Warning! Smith Creek Flume Trail

[masen]

If this trail could be made into a linear park? I am not sure if that is a really good idea or not as I am not familiar with the trail but I know the area having lived here for 64 years.

[logman]

The flume trail is on private property.

[Steve-O]

The field has signage now? That area was great for families and kids learning to ride moto and bikes alike. Too bad the trash dumpers and mud bogging has ruined that.

I'll admit to some motor envy at times driving by the field in the past seeing people rip around and like you mention, kids learning to ride. Looks like fun. I take my boys up to ride their bikes and they "climb" some of the banks on the side of the road further up and when they see the kids on the mini quads or bikes the call comes up from them to run out and buy them one too!

There are a number of small signs posted around the perimeter of the field. I can't recall the exact wording. Something to the effect "Private Property, no motorized vehicles". I've still seen dirtbikers up there however, not as many as the last few years though.

You ask what is wrong with people. Wish I knew. When we moved out here there was a ton of garbage I had to toss from the previous owner, when I asked my neighbor where the dump was he told me to find a fire road and dump it there. I could not believe his attitude towards this!

[Steve-O]

FYI for users of the flume trail: rode it last night and quite a bit of fresh bear scat, particularly as you approach Smith Creek. A friend of mine came almost nose to nose with a large black bear up there early in the week more or less above the large clearing. Use caution if you are riding, biking or hiking this area.

[logman]

Hey Steve. What's new up in the area? Haven't been there for months. Has the garbage dumping and trespassing getting worse or better? Wondering if the local residents have become more vigilant trying to keep people out. Wondering if maybe the land owners have stepped up on signage or fencing. Last year there was some lame paper signage and minimal effort to block trails. It did seem the mud bog area has been "fixed" last time I was there.

[Steve-O]

Hey Logman,

Its been quiet up there this year. Looks like a landscaper is dumping some trimmings by the power station building (I think that's what it is) but that is the extent of it. Even earlier in the year when you would expect a fair bit of quads and motos, there was very little.

I think the owners of the ranches at the end of SC Road do the road maintenance and it seems they are going over the road more frequent than in past years. They have also widened the road around the first few bends as you climb up and have piled more dirt to further block access to the mud bog area.

The property west of the large clearing changed hands last year and the new owners are doing a lot of work on it. Clearing trees, replanting with new trees, fair mount of moving earth around. I am very curious as to what their plans are.

I was up with my two boys a few weeks back and while they were "mountain climbing" up the side of a bank, a old beater dodge pick up came along at speed back and forth a few times, did some doughnuts in the smaller parking lot and took off. Once it was time to take the boys home and we were heading back down SC Road, we came around one of the last curves and here's this pick up being towed off the embankment. Looks like he lost control and just about went over. 2 young men and a young lady looking very sheepish. Glad they didn't get hurt but looks like a little karma bit them in the butt.

I ride up there at least twice a week and the mtn bike traffic has jumped dramatically this year. Meeting all sorts of people saying they are hearing how great the trail is. There was a trail day earlier in the year and some of the drainage problem areas on the mtn bike trail were sorted out so the trail is holding up very well to the increased traffic.

[ktowncichlids]

There has been lots of people in the Smith creek area putting logs and wires across trails on the flumes and near the flumes.
Also in the Tallus ridge area

Local Co's have been contacted....game cams have been hung RCMP have been notified

You CANNOT block trails or put logs across trails on crown land, You can be charged and or fined. If someone gets hurt you can even face criminal neg.
I find it very interesting how people trespassing by FOOT/MTN BIKE think it is more LEGAL then to trespass by Dirtbike/ATV

I also Do not like the fact that MTN bikers are taking over MORE and MORE dirt bikers trails. ALL of the smith creek trails were built by dirt bike / atv I know several people that have dirt biked up there for over 30 years, A lot of good dirt bike trails have been shut down and signs hung ILEGALY to keep dirt bikes off the now considered their MTN bike trails......Why did all of you stop riding powers creek and move over to smith creek? anyways? I hardly see the same amount of traffic in powers.
Eventually they are just going to shut down the entire area to everyone until people can figure out how to get along!!!!

I think BOTH bikers should be able to ride the same areas especially areas that have been known for motorised vehicle use more so then for cycling

Signed, 20 year user of this area Lets just all get along!!!

[Steve-O]

That's cool they have hung game cams. Majority of the debris has been cleared off the flume trail with just a few side trail access points blocked off.

I'll offer up my opinion ktown. Myself and the group I ride with only have issues with the dirtbike/4x4/atv crowd when they cut off the trail and gouge out random paths on virgin ground. There is a short section of flume trail that crosses private property and so ya I guess I have to own up to trespassing along with everyone else. I'm not perfect and can't claim to have a halo floating above my head but I stick to the flume trail which as you are familiar with it, a mtn bike tire, even a moto tire, isn't going to even leave a track the ground is so hard packed and established.

Mtn bikers taking over more dirt bike trails. Where? I've only been using the area to mtn bike for 5 years, and in that 5 years there has been about maybe 10 k of trail added up at the top. These new trails are just that; new trails, not established dirt bike trail. The climb portion of the mtn bike trail winds through trees too close together for a dirt bike and the downhill has many places to steep for a dirt bike or the turns are too tight for a dirt biker to have much fun - this from a dirt biker. There are a group of guys that do a ton of maintenance work on the trail including clearing deadfall, maintaining jumps and stunts and ensuring drainage from the trail to prevent erosion. Because of the work they do, they have put signs at various intersection that the trail is mtn bike only. This, I am assuming is what you are taking exception to. So in the effort for all to get along up there and prevent negative interactions between user groups, the bikers have identified the trail they are using. I think I can safely speak for the majority of mtn bikers in that dirtbike trails are not much fun on a mtn bike and the reverse is likely true.

As to the mudbog being blocked off and no motorized vehicle signs for the large clearing, I am under the impression that is the work of the local landowners.

Going down the other afternoon, there was a small group of 5 dirtbikes going up one of the dirt roads, we waved, they waved back. I really don't think there is much of an issue with user groups up there.

ride on!

[ktowncichlids]

A couple climbs near the MTN bike parking lot that had some tree's across it I think around june, I removed them. Some of the MTN bike trails cross the dirt bike trails, this is the only area I have seen problems, There's a few signs up top I question as well and some cross trails/intersections have been blocked (now removed )


I wish more mtn bikers were like you and your friends, Most greet us upset and or angry.
I try and go slow for dust to keep things happy faced :)


Cheers

[dayton]

Well I believe it's legal to cut up fallen trees for fire wood but its illegal to cut down fresh ones, so all the trees blocking trails and the bogs seem like fair game for fire wood to me. Who's in?

[logman]

That would be illegal as the so called "mud bogs" are on private property. Many of the trees blocking trails on the other side of the road are also on private property. Respect is a concept a lot of young people do not understand.

[ktowncichlids]

Logman,

The logs across trails I speak of are NOT on either of those properties you mentioned,
and 75% of the users in that area are 30-60 years of age....Not many young kids ride alone in the woods. LOL...

[fluid power]

I also Do not like the fact that MTN bikers are taking over MORE and MORE dirt bikers trails. ALL of the smith creek trails were built by dirt bike / atv I know several people that have dirt biked up there for over 30 years, A lot of good dirt bike trails have been shut down and signs hung ILEGALY to keep dirt bikes off the now considered their MTN bike trails

I ride my mtb bike up there all the time. There is only one uphill trail commonly used by mountain bikers and maybe 2 or 3 downhill trails. All of those trails were built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers. Those are the only ones where you'll see the signs politely asking motorized vehicles to stay off.

[dayton]

Hahahahaha that's a good one. Made by mountain bikers. More like dirt bikers and mountain bikers tried to claim it. Get bent lance armstrong the mountains are motors.

[Steve-O]

FYI Dayton, the trails the mountain bikers now ride up and down Smith Creek were largely made by mountain bikers. Dirt bikes opened up access, no doubt, but riding dirt bike trails on a mtn bike is not a lot of fun so we have created trails to suit ourselves. Dirt bikes ride their trails, mtn bikers ride theirs and we can all sing Kumbayah together around the camp fire at the end of the day. Pass me a cold one will ya!