Stoney Creek Park Trail System
2023-2024 | Camrose, AB
The Stoney Creek Valley in Camrose, Alberta, is a diverse landscape of rolling hills, open spaces, and wooded areas. From the wetland ecosystem around the creek to the expansive grasslands throughout the valley, Stoney Creek is home to a wide range of plants and animals.
The valley is also a draw for Camrose residents. Trails thread across the valley landscape and are home to cross country skiers in the winter, mountain bikers in the summer, and pedestrians year-round.
Over time, user conflict and sustainability issues accumulated. For example, beaver dams in the valley bottom caused trail saturation and flooding in the summer; accelerated snow melt from trails with southern exposure made it impossible to maintain cross country ski trail connectivity in the winter; and the growing number of pedestrian, ski, and mountain bike trail intersections were unclear and awkward.
To support the intentional development of the Stoney Creek Park trail system, the City of Camrose received grant funding to establish a Trail Master Plan for the Stoney Creek Valley. The Trail Master Plan would address sustainability, erosion, and user conflict issues. The Trail Master Plan also gave the City of Camrose the opportunity to integrate neighbouring trails on private land, and to expand the trail network with more mountain bike trails.
McElhanney was contracted to develop a forward-looking plan that incorporated capital projects within the first two years, assessed user needs and desires, and identified areas for improvement and expansion.
Project team members completed an onsite trail inventory and assessment, as well as extensive community consultation through a survey that netted more than 200 responses. Simultaneously, McElhanney’s landscape architects completed a community framework assessment to support the Trail Master Plan. The community framework identified recreational hotspots, resident and visitor movement around Camrose, and ideal trailhead access points. McElhanney developed a trail master plan in an iterative review process as the culmination of these three foundational activities.
Through the Trail Master Plan, McElhanney proudly contributed to the vibrant recreation and active transportation culture in the City of Camrose.
McElhanney delivered:
- Desktop review and field reconnaissance of proposed trails, existing trails, and terrain
- Comprehensive review of background documents and supporting materials
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- Community framework
- Geospatial information collection via Vertisee/Field Maps and development of extensive mapping showcasing trail options
- A detailed Trail Master Plan including recommendations for trail development standards, capital projects, and phasing
