More than two years of blood, sweat and tears spent by a dedicated group of local volunteers was recognized in Cranbrook’s Rotary Park July 1, part of the City of Cranbrook’s Canada Day celebrations.

The celebration began with the official grand opening of the Chief Isadore Trail in Wardner on Canada Day morning, followed by a 43 km ride for several dozen cyclists down the trail leading to Cranbrook for a grand entry into Rotary Park during Canada Day 150 ceremonies.

The crushed gravel surfaced trail follows the Isadore Canyon trail to Mayook, then continues along an abandoned rail corridor to Wardner Provincial Park beside the Kootenay River, with a bypass around private land in Mayook.

A connector trail will link the Cranbrook-to-Wardner trail with the rest stop on Highway 3 in Mayook, known as the Ramparts Lake rest area.

A special committee of Cranbrook, Kimberley, Wardner and Mayook residents has been working on developing the trail for the past two years, noted David Savage, head of the trail celebration committee.

On June 21, National Aboriginal Day, the trail was officially announced as the new Chief Isadore Trail, a section of The Great Trail/Trans Canada Trail, in honour of the great Ktunaxa Chief.

With the opening of the trail, cyclists can now tour from Kimberley to Wardner, via the Northstar Rails-to-Trails and Chief Isadore Trail.

Lead and above images: Cyclists conclude their journey from Wardner, arriving at Cranbrook’s Rotary Park, led by a unicycle. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photo

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