You are probably going to hear a lot about the Rainbow Ridge trail system over the course of the next month.  

“We’re going to be doing a big publicity campaign to let the community know how we’d like to reroute the trail system,” explained Project coordinator Sandra Wood.

The existing trail network

Though some segments are on roads, there is already a network of trails connecting Smelt Bay and Mansons Lagoon. The best known segments of this are the Siskin Trail system and the School to Sea Trail.

Some local residents are already using the old logging road on Rainbow Ridge as a connecting trail, that stretches between Beasley and Cemetery Roads.

 Cortes Community Housing Society intends to replace parts of this logging road with a public trail network that would serve as the pedestrian hub of Mansons Landing as well as a key feature of the longer Smelt Bay to Mansons Landing Provincial Park route.

The Rainbow Ridge trail 

“We’d like to reroute part of public trail that is already on Rainbow Ridge because once construction starts the old logging road will no longer be available. We want to reroute the public trail, to ensure people still have access, and make improvements, where it is muddy and wet in the winter – to add drainage in certain sections,” Wood explained.

“The really exciting piece is that we’d like to link up the Rainbow Ridge property and the CCEDA property, the commercial lot to the east of us. So that you’ be able to walk from Mansons Hall, through to the commercial property. They are in the midst of installing some picnic benches,  plus planning some events and services for the public.”

The proposed new trail routing also connects to the Cortes Health Centre, where people can see the doctor or pick up a prescription. So people can take “a nice forest walk instead of a roadside walk.”

A great addition

“It would make a great addition, for those who love walking,  hiking and bicycling to be able to start on either end, or even in the middle (the village core of Mansons Landing) and, have access to all of those parks and services,” said Wood. 

CHS is applying for a grant that will enable it to employ local residents. 

“We’ll create lots of firewood, lots of wood chips and hopefully a great community asset that will be an improvement not only to the public trail system on Rainbow Ridge, but connecting all of these non-profit properties in the Mansons Landing downtown area.”  

Links of Interest 

• (Cortes Currents) articles about or mentioning the Rainbow Ridge Trail
• (Cortes Currents) Cortes Commons is ready for the next stage of Development
• Cortes Community Housing website
• (Cortes Currents) articles about Rainbow Ridge
• (Cortes Currents) articles about, or mentioning, Cortes Community Housing
• CCEDA’s website
• (Cortes Currents) articles about, or mentioning, CCEDA

Top photo credit: part of the existing Rainbow Ridge trail system – Roy L Hales photo

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

• Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – cortescurrents-daily+subscribe@cortes.groups.io
• Weekly Digest cortescurrents – cortescurrents-weekly+subscribe@cortes.groups.io