WGOC — Frank Lake Trails Article

Don’t Give Up On Winter Yet!

It may seem that winter is over, but don’t put away that cross country ski gear yet. The Wells Gray Outdoor Club is presently grooming about 15 km of trail at 11.5 km on Road 2. This is the road that travels west from Clearwater into what local folks refer to as “The Management”. It has taken a couple of weeks to work back some of the brush on the old roads and get a rhythm of ski grooming but I believe most people that have been up skiing have really enjoyed the terrain and the new views that this location provides.

We would like to remind those that travel up to enjoy this new skiing venue that Road 2 is an active logging road. The safest strategy is to drive a sensible speed that you can easily come to a stop, and keep to the right side of the road (your normal driving side). This is a wide mainline that is double lane for normal vehicles for most of the way, but we would advise pulling as far to the right or into a turnout to allow loaded logging trucks to pass by you. We would also advise you to keep your winter tires on if you are going to travel up to this winter location.

There is a small parking lot that has been plowed out up at 11.5 km that will hold the types of crowds that we are expecting. If you find it full, park in a wide enough spot that is in full view of traffic.

The Wells Gray Outdoors Club is presently preparing some trail and access maps that will soon be sent to our membership by e-mail as well as be posted on the Wells Gray Outdoors Club Website (www.wellsgrayoutdoorsclub.ca). We will also start posting a grooming report so that you can check to see when the last grooming took place.

It’s pretty exciting that while our winter heating bills are lower with this milder temperature and some families have already got the bicycles out of winter storage, that we can go upslope and enjoy some great nordic skiing. We are committed to maintaining these temporary trails until conditions deteriorate and hopefully this will be well into March at this elevation.

This is your opportunity to balance the upcoming Olympics viewing season with some outdoor exercise. Get off of the couch and enjoy the new views up at 11.5 km on Road 2.

Many thanks go to a few determined Wells Gray Outdoors Club members for making this happen!!

Cheers,

Wes Bieber
President, Wells Gray Outdoors Club