Niven Lake Ravine Trail Project

The Niven Lake Ravine Trail—also known as the Fire Cutline Path or Niven Firebreak Trail—is an important year-round route that connects neighbourhoods and supports walking, cycling, skiing, snowmobiling, and access to nature. It is a valued community space that helps people from across Yellowknife move through the City and enjoy the outdoors.

Our Vision

Key Focus Areas:

• Safety: Evaluate current trail conditions and identify opportunities to improve user safety.
• Accessibility: Assess how the trail serves people of all ages, abilities, and mobility needs.
• Environmental Conditions: Consider natural features, environmental constraints, and long-term sustainability.
• User Experience: Gather input from trail users and the broader community to understand needs, priorities, and concerns.
• Future Improvements: Explore potential design concepts and enhancements to guide future trail development.

The outcome of this project will be a community-informed vision that helps shape future planning, design, and investment decisions for the trail.

Recent engagement through the Community Plan update and the Transportation Plan (Let's Move YK) highlighted strong community interest in better city-wide trail connectivity, year-round use, network expansion, improved safety (such as lighting), and clearer wayfinding. Building on this feedback, the project will help define a clear future for the trail through technical analysis and community input. 

Engagement Round 1: What We Heard

Thank you to everyone who participated in the first round of engagement for the Niven Lake Ravine Trail Project. 

The City received 267 survey responses and heard from 21 trail users through in-person interactions. Residents and trail users shared how they use the trail, what they value about it and what could make it safer, more accessible and more enjoyable. Feedback showed that participants value the trail as a connection to nature, a year-round recreation corridor and an important link between neighbourhoods and the wider trail network.

Key priorities included:

• better trail connections;
• improved accessibility and drainage;
• practical amenities;
• maintaining the trail’s natural character; and
• encouraging safe and respectful shared use.

Read the full Engagement Round 1 What We Heard Report along with a shorter summary version for readers who would like a quick overview of the key findings.

Project Timelines

Phase 1: Engagement Round 1 June-July 2026 (Completed!)

•  Share the project’s background and invite public input• Gather feedback to help plan the trail’s design

Phase 2: Preliminary Design and Engagement Round 2 Fall 2026

•  Share what was learned in Phase 1 with a summary report• Create a first draft of the trail design and gather feedback to improve and finalize the design

Phase 3: Detailed Design of Final Concept Winter 2027

•  Finalize trail design per City standards and feedback from engagement rounds 1 and 2

Phase 4: Trail Construction Summer 2027

•  Implement updates to the trail based on the final design concept

What's next?

The project team will review and consider feedback from Engagement Round 1 alongside technical analysis, existing conditions information, and direction from the YK 2025 Community Plan, Let's Move YK Transportation Master Plan, Yellowknife Trails Plan, and Yellowknife Active Transportation Strategy. The project team will also work with City departments to identify shared priorities, opportunities, and operational considerations that will guide possible trail improvements.
 

Using this information, the project team will develop a preliminary trail concept for the Niven Lake Ravine Trail. Once the concept is ready, it will be shared with the community for review and feedback. Community input received during this phase will help refine the preferred concept before detailed design begins.