About Skedaddle Ridge
Our Story
MMany years ago, animals made trails to get to their favorite eating and watering places. Indigenous people followed these trails, often making them wider, to gain access to other communities or to hunt and feed their families. As the years progressed, surveyors and pioneers, having traveled the rivers, created settlements along the banks or in cleared areas of the forests. One of the locations settled was Knowlesville, an area known for its agriculture and lumber industry. Early settlers built their homes and raised their families in the area, often facing harsh winters. Cemeteries with family members buried on the property was normal in those days. Skedaddle Ridge is known for its scenery, forest, rivers, hills, maple syrup, diversity of wildlife and a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. It is not uncommon for families to take to the woods, boil a cup of tea using spring water, sit back and smell the fresh air.
In 1995, Lauren Crag, Elmer LePage, Robert Henderson., and other community members in the area of Knowlesville, talked about wanting to engage others to truly enjoy the outdoors. Many remember their earlier years and the fun they had growing up in this area. They wanted their families to enjoy the scenery, as did their grandfathers, uncles and neighbors. Their vision was the start of Skedaddle Ridge Trails People Inc. In 1996, the first organizational meeting, was held at the Knowlesville Women’s Institute Hall, when 56 interested people attended to support this vision. To join, a member must pay $10.00 and in June 1996, Skedaddle Ridge Trails People Inc. became an incorporated company. These founding members constructed and built the safe trails used today. In May 1998, Skedaddle Ridge became part of the NB All-Terrain Vehicle Federation, a newly made umbrella group that would speak to the government and other agencies on behalf of all ATV owners and riders.
Today, Skedaddle Ridge members maintain over 600 kilometers of trails throughout the area, ensuring the public enjoys the outdoors, as did members of their families of years ago. Skedaddle Ridge members are all volunteers. Members raised all the money to construct shelters, install culverts, erect signs, build bridges, clear fallen trees and brush, grade the trail and, where necessary, apply gravel. We encourage all Users to flag unsafe trail areas to protect others from injury, and report these using our email skedaddleridgetrailspeople@gmail.com. Skedaddle Ridge promotes ATV rider safety training using the Canada Safety Council standards. Our trailer can be seen throughout the region promoting Skedaddle Ridge, in addition to the emergency trailer which can be used to access remote areas and safely remove a person required assistance. For additional users safety, we encourage our provincial government off-road enforcement officers to use our trails, and we ask the public to respect their presence. We have approximately 700 people who are members of Skedaddle Ridge. We plan to have many years of outdoor enjoyment. We encourage non-ATV operators to use our trails.
Please be careful as you might come around the corner to see a hiker, a bicycle, a horseback rider, or, if you are really lucky, a deer, moose or bear.
Our Team
John Lawrence
President
Kelly Lyon
Vice President
Sarah Pelletier
Secretary
Grant Shaw
Treasurer