“We’ve done a lot of work over the last few years to make this dream become a reality and this reservoir announcement was really pivotal in the ability for this project to move forward,” Genung said
A long-standing mission to connect Cochrane and Calgary’s recreational trail networks can be resurrected, now that the Alberta government has decided not to build its Bow River Reservoir on the edge of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.
The decision relieved local park advocates, as well as Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung, who said studies indicated a dam at the Glenbow East location would have put some of his town’s infrastructure at risk of flooding.
Genung also said a volunteer-led initiative to develop an inter-municipal cycling path between Cochrane and Calgary can now be revived.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the last few years to make this dream become a reality, and this reservoir announcement was really pivotal in the ability for this project to move forward,” Genung said. “With that barrier out of the way, now we can get to work, so it’s super exciting.”
‘A challenge beyond challenges’
The idea of connecting the town’s pathway network with the Rotary Mattamy Trail in Calgary has been talked about for more than a dozen years, said Alex Baum, the Rotary Club of Cochrane’s community service chair and co-chair of the trail’s steering committee.
The volunteers spearheading the trail always knew it would be a lofty and expensive goal, said Baum, who cited the inter-jurisdictional nature of the project as a major challenge, in addition to capital fundraising and land acquisition. He noted the project was aided by land donations from prominent ranching families.
“We set out knowing this would be a challenge beyond challenges,” he said.
“You’ve got all of these partners agreeing at the front end that linking the parks and the communities is a wonderful thing. But how do we do it? We started knowing it would not be easy, and that it would be very difficult, but achievable and worth the effort.”
Baum said the section of the trail that cuts through Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is already built. All that’s still required is to link the middle piece with Cochrane on the west end and Haskayne Legacy Park on the east side.
Pedestrian bridge over Bow River next on agenda
The next step is fundraising to build a pedestrian bridge over the Bow River, connecting the Glenbow Park pathway to Cochrane’s existing trail network.
“If you stand on the easterly portion of Cochrane and look up toward the park, you can actually see the trailhead,” Baum said.
Baum hopes the Calgary-to-Cochrane trail is completed within the next 2½ years.
But he added that would only be the first phase of the project, as the longer-term vision is to extend the trail all the way to Canmore, connecting with the 28,000-kilometre Trans Canada Trail network.
With the Legacy Trail that already connects Canmore and Banff, Baum said it would enable cycling all the way from Calgary to Banff, without needing to ride along a highway.
The Town of Cochrane is on board with the Rotary Club’s ambitious plans, according to Genung, who said the project dovetails with the municipality’s mantra of “connecting communities.”
“Having the ability to walk, run, cycle, push a stroller and access that whole valley between the two communities is so important,” he said.
The finished trail would also likely provide a tourism boost, Genung added, considering the scenic views it would offer of the Rocky Mountains to the west.
“I just think it’s something we need to do as communities to promote active lifestyles, health and well-being. If you’re out in nature, grounding yourself, what better place to do that than along the Bow Valley corridor?”