Adventure Bay sign claims public trails are private, causing confusion among residents

Photo: Sharon Pratico

Some trail users in Vernon's Adventure Bay are confused over a sign that was put up along one of the paths in the area.

The sign claims all trails are closed to the public and are designated for Adventure Bay residents only. City staff say Adventure Bay trails are in fact open to the public, and anyone can use them.

"The developer has been asked by the city to remove the sign numerous times but refuses to do so," says Coun. Dalvir Nahal. "This sign has no authority."

Nahal brought up the issue in Monday's council meeting, where city staff corroborated her information.

"There is an agreement between the city and Tavistock (the developer) regarding trails in the area, and it specifies that those particular trails will be granted public access on the same terms as the residents in that development," says Kim Flick, the city's director of community infrastructure and development. "We will follow up to ensure everyone is on the same page and to make sure that memorandum is adhered to."

The confusion was sparked over a social media post questioning the validity of the sign. Residents of the area and public hikers went back and forth discussing the situation, with one of the area's residents presenting an email from the developer himself, who claimed the trails are private.

"We understand that some rogue websites were recently promoting the trails for outsiders, and for a while during the park closures we did accommodate outsiders in the spirit of working with the community," says Paul Gaskin, the land developer.

"But with the public parks now open again, we are enforcing an owners-only policy. The trails are narrow, there are bears, rattlesnakes and coyotes, and forests are an extreme high-risk fire area. So the owners have requested we limit outside use."

It is unclear when the city plans to follow up with the developer to reiterate the terms of the agreement.