By Barbra Fairclough
South Shuswap Scoop - August 2020
Mt. Tuam Community Bike Park in the Cedar Heights area of Blind Bay was conceived and developed as a multi-use space suitable for both cyclists and walkers.
The beginner bike enthusiast can develop their skills on the gravel trail over hills, rollers and berms and a double loop. This little pocket park has been open since 2016.
The bike trail is a perfect play spot for novice riders with a short easy green loop and a slightly more challenging blue loop.
The trails are complete with berms to help new cyclists learn to ride "pump style". A pump track is a circuit of rollers, banked turns, designed to be ridden by riders 'pumping' to generate momentum rather than pedaling or pushing.
Walkers will enjoy a gentle walking-only trail. This trail has a resting spot at a spectacular vista overlooking Copper Island in Shuswap Lake.
This CSRD park was developed in partnership with Shuswap Trial Alliance and a handful of community stewards. Trail Specialist Sutra Brett collected design ideas in conjunction with a design team of local area youth and put it all together.
Brett says "In the few years since it was completed, it's awesome to see how much use it's getting, one of my favorite times in a trail's life is 2-3 seasons after it has been completed and the vegetation has grown back in, embracing and defining the trail portraying as it will be for years to come."
This park is a great first step before tackling a bigger challenge like John Evdokimoff Bike Skills Park near White Lake, that is rated easy to difficult. It is a progressive technical skills park, pump track, tabletops, jumps, and free ride trail for mountain bikers. The park was designed by Jay Hoots for CSRD Parks and built by local volunteers.
It is a fun place to sharpen your skills. It has a progressive layout suited to riders of all skill levels including jump lines, rollers, berms and a pump track. The park includes a practice downhill berm trail that starts at the top of the park. It is located at the east trail head for Blind Bay White Lake Trail System. There is a viewing platform and playground as well.
Patrick Frank of White Lake Residents Association says the CSRD and Shuswap Trail Alliance have worked on this park and have done an outstanding job and the quality of the park is particularly good." With a play area included, Frank says its great place for the kids in the community.
How to get to the Parks
Mt Tuam Park - 2410 Mt. Tuam Crescent. Exit the Trans-Canada Highway westbound on Golf Course Drive and follow it west until it becomes Cedar Drive. Turn right off Cedar Drive onto Mt Tuam Crescent and look for the park on the left. There's a small parking area on the upper trailhead off Mt Tuam Crescent.
John Evdokimoff Park - 3120 White Lake Road, approx.. 30 km north of Salmon Arm, 7 km off the Trans-Canada Highway at White Lake Road turn-off. Approx. 9.3 km east of Sorrento on Hwy 1 at the Balmoral Rd junction, turn onto Balmoral Rd and right on White Lake Rd. Watch for the Bike Park sign just before the Parri Rd intersection at the west end of White Lake.
This article was originally printed on the front page of the August 2020 edition of the South Shuswap Scoop Newsletter. www.shuswapscoop.ca