Black Oak Heritage Park

Windsor Essex Bike Community is a registered nonprofit organization that promotes all things cycling in Windsor Essex. With hundreds of local Windsor members and a large following, we hope to use the power of community to help Black Oak Heritage park multi use trails become sanctioned as part of the new National Urban Park project in Windsor.

WEBC is trying to do everything we can to partner with Parks Canada and the City of Windsor to hopefully be part of the conversation for the pending National Urban Park project. We have had meetings with Parks Canada and are not gaining the traction or proper recognition our cycling community deserves!

To those unaware, the National Urban Park project in Windsor will include Black Oak Heritage park. Black Oak is a VERY special place to cyclists and many different types of trail users. About 6 years ago cyclists and trail users completely cleaned up Black Oaks, removing garbage, illegal off road vehicle use, illegal activity, and slowly allowed this park to develop back into the beautiful natural gem it is currently.

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Currently, Black Oak Heritage park has over 12 km over incredible single track mountain bike trails that are by far the best mountain biking trails from Windsor to Kitchener. These trails have been maintained and kept safe by local volunteers for a number of years now and these volunteer efforts have created something truly special within the park!

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*See Black Oak Trail Map here: https://www.trailforks.com/region/black-oak-prairie-heritage-park/ 

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More riders than ever are enjoying the Black Oak trails and the number of trail users is rapidly growing. In 2023 alone, THOUSANDS of local and out of town riders rode in Black Oaks without it even being publicly promoted or advertised. Between the beauty of the forest, the natural terrain, and unbelievable efforts made by local volunteers to maintain the trails have created a premiere trail network.

To be clear, these volunteers have NOT built any new trails. These trails in Black Oak have existed for over 30 years, but with the rapid growth of our local mountain bike community in the last few years, the trails have been maintained by local volunteers (to ensure safety and an optimal riding experience). 

In 2023, WEBC signed an official land stewardship agreement with the Town of Amherstburg to build and maintain up to 6 km of trails at the Libro Centre in Amherstburg. If sanctioned, our organization believes we can grow a similar relationship with Parks Canada and the City of Windsor. 

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To give some context, WEBC has raised over $85,000 (all community donations) in the last 12 months to fund a multi-phased mountain bike trail project our organization is constructing at the Libro Centre in Amherstburg. Phase 1 of the project was completed last summer and was a huge success. We are now in the middle of constructing Phase 2 of the project.

WEBC envisions a similar positive relationship with the City of Windsor, that could help bring outstanding impacts to Windsor's community through Black Oak's existing trails.

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With WEBC's help our organization could fully promote, maintain, and help ensure Black Oak park rules (developed by Parks Canada) are followed at ZERO dollars charged to taxpayers (free trail maintenance, mountain bike events, youth programming, races, and other functions WEBC could offer).

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The potential positive social + economic benefits to the community, City of Windsor, local tourism, youth, and local businesses by working with WEBC and sanctioning Black Oak trails are massive!

This is an opportunity to really do something amazing for the Windsor community and we would be so grateful if you sign this petition and share to as many others as possible!

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Through the power of community and using our voice we can help ensure Black Oak Heritage park is open for all to enjoy!

Sanctioning Black Oak multi use trails is a very important topic of interest for THOUSANDS of local cyclists and trail users who enjoy and love Black Oak Heritage Park in Windsor & Essex County!

It is crucial we begin the conversation now to gain the proper recognition by Parks Canada and the City of Windsor while the National Urban Park project is in its planning phase. We need to use the power of community to make our voice heard before its too late!

WEBC's goal is to work alongside the City or Parks Canada as a partner to promote environmental sustainability of the park while sanctioning this incredible trail system. Frankly, rogue trail users are going to continue to use these trails regardless of what happens with the National Urban park, so its WEBC's belief that if sanctioned, the park's long term environmental sustainability can actually improve. 

By sanctioning the trails in Black Oak it would only improve park sustainability through increased trail regulation and clear guidelines to residents on how to continue to protect the park under the guidance of Parks Canada and WEBC.