$20,000 grant means new trail build in Durham region

The Durham Mountain Bike Association has secured funding to build a 12-km addition to the existing trail network northeast of Toronto. Thanks to a $20,000 grant from Trails Canada and matched funds from the club’s reserves, riders in the Durham Forest and Three Rocks area should be able to check out the new singletrack by the end of August.

Known as the Dagmar North Trail Project, the route for the trails has already been set using markers. DMBA member volunteers will clear the general corridor this spring. Specialized trail building machinery will rough in the trail tread, and volunteers will return to hand finish the trails during the summer. The volunteer effort is expected to be valued at $30,000.

The land where the build is taking place is owned by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority just north of the Uxbridge/Pickering town line.

Tom Hanrahan, DMBA president was one of the club representatives at the recent Toronto International Bicycle Show. “This is the culmination of years of building relationships,” said Hanrahan. “Club members have worked really hard to pull this together, but we’re standing on the efforts of previous club leadership as well. These projects don’t come out of nowhere.

“I think this shows to how successful DMBA has been in building membership and working with local landowners and other trail users to create positive relationships.”

DMBA is made up of more than 600 members and hosts numerous events through the season. The trail network has also served as the development ground for many of Canada’s best cross country racers, including Emily Batty. The Scott-3 Rox team takes its name from the southern section of trails, with the team headquarters located in nearby Whitby, Ont.