Searching for peace in the Sandilands

SANDILANDS PROVINCIAL FOREST -- While it can be fun to play up the cultural divide between different categories of outdoor users, the reality is you can't really separate the supposed hippies from the alleged rednecks.

Many people who hunt like to hike. Many people who paddle like to fish. And cyclists who love muddy singletrack tend to own motor vehicles to get themselves to the trailhead. The notion that there are two discrete tribes of wilderness lovers -- an idea propagated by glossy magazines -- doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.

But there are occasions where conflict between outdoor users persists. One of the hotspots in southern Manitoba remains a small corner of Sandilands Provincial Forest, where cross-country skiers and cyclists are at odds with all-terrain vehicle fans.

In May 2008, about 3,400 hectares of the Sandilands burned down in a fire that likely started when peat got trapped beneath the muffler of an ATV, Manitoba Conservation investigators concluded after sifting through evidence, witness statements and burn patterns.

The fire damaged the southern portion of a 26-kilometre network of ski and bike trails maintained by the volunteer-run Sandilands Ski Club. A few kilometres of the trail system, located in a small parcel of the forest southeast of Steinbach, remain closed today.

At the time of the fire, ATV users in southeastern Manitoba complained they were getting a bad rap. But skiers and cyclists who love the Sandilands were already fed up with the vehicles, which they blame for the degrading trails.

Like almost all of southern Manitoba, Sandilands Provincial Forest is a landscape borne out of ice. When the glaciers receded, enormous channels in the melting ice deposited massive quantities of sand and gravel that now form the hilly terrain on the eastern edge of the Red River Valley.

The Sandilands drains well. But it is also relatively fragile, at least beneath the wheels of motorized vehicles.

"A lot of people in Steinbach don't get out to the Sandilands. They get discouraged, because the trails are so chewed up," says Patrick Siemens, owner of Steinbach bike shop Body Driven Sports. "The geography is a thin layer of soil on top of sand, so it doesn't take long for an ATV to chew that up."

Siemens is not exaggerating. The trails in the Sandilands are now scarred by parallel ruts all summer.

This is not just annoying to cyclists. The Sandilands Ski Club says it takes longer to groom its trails in the winter, as more snow is required to bury roots, rocks and other uneven surfaces uncovered by ATV-induced erosion.

Given the size of Sandilands Provincial Forest, which cuts across a large swath of southeastern Manitoba, Siemens says it's not too much to ask to have the small trail network devoted solely to people on foot, skis or bikes.

The ski club, meanwhile, is petitioning the provincial government to restrict ATVs to their own trails within the forest. But the protection of the trail network would be a good first step, Siemens said.

"I would like to see an area off limits to ATVs to start with, and then later designate an area for ATVs to remain in," he says.

More problematic is the issue of hunters on foot who also use the trail network, making bright orange vests more than just a fashion statement during the fall.

"They've been there as long as we have and probably think, 'Why should we move?' " Siemens says.

If you don't mind a few ruts, the Sandilands is already doable for cyclists. Last Saturday, the trails were still partly encrusted with snow but not impossible to ride.

But I didn't check out the entire system. I broke my chain one kilometre into the ride.

I'm a klutz, but at least I didn't start a forest fire.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Sandilands Provincial Forest

Get there: The bike and ski trails maintained by the Sandilands Ski Club are located in a small chunk of the provincial forest, a few minutes southeast of Steinbach. From Winnipeg, take the Trans-Canada Highway east to Highway 12 and then head south for a minute or two. Exit Highway 12 at the turnoff to Ste. Anne and proceed through the town. Then head southeast on Provincial Road 210, passing the towns of Giroux, La Broquerie and Marchand. The main trailhead is located shortly after the turnoff to PR 404, on the south side of the highway, opposite Marchand Wayside Park.

Fees: Trail use fees are $7. Donations are accepted at the Marchand Store on PR 210. Season passes are $55 for individuals or $70 for families, available at www.sandilands.ca.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 27, 2010 D11