A $144,203 provincial grant, provided by the will see the Stearns Creek Canyon Trail to completion.

(BLMBA) president Kevin Derksen said the trail, which forms part of the bike club's Boer Mountain trail system will be completed in two phases, beginning this year.

Phase one of the approximate 20 kilometre long trail was officially opened late last year and takes riders to a connection on the far end of Kager Lake and continues on to the end of Long Lake. It features approximately 4.2 kilometres of twists and turns through poplar stands and evergreens, over creeks, rocky hill tops and several bridge crossings.

"Phase one of the Stearns Creek Canyon Trail is spectacular," Derksen said adding, that when designing the trail BLMBA focussed on the quality and experience of the ride.

"The ride is not only a challenge, but there is scenic vistas to enjoy along the route."

The trail, once all three phases are complete, will lead riders on a vertical climb to the top of Boer Mountain, past a series of water falls in Stearns Creek Canyon and will offer access to Long Lake. The third phase of the trail will follow along a series of cliffs on Tintagel Ridge.

"There are some awesome views from the top of and Tintagel Ridge. There will be some epic visual rewards to those riding the trail."

Derksen estimates that it will take a few hours to ride the complete Stearns Creek Canyon Trail and he said eventually the trail will connect to other trails at the bike park.

"Most of the trails are connector trails, which allows for a diverse riding experience and there is something for everyone from beginner to experienced," Derksen said.

He said BLMBA hopes the trail will become an and is being constructed with this in mind.

If you are a mountain biker the IMBA Epic trails are sure to be on your bucket list.

Derksen said for a trail to be given an IMBA Epic title is an honour that has so far only been awarded to 58 trails worldwide and IMBA claim the designation can draw up to 10,000 to 20,000 avid mountain bikers to the trail per season.

Just four trails in Canada are designated as IMBA Epic trails including Comfortably Numb in Whistler, the Seven Summits Trail in Rossland, the Eagle Ridge Expedition in Vancouver and added to the list in 2011 was the Mountain Hero Trail,  Yukon.

"IMBA is looking for everything that we are planning. The Stearns Creek Canyon Trail is close to community services, and close to a network of other quality trails with multiple looping routes ... we have the whole package. Once built we are going to shoot for that title and we are building the trail with that goal in mind. The trail will be an amazing riding experience. I am really excited about this," Derksen said.

Prior to building any mountain bike trails in 亚洲天堂 Lake Derksen said BLMBA consulted with Mark Schmidt, IMBA Canada director and trail specialist about the best possible location and Derksen said Schmidt recommended Boer Mountain for a number of reasons, two of which were the sunny aspect allowing a faster snow melt for a prolonged riding season and due to the fact that the area is not logged.

"Boer Mountain really has that back country feel. From the beginner trails to the experienced trails everything we have done at the bike park mirrors the original direction Mark [Schmidt] provided. The trail quality on the cross country trails is textbook IMBA," Derksen added.

The work on phases two and three of the Stearns Creek Canyon Trail will be spread over two seasons and will be done by local machine operator Shawn O'Meara.

"Shawn has a natural ability for trail building. He was part of the Gravity Logic Team project on Boer Mountain in 2009 and has built trails including Charlotte's Web, When Pigs Fly and his namesake, the Shawn Flow Trail. "He is also a mountain bike rider which helps in the process," Derksen said.

Derksen said all of the layout for the trails will be done by BLMBA.

BLMBA is also working on a new trail map.

"It has everything a mountain biker would want to know including, places to stay and rest areas. Once it is finished the map will be available at the Tourist Information Centre and a larger version will be posted in the sign kiosks at the bike park. It will be a glossy, full colour pocket sized map and is funded through Northern B.C. Tourism."

The project, which Derksen said has been ongoing since last fall, will feature local reference points for tourists.

"The timing for the Stearns Creek Canyon Trail funding is perfect, because we will now be able to include the entire trail on the map."