Latest update: July 6, 2011

Mt. Trudeau Trail: October 5, 2008 - A large wooden sign now marks the trailhead near km. 15 on the West Ridge Forest Road.
July 13, 2009: The West Ridge Forest Road was graded today all the way to the Mt. Trudeau trailhead. BC Hydro paid for the first 4 km (up to their substation at km 0) Hauer Brothers Lumber for the next 7 km (to some logging they are doing), Brookfield Renewable Power for the next 6 km (to their water intake) and YORA for the final 1.5 km to the trailhead. The road is much smoother than it has been for years.

Selwyn Traverse: Cleared of all windfalls in spring 2010. Re-routing around the one remaining boggy area northwest of Selkirk Creek has not yet been done. This muddy section is short and usually relatively minor. Watch (and listen) for logging activity and keep your distance (at least a couple of tree lengths) if you see and/or hear machinery, as there has been some small scale logging in beetle-damaged pine forests below the trail, reaching up to it in a couple of places at this writing.

McKirdy Mountain Summit Trail:   Brush regrowth thoroughly trimmed back from trail August 17/08 by Art Carson, Paul Marklund, and Dean & Toni from NZ. Surface is rough in spots but this trail is currently in its best condition ever. A huge thanks to all helpers!

Swift Creek Loop: Good condition as of June 2010.

Mountain bike descent trails above Swift Creek Loop: good condition as of spring 2010.

McKirdy Creek Trail: July 26/05 - Old McKirdy Creek footbridge has been replaced with a new one at around the 4500 foot elevation point.
August 27/05 - McKirdy Creek trail rebuilt and upgraded from a point near the trailhead to its junction with the McKirdy Creek/McKirdy Lake cross trail, as part of an access route to a private cabin at McKirdy Lake.

McKirdy Lake Trail: This trail was given a thorough brushing and cleanout in Sept. 2000. Since then, brush has encroached enough to require careful route-finding in a few spots to avoid losing the trail, especially when descending. In particular, the trail at one point descends into a patch of tall grass, in the middle of which it makes a sharp left-hand bend that could easily be missed. Blue flagging has been placed on bushes at this bend to guide people around it when descending the trail.
May 2006: All windfalls removed from trail. There is some brush encroachment and tree limb growth that needs to be trimmed back.
July 2011: Trail thoroughly brushed out and all windfalls removed.

McKirdy Lake/McKirdy Creek Cross Trail:  Completely rebuilt August 2005. This trail now branches off the McKirdy Creek trail about 1/2 km further up than it used to. At the new branch, the McKirdy Creek trail ascends a small gully, then exits to the right, while the Cross Trail exits the gully to the left (when ascending). Now referred to as the West Branch of the McKirdy Creek Trail.

McKirdy Mountain South Ridge Trail:   More rebuilding of this early-day trail has been done since the description in the trail guide was written. However it is still not fully rebuilt and the route description in the guide still applies quite well. A windstorm in spring 2005 blew several trees down across the upper portions of the rebuilt trail. As of this update (Aug. 17/08), these have not yet been removed.

Packsaddle Creek Loop: Cleared of all windfalls as of spring 2010. The trail is in good condition at this writing.
May 2009: a section of the original Packsaddle Creek Trail dating from the 1960's has been restored, resulting in a connection between the Packsaddle Creek Loop trail and the Packsaddle Creek Forest Road network that opens up a few new possible routes.
July 2011: The Packsaddle Creeek footbridge on the loop trail has cracked stringers and is no longer considered safe. Consequently it has been blocked off pending a decision on what to do to re-establish the loop trail.
...And Beyond: 19 years ago I located a route which avoids any crossings of the main creek, from the derelict footbridge site up the NW side of the creek past some open, cliffy areas to the start of more or less continuous open avalanche slopes about 1 km. upstream. If this 1 km. re-route were built, the most experienced & hardy bushwhackers looking for a challenge could route-find up the rest of the valley in a long day, to the headwaters of Packsaddle Creek. As for winter travel, the present trail is quite safe with the exception of the one avalanche slope at about the 3.5 km. point. Not far upstream, however, the valley becomes a "V" with nearly continuous avalanche hazard from both sides for several km. Winter travel through this "terrain trap" could be very hazardous at times.

Bulldog Creek Glacier Lily Trail: June 2010 - Maintenance on this trail has progressed considerably this year after an initial restoration in 2009. The initial 4.5 km section along the old "C" road has been re-brushed and the majority of the remaining little shrub stumps removed from the centre of the track to reduce bicycling hazards. However there are still a few little stubs sticking up here and there, so caution is advised. The rest of the trail has had the majority of old windfalls cut out and some brushing has been done up to the 6,000 foot level. The old trail above that point has been located but the route is still flagged slightly to the north through subalpine openings and is adequate. Many thanks to Patricia Thoni and Darryl Polyk for assisting with maintenance on this trail.

Art.