The new Quesnel Bike Park will host something for all ages from a beginner-friendly skills park to a modern, progressive jump park. There will also be a rubberized strider bike area and the Flow Trail behind the District Arts and Recreation Centre will up updated to an adaptive trail, capable of welcoming bikers on three or four-wheeled mountain bikes.
Complementing the new trails, the City of Quesnel is also purchasing a small fleet of rental bikes to allow people without their own bikes to try the sport and to generate a small amount of revenue.
“This project will help us achieve our objective of providing top-quality outdoor recreation amenities to every one of our community members, increasing their health and wellbeing,” said Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson. “This amenity will also contribute to increasing resident attraction and trail tourism to the area.”
The Quesnel Bike Park will provide a safe place to for people interested in mountain biking to try the sport and develop skills before visiting trails. It will also be a destination for those looking to try new tricks and techniques in a controlled and familiar environment. For families, the rubberized kids’ zone will be an ideal, low-risk area to encourage children to become familiar with biking.
As part of the City of Quesnel’s Economic Development Transition Strategy, developing trail tourism and increasing recreation options is essential to support the transition away from being a forestry-dependent community. Concurrently, the City of Quesnel is making progress with its comprehensive trail development strategy, which includes improving the adjacent West Fraser Timber Park Trails. Future improvements in the area will see this trail network connected to the new bike park with an accessible trail.
Northern Development is investing $144,111 into this $291,152 project through a Recreation Infrastructure grant. This is the second such grant that the City of Quesnel was approved for in 2021, the other being $300,000 for the construction of the Quesnel RV Park and Campground.
