Black Mountain Rides Again

words :: Laura Ollerenshaw

After decades of overgrowth and obscurity— followed by a forest fire—a dedicated group of volunteers with a bold vision have brought Black Mountain’s mountain bike trails in Nordegg, AB, back to life.

For thirty years, the mountain bike trails at Black Mountain slept. Forgotten, overgrown and partially logged, the trails were impassable and nearly impossible to distinguish amongst the deadfall, matted undergrowth and sections of clear cut. But Hannah and Dennis Landon knew they were there, somewhere—and were on a quest to find them.

The couple had heard about the trails while running an outdoor leadership program at Frontier Lodge near Nordegg. Built in the 1990s by Steven Johnson, who ran a mountain bike program at that same lodge, the network of trails was initially the location for the Black Mountain Challenge races held on the mountain—until 1995, when the festival was moved to its current location and later renamed the Fat Tire Festival. After the move, the trails at Black Mountain were all but forgotten.

“We looked around to see if we could find any of the old trails, and there’s a gated road. Hannah sent an email to the land manager Don Livingston and asked, ‘Can we have access to that gate? Would we be allowed to open any old trail if we can find it?’” recalls Dennis. “So that’s all we were looking to do, is bring a little back online. And then he said, ‘Give me a call. I have a better idea.’”

Livingston, now retired, was the director of recreation, ecosystem and land management for Alberta Environment and Parks and had worked in the Rocky Mountain House area for about 35 years. He’s also a biker, and had been involved in the ‘90s Black Mountain Challenge, where he volunteered with first aid.

Livingston knows the area and the people working there, and he knows the mountain. His better idea was to apply to the FRIAA (Forestry Resource Improvement Association of Alberta) fund to finance the building of a trail system. Created in 1997, FRIAA collects and administers forest industry funds in part from stumpage fees. The fund is mandated to facilitate forest resources for the benefit of all Albertans, and recreation is deemed an acceptable use.

And it seems they have.

NORCA had started preliminary work on the trail system when, on July 19, 2022, a fire broke out on Black Mountain, burning 507 hectares or roughly five square kilometres of forest.

Hannah and Dennis created a volunteer group they called Nordegg Off-Road Cycling Association (NORCA), wrote a plan, received $1.82 million in funding and then coordinated the trail network with West Fraser, the logging and lumber producer that manages the Black Mountain forestry area. The initiative progressed quickly because all groups involved have been enthusiastically on board— government, industry and community.

“We’ve been very fortunate to work with really great people. We wanted to build this with collaboration, friendship and goodwill and minimize any potential areas of conflict,” says Hannah.

“Our application for the grant money had been approved, and then the lightning struck. We stood up at our property, watched the flames crest the mountain and I cried. I thought, ‘Oh, man, this might wreck our whole project,’” Hannah says.

But instead of derailing the plan, the fire moved the timeline forward. West Fraser was able to salvage log the trees still usable—to do that, they constructed a service road to access the top of the mountain, a project that wasn’t planned for at least ten years. Instead of being a disaster, the fire opened not only the views, but more options.

“It reset their entire harvest plan. Before, when we were planning our lower network trails, we were thinking we had to pace this with their…harvest plans, but now the whole mountain is harvested. And we’ve heard secondhand that they probably won’t be back for 100 years because so much on the top of the mountain has been harvested,” Hannah says.

NORCA had started working with trail designer Brady Starr about a year before the fire and he had done some conceptual planning. After the fire, they had to reevaluate.

“When I initially saw the upper portion of the hill, it was an old spruce tree forest with some slightly mature cut blocks and it was quite dense, but once the fire came through, it changed everything. You had these spectacular views, and you could see the ridges and where the trails could naturally go,” says Starr. “Building through a cut block or a burned forest had its challenges as well, especially after they salvage logged it, but I think it’s enhanced the area. It almost feels like you’re in the alpine when you’re at the top now.”

Planning trails is a science and an art. Starr first references Google Earth as well as contour and topographic maps, then plans generally where the trails will go before walking the site.

“You walk around the forest for a while, looking where you want your trails to go. Then you connect the dots and look where you need to grade, being mindful of any potential environmental concerns,” Starr says. “From there, you lay it out a couple of times. Sometimes you get lucky and it goes well the first time, but typically it’s a multi-stage process.”

The Black Mountain trail network officially opened in July 2024, with car and trailer parking, bathrooms, bike racks and picnic tables. The shuttle road is ready and awaiting legislative sign off before it can open to the public. Currently they’ve completed about 26 km of trails, ranging from advanced single track to entry-level, accessible flow trails, with Châska—a blue, six-km dual-climbing trail—acting as the main access from the base of the mountain to the top. The lower flow trails are built with accessibility in mind, and all trails and features are clearly signed. There are still about 20 to 24 km of trails planned from their current grant funds, but Hannah and Dennis have many ideas for future development.

Black Mountain is not the only place to bike in Nordegg. In and around the hamlet, the Nordegg Trail Society is also working hard to enhance the trail system. Last summer, the volunteer organization finished new bike trails on Coliseum Mountain. This summer, proposed work includes additional trails on Coliseum and a trail to connect Baldy (Shunda) Mountain.

“I always hoped that we’d be able to do more in the Nordegg area,” Johnson says. “And I thought the terrain and scenery was worthy of being somewhere people would come to. I’m so pleased they’ve gotten the vision and they’re taking it on. They’re making what I hoped would someday happen, happen.”

Visiting the serene and less crowded spots near Ban National Park o ers a refreshing escape from the bustling tourist hubs. Take Roam's Route 6 to explore the secluded trails by Lake Minnewanka. In Canmore, Roam’s Route 12 can conveniently take you to the beautiful Grassi Lakes Trailhead, perfect for a scenic adventure. Or find inspiration and wonder with a visit to the Cave & Basin National Historic Site within the Town of Ban on Route 4. Explore where Roam Transit can take you.