding experiences are missing?
How can access be made clearer and safer?
What partnerships are needed to move projects forward?
How can volunteer effort be matched with realistic priorities?
How do we protect the riding experience while caring for the land?
Those questions do not have simple one-time answers. The plan gives us a way to keep coming back to them as conditions, funding, and community needs change.
From planning to action
Completing the Master Trail Plan is a major step, but it is not the finish line. It is the start of the next phase.
The work ahead will include setting priorities, confirming timelines, seeking funding, planning trail days, working with partners, and communicating clearly with members and the broader community. Some projects may move quickly. Others will take more time, more consultation, or more resources.
That is normal. Good trail development happens in stages.
The plan will help guide those stages so we can focus energy where it will have the most lasting value. It will also help us explain our priorities when we talk with funders, public agencies, land managers, indigenous and community partners.
For members and riders, the most useful thing to do right now is simple: read the plan and share your thoughts at our AGM!
Whether you want to ride every week, help maintain trails, are new to mountain biking, or are curious about what trail development could mean for the North Coast region, your perspective matters. Community feedback helps us understand what is clear, what needs more discussion, and where people are most ready to help.
Save the date for our Annual General Meeting
Our upcoming Annual General Meeting will be an important chance to talk more about the Master Trail Plan, look back on the past year, and set priorities for the season ahead.
More details will be shared soon, so please stay tuned.
The AGM is a good opportunity to hear what the association has been working on, learn what is coming next, and ask questions about how members can get involved. It is also a place to connect with other riders, volunteers, and supporters who want to help shape the future of trails on the North Coast.
We would love to see you there.
Renewing your membership supports the work ahead
If you have not renewed your membership yet, now is a great time.
Membership fees directly support trail building, maintenance, planning, advocacy, and projects like the Master Trail Plan. They also give the association a stronger voice when we speak up for trails, apply for support, and work with partners across the region.
A membership is one of the simplest ways to show that trails matter.
It helps support:
Regular trail maintenance
Tools and supplies for volunteer work
Planning and project development
Community conversations about trail access
Advocacy for responsible recreation
Future trail improvements
Membership also shows funders and decision-makers strong local support for mountain biking and trail-based recreation on the North Coast.
Thank you for helping shape what comes next
The completion of the Master Trail Plan is something worth celebrating. It represents years of community energy, volunteer care, partner support, and a shared belief that trails can make the North Coast stronger.
Thank you to our sponsors for making this work possible. Thank you to our members and volunteers for showing up. Thank you to everyone who shared ideas, asked questions, and helped guide the plan.
Now the work moves forward.
Read the plan, tell us what you think, renew your membership if you can, and watch for AGM details soon.
The North Coast Mountain Bike Association
For any media inquiries, please reach out to us at: northcoastmba at gmail dot com
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