Working together on Chilliwack trails

Communication is the key to any good relationship. Members of the Right Nuts ATV Club believe this motto to be true, and by using it, they’ve been able to obtain more trails and keep existing ones open.

The club is based in Chilliwack, B.C., where some of the best trails in the Lower Mainland are situated. Both the dirt bike and ATV groups enjoy them, but the two didn’t always get along—especially in the Chipmunk Creek area.

“There were a lot of trails there that said ‘No ATVs allowed,’ and we wondered if they were legal signs or not, and why we couldn’t ride there,” said Karen Black, who is the vice-president and secretary of the Right Nuts ATV Club. “So we ended up approaching the dirt bikers in that area. We talked and went riding with them a few times.”

Later, the signs came down, and both groups mutually agreed on which trails would be designated as single-track only and which ones could be used for ATVing as well. And proper signage was erected to let riders know which trail they should be on.

Something for everyone

Eventually, the Right Nuts ATV Club started working with the Greater Vancouver Motorcycle Club (GVMC)—as well as ATV/BC, Recreation Sites and Trails BC and the British Columbia Off-Road Motorcycle Association—to build a proper staging area for Chipmunk Creek. It was completed in July 2013.

“That was a huge thing to get done,” said Black.

According to her, the GVMC had wanted to undertake this project for years, especially since Chipmunk Creek is the location of the club’s annual Piston Run.

The Piston Run, which is an off-road point series event, attracts hundreds of dirt bikers. During the event, most of them would have to park along the main road. But now that there is a proper staging area, racers can park and unload their bikes in a safer, more organized area. Some can even camp.

There are six recreational sites at the Rapid Staging Area, and each are equipped with firepits and picnic tables.

For families, there is a group camping area and a kids’ quad trail, which is called the Bear Cub Trail.

“Only small ATVs can go on it and it’s a very simple trail where they can learn,” said Black.

Rumble in The Jungle

The Jungle at Chipmunk Creek is where the more experienced riders can be found. Here, the club has its own network of trails, and they’re signed and terrain rated.

Riding in The Jungle is no walk in the park, though. With tight trails and plenty of natural obstacles, your machine is bound to take a beating.

But that’s the kind of riding that Black and other members of the Right Nuts ATV Club love the most.

“We do very technical riding,” said Black.

Hence the name.

“The reason is you’ve gotta be right nuts to do what we do,” she said.

The club has 61 members. Most of them are from Chilliwack and Langley, but there are some from Maple Ridge and Delta too.

Black is from Langley. She started ATVing 14 years ago, but her passion for it didn’t really take off until she bought a four-wheel-drive quad and started tackling more of the technical trails.

She said it’s the adrenalin, as well as the camaraderie of being in a club, that appeals to her.

“Being in the club, there are so many walks of life, and everybody comes together for this common interest,” she said. “(If) anything happens, people are there in a second.”

Plans for Tamihi Creek and Stave Lake

The club looks ahead to a fun and busy summer. Building a staging area at Tamihi Creek is the next big project. It will most likely begin in June.

And then there’s the Stave Lake riding area near Maple Ridge.

“That will be our next focus,” said Black, “to try and get a staging area in there.”

Not only will the club have to work with other motorized user groups in the area, but local logging companies as well. But given the level of success its members have already had in the last three years, it shouldn’t be a problem.

“It’s just amazing what talking to somebody can do,” said Black. “It’s cool to see how much has happened in a very short time.”