I recently walked up to the top of Little Mountain, as I have done many times over my time in Chilliwack. It had been about two months since my last time up the trail. The main trail has remained relatively the same over the years, with a few trees falling here or there, or some new path being created. However, I was completely shocked heading up the mountain this time. You would hardly know it from taking the main path from the Hope Slough entrance, but when you wander off the main path slightly, you can see huge swaths of the forest have been cut away. Instead, bike paths six or eight feet wide, sometimes more, have been introduced.
There has always been a few bike paths around Little Mountain, but these huge paths are completely new. I understand the need for recreational mountain biking, but I cannot believe that these trails are allowed, nor that they are ecologically acceptable. There are a number of mountain biking trails that are already established throughout Chilliwack. Although Little Mountain is not a large area of forest, it still provides habitat to numerous plant and animal species. I’m appalled that these trails have been allowed in and would ask the city to restore the areas that have been cleared and work to ensure this doesn’t happen again. If these trails are allowed by the city, I would question the person who made that decision.
Alyssa Bougie