The Wells/Barkerville Mountain Bike Trail Project

The small mountain town of Wells, B.C. is developing a large network of MTB trails. I will start work as soon as the snow is gone and will post updates as the work progresses. This is my first commercial trail building project and I'm excited to make the transition from hobby builder to full-time trail builder right here in my back yard.

Here's an introduction to the project, more on the actual building process, equipment and my crew will follow.Wells and Barkerville
The town of Wells is developing a large mountain bike trail system. Wells is located in northern BC, 80 km east of Quesnel. Founded in the 1930s as a gold mining town, Wells today is a tiny community of about 250 people. Its main economic activity is as the service community for Barkerville, a gold rush ghost town that is now a historic park with costumed performers, theater shows, themed business, stage coaches – the whole nine yards.


For more information about the area go to www.wellsbc.com or www.barkerville.ca

The Trails
The mountain bike trails for the Wells/Barkerville area will make use of many of the area’s historic pack trails, wagon roads, and ditch lines – some dating back almost 150 years. In fact, there are so many of these existing trails, that a big challenge in this project is selecting which ones to include in the mountain bike system. Too many trails to choose from – it’s an enviable problem.

The trails run through breath-taking landscapes of all types. Quiet wetlands, dense forest, and alpine meadows are all part of the scenery. There are some easy, level routes; but also a great selection of more challenging rides with lots of elevation changes as riders make their way into the Cariboo Mountains.


The Project
The mountain bike trails project will repair a core network of trails – complete with signage and up-to-date maps. There are lots of trails for the more adventurous riders to follow further into the wilderness. The log-term plan is to upgrade more and more of these trails in future years, but for this year the project will focus on the close to town network.


Although these trails are for the most part already existing, there is a lot of work to be done. Danger tree removal, brushing, tread repair, drainage remediation, bridges, signage, outhouses, etc. all needs to be done.

Marketing the trails is another aspect of the project. A component of this will be an event to take place some time this fall (2009) – after most of the season’s work has been accomplished. Watch for announcements about our inaugural trail ride event.


-caribooyj.pinkbike.com