GDT

Little or no work was done on the GDT during the 90s.

Many people have wondered why development of the GDT ceased during the last decade of the 20th century.

One problem loomed large - Alberta government land use policies.  After many years of actively supporting the project, the government began to allow new logging and motorized access to the land traversed by the GDT route.  In some cases, trails built only a few years earlier were destroyed when the surrounding landscape was heavily logged.  In others, ATV users immediately took over newly completed sections of trail.  Many of the original volunteers were very discouraged by these developments and lost interest in the project.

As well, several members of the original core group had dispersed to different parts of the country as their careers and families developed, some "old-timers" passed on, and  these people were not replaced by fresh blood.

One promising development was a commendable effort by the government to create an Access Management Plan for the Castle River region (which was to be the model for other areas traversed by the Trail such as the Upper Oldman / Livingstone).  Unfortunately the process was completely derailed following complaints to the government from a handful of ATV enthusiasts who were afraid they'd lose their unfettered access to these areas, and once again the GDT project suffered a setback.

Nonetheless, many people travelled the trail route during the 1990s and became interested in reviving the GDT project, and some of these individuals are now spearheading new efforts to protect and continue development of the Trail.