Three new trails part of $280,000 expansion plan for Owlhead Mountain Bike Park in Sicamous

Bike park expansion OK'd

Photo: District of Sicamous

Sicamous council approved $280k in EO funds to expand the Owlhead Mountain Bike Park.

Owlhead Mountain Bike Park will be expanding with three new trails in 2026 after Sicamous council green lit the use of $280,000 in grant funding to help pay for the next phase of the project.

At the Jan. 28 Sicamous council meeting, Bianca Colonna, chief financial officer, said money from the Economic Opportunity Fund could be used to pay for phase two of the mountain bike area, which is being built in collaboration with Shuswap Trail Alliance.

The provincial government contributes money to the Economic Opportunity Fund for areas affected by dams and reservoirs to compensate them for the loss of economic opportunities on those lands.

Colonna told council there is about $860,000 of unspent money in the fund, and it gets about $300,000 added annually.

Sicamous and Electoral Area E, Revelstoke and Electoral Area B, and the Golden area are the only places in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District which qualify to receive EOF funds.

The Owlhead Mountain Bike Park opened in the summer of 2025 with a single climb trail and one intermediate downhill trail.

Coun. Bob Evans said Sicamous is following in the footsteps of other mountain towns in B.C. by investing in mountain bike trails to help draw visitors to the area.

“This is a really important project for Sicamous,” Evans said.

Mayor Colleen Anderson said she believes more outdoor recreation activities will benefit Sicamous.

“I do see Revelstoke and Sicamous both growing in this direction, and I think it would be very beneficial for us to embrace it,” she said.

“Especially since we have the ferry and the rail trail. ...Sicamous is a great adventure.”

New trails, parking lot upgrades

Phase two of the project will include the construction of a new climb trail as well as an intermediate downhill trail and a technical black diamond trail for advanced riders.

In an October 2025 presentation, Shuswap Trail Alliance estimated phase two of the project would cost about $293,000.

Shuswap Trail Alliance said plans for the technical black diamond trail will include elevated bridges and teeter totters, jumps and steep descents with sharp transitions.

The new climb trail will connect the existing lower climb trail to the parking lot at 2.5 kilometres.

The plans for this phase include upgrades to that parking lot. Along with surface grading, drainage improvements and an information kiosk, a vault toilet will be installed in the lot.

Coun. Gord Bushell said the parking lot upgrades will benefit local snowmobilers as well. He said he believes the project will help Sicamous attract visitors during the shoulder seasons in the fall and the spring.

Coun. Pam Beech said this is a good example of how Sicamous was developing "a complete picture of recreation."

“We've got water naturally, we've got a trail on the other side of the water, and now we're doing the mountain behind, and it's like a complete development," Beech said.

Council voted unanimously in favour of approving phase two of the Owlhead Mountain Bike Park using $280,000 from the Economic Opportunity Fund.

The use of the Economic Opportunity Fund money will still need to get final approval by a resolution at a CSRD board meeting.