Penhold council recently had a chance to see the final draft of a regional trail system concept that would connect Penhold, Innisfail and Bowden through Red Deer County. While there is no decision yet on building the trail, the report looks into the feasibility of building and maintaining a regional trail.
Penhold Mayor Dennis Cooper says, “We thought it was a very comprehensive plan … a clear vision of what the trails can be. However, it will take time … but what we want to do is integrate trails into local properties and one of the first will be development of a trail to the north of town. It's important to develop and integrate trails in our new areas and tie them all together.”
The mayor noted that Penhold's existing trails network could easily tie into a regional trail system.
“Our trails are very popular, especially with young families, and we see they get a lot of use.”
He says there are plans to twin Highway 2A between Penhold and Red Deer and it might be possible to build a separate trail for people on bicycles and other users parallel to the main highway at the same time, that would be much safer.
It's thought that any regional trail system would become part of the Trans Canada Trail. That trail, which will stretch from coast to coast to coast when it is complete, has become a major tourist attraction in other parts of the country.
The final draft says, “… existing and future trails in the region impact the lives of thousands of residents and visitors in regards to recreation and active transportation … a regional trail system … could become a major tourist attraction and lead to economic development for each of the partner municipalites.”
The report analyzes a variety of route options that could connect Bowden, Innisfail and Penhold to Red Deer.
