Cowichan Trail Stewardship Society

Message from the Board You may have noticed that there are many more users accessing the local trails. We have seen trailheads at many sites swell over the last year right after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a trail advocacy society, we are super stoked to see so many people enjoying trails, increasing their fitness and getting much needed outdoor experiences. However, there are some costs related to this exploding popularity. One of the most impacted trailheads is... the Kaspa Parking lot that accesses Mt. Tzouhalem (Pi’Paam). The traffic that comes into the Kaspa trailhead often exceeds capacity. On weekends, this is very evident with a constant flow of users driving through and parking in the residential areas below the lot. This has an impact on the residents that is significant. Although the people who live in this area are aware that people need to access the trails and see this as a good thing, there are times when the volume of traffic is so heavy that safety concerns are raised. The CTSS asks users to consider the impact that the high use of this trailhead has on the immediate residents. We love the fact that trail use is increasing and more people are getting out. What we want to avoid is upsetting our neighbours who are living with the high volume of vehicles looking for a place to park. Please, come and enjoy the trails. Please try to avoid peak times. Please consider other trailheads that you may have bypassed (Firehall parking lot, Nevilane Dr., Maple Mountain) And, most importantly, recognize that families live in these areas and conduct yourself like it was your home too. We are actively working on spreading out the available trails that users can access. The CTSS knows that the increase in people on trails may be a lasting phenomenon that remains well past the end of the pandemic. We will continue to work for more trails, more access and more infrastructure to support people getting outside and improving their lives. This is a slow process but we are committed to the task.

With another warm weekend of weather we expect things to be busy at Mt Tzouhalem over the next few days. With physical distancing and busy parking lots a concern now, it is a great time to check out Maple Mountain, Mt Prevost, Mt Richards or Cobble Hill for hiking & biking. If you still have your heart set on Mt Tzouhalem please consider going at non peak times and also use one of the other two trailheads. For hiking you could head up Shorepine Close trailhead and connect to... Awesome Trail. For biking and hiking you could ride A Grand Traverse up from Nevilane Road Parking lot trailhead. Hope you all have a great weekend, be safe out there. #cowichantrailstewards #cowichan #hiking #mtb Municipality of North Cowichan Tourism Cowichan Cowichan Regional Visitor Centre

This may be of interest to some young trail builders.

Have you ridden Maple Lately? Looking for great climber? The accent is right around 8k of steady but manageable pedalling which ends with great views of Maple Bay, Birds Eye Cove and the flanks of Tzouhalem. Then you can ride the old school gnar of Upper Maple Syrup. A great loop can be completed by either the epic finish down Lower Maple Syrup or access the recently completed Phloem by taking Upper Story Trails. Tony's Arbutus is always there for a second loop!

Double D Update: Good news! Double-D will be open top to bottom this weekend. However, please be cautious as the repairs are still new and the amount of rain we get tonight may change things. There is one soggy berm just after the new table top on the lower middle section. Enjoy the new flow!

Due to the recent trailwork, the lower middle section of Double-D will remain closed this weekend. The upper, upper/middle and lower sections are open. Consider ‘Fluid’ as an alternative. There are a few fun jumps on this line including a big ‘forever tranny’, hip’ and step-up to play with. Not to mention some fantastic berms. (On Trailforks, the beginning of Fluid is still called Luke Skywalker)

thanks a bunch to the amazing crew. Thats alot of dirt they moved!

Tree down on M-One, please watch out and take care. Also tree still down on Chicken run. We will be getting to these hopefully on Monday November 16th. A reminder, if you use Trailforks app and come across a safety concern you can take a photo in the app and report issues right there in the app easily and we can jump on asap. https://www.trailforks.com/report/1303218/

Receive a message about a large black bear sighting near the AGT, Finality, Twist and Shout intersection. Report said the bear stood up to smell and then did not run away. Keep aware.

DoubleD closed weekend of November 13- 15th. Crew work on Double D on Mt. Tzouhalem continues and the trail will remain closed this weekend. The forecast is for rain and more rain and the fresh dirt won't take the usual traffic. #Cowichan #MtTzouhalem #CTSS #DoubleD ... Municipality of North Cowichan Cowichan Regional Visitor Centre Tourism Cowichan See more