Pine Management Trail

Information

In the mid 70’s, the increase in the popularity of cross-country skiing led the Company to develop, in 1976, the Pine Management Cross Country Ski and Hiking Trails, centred at the historic Gregg Cabin. The trail went through older fire-origin pine forests, the 1956 Gregg Burn, and various stages of reforestation, along with a series of research sites and operational trials. The core 6.5-kilometre loop featured a series of numbered stops and a brochure for interpretation. Additional connecting loops were added in subsequent years. The local ski club (Hinton Nordic Skiers) adopted the trail as its home base for several years and held annual races there, including the Western Canada Cross Country Ski Championships in 1979; however, as other skiing areas became more popular (particularly with the opening of the Athabasca Nordic Ski complex) skiing at the Pine Management Trails eventually almost stopped completely.

The original self-guided forest interpretive trail and ski trail fell into a state of disrepair and by 1999 most of the interpretive stop signs had fallen over and the trail brochure wasn’t being produced and distributed.

The longest option for hiking the trail is approximately 6.5 kilometres long and can be hiked at a leisurely pace in less than 2.5 hours. There are many shorter options. The trail begins at the Company’s 50-millionth tree plantation – a one-hectare plot where Hinton’s West Fraser division commemorated the planting of its 50-millionth seedling on the Forest Management Agreement (FMA) area in 1991. There are also additional plantations there that celebrate the planting of the 100-millionth tree (1999), the 150-millionth tree (2005), the 200-millionth tree (2012), and the 300-millionth tree (2019). The Pine Management Trail winds its way through the Gregg Burn eventually ending up back at the Gregg Cabin Recreation Area.

Trail Maps

There is information, including maps, that are available at the AllTrails webpage or by following this link - Pine Management Trails.

See West Fraser’s “Pine Management Trail” map.

Safety

This is a wilderness trail. Please be prepared and use the trail at your own risk. Remember- YOU are responsible for your own safety. As in all wilderness settings, bears and cougars may be encountered at any time. To reduce the chance of an animal encounter, make plenty of noise to alert animals to your presence and carry bear spray. NEVER feed or approach a bear.