The Rossland Range has a lot going for it in terms of easily accessible recreation options. Whether on a bike, skis, or your own two feet, the natural drainage and manicured trail options make it almost too easy. It seems sometimes as if the trails magically take care of themselves.
Nothing could be further from the truth, of course. What differentiates the Trail/Rossland area’s world-renowned trail network from a system of tangled game paths is a group of hard working, dedicated men and women operating within the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society, a non-profit group charged with maintaining fifty distinct non-motorized trails that span one hundred fifty kilometers of wilderness.
Since 1996, the KCTS has used a mixture of regional municipal funding and specific project grants to ensure the viability of our beloved trail system, and promote sustainable land management practices. Through its hard work and diplomacy, public land is kept safe for the future, and thousands of tourist visits are encouraged annually.
Granted, hiking up steep slopes through insect swarms with hundreds of pounds of tools and materials in tow may not be for everyone, but the KCTS still needs your support. Membership in the society demonstrates a commitment to keeping our region’s trail system alive and healthy, and it provides much needed funding directly to those most responsible for this goal.
Membership is $10.00/individual, $20.00/family, and can be obtained at the Rossland Chamber of Commerce, Revolution Cycles in Rossland, or online at www.rosslandtrails.ca.
In addition to continued maintenance, future KCTS projects include The Bluffs Trail above Sunningdale, and the Larch Ridge Trails located within the Blackjack recreation site on Highway 3B.
If you use the trails, or even if you simply value their role in the community, please consider becoming a part of the KCTS.