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ST. PAUL – Town of St. Paul council approved the Regional Trails Masterplan Project managed by the STEP Economic Development Alliance (STEP) on behalf of the Summer Village of Horseshoe Bay on May 26.
The plan will be presented to the Town of Elk Point, the County of St. Paul and Summer Village in the coming weeks, said Linda Sallstrom, Economic Development Officer (EDO) for the STEP.
The project, funded through the Alberta Community Partnership (ACP) grant, was subcontracted to Travel Lakeland Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), whose work involved the evaluation of trails in the region for “tourism readiness,” said Marianne Janke, manager at Travel Lakeland.
Although the project concluded in July 2024, formal presentation to municipal councils in the region for approval had been delayed due to scheduling challenges. The project will be presented to councils in Elk Point, the County of St. Paul, and the Summer of Horseshoe Bay in the coming weeks.
The master plan lays out a 10-year vision for developing the region's trails systems over the next decade to increase tourism.
“Throughout North America, there's hundreds of communities that are implementing trail tourism to bolster their economy,” said Janke. “However, there are some that have been extremely successful, in that those changes have literally transformed and reinvigorated their entire communities.”
Cumberland, B.C, for example, is a community of just under 4,000 people. Cumberland successfully reforested a section of a forest and built trails to create mountain bike “adventures” in the community, she said.
In the St. Paul region, the plan includes steps like improving trail quality and accessibility to attract and encourage longer stays in the area, which the plan anticipates will not only benefit local businesses but also enhance the overall quality of life of residents.
“We just don’t want them to come and stay overnight,” she said. The idea is to also use the trails to encourage tourists to visit other places in the Lakeland, stimulating development of existing businesses.
Janke said this will involve capitalizing on the region’s natural assets to promote outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and other recreational activities.
Winter activities are also considered with the aim of being able to use the trails throughout the year.
Once the plan is approved by all four municipalities, STEP can start working with regional partners to implement the proposed strategies in the plan.
