parks canada

Riding Mountain National Park is a picturesque experience located on the western edge of Manitoba, featuring some of the only elevation within the province. Steeped in history (the park has the oldest original park gate entrance) and fantastic nature experiences , the park should be on the list of anyone interested in taking in the natural beauty of the area or the friendly atmosphere of Wasagaming, the town located in the park.

By the blank stares we received when we used the term 'TLC' in our Trail Building School presentation, we now know that the phrase TLC doesn't translate well into French.

But sometimes that's exactly what a trail needs (tender loving care).

We all love to dream up ideas for a new trail, or a new line off some cool rock feature – well at least us geeks at IMBA do – but sometimes you need to spend some time giving new life to a tired old trail. And, yes, even sustainably-built trails need some maintenance.

We generally think of the planet as old and decaying. The ice caps are melting, and mountains, which formed millions of years ago, are slowly eroding. But that’s not the case in Canada’s vast North. Kluane National Park and Reserve covers more than 21,000 square km in the southwest corner of the Yukon Territory. More than 80 percent of the park is backcountry, made up of glaciers and mountains that are still active to this day.

Rouge Park holds a special place in my heart. Not because I used to go tobogganing down Snake Hill, not because I used to go snowshoeing there with my two Bernese Mountain Dogs. It's because that's where I learned to ride. When I was in high school me and my riding buddies would split our time between Rouge Park and another close by location earning our dues. Crash, talk about what happened, decide what line to try next, try again, crash again... repeat until you'd cleaned it.