Bilby Natural Area

Bilby NA, once degraded by ATVs, has seen significant remediation since 2017, transforming into a multi-use area for walking, cycling, and equestrians. Local wildlife, especially beavers, have influenced the landscape. The region’s rich history includes past train service and community remnants. It now offers year-round outdoor activities in a picturesque setting.

Historical marker for the Post Office and School, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
Historical marker for the Post Office and School, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.

Remediation Success. When visited for the first time in 2017, Bilby was a mess. Chewed up by ATVs and impassable to all but the most powerful OHVs. Fast forward to my most recent visit and what a surprise! The trails have been remediated and are now multi-use for walkers, equestrians, cycling… and ATVs.

Fact Facts

Busy Beavers. Another change since 2017 is that the beavers have been busy. Using a train trestle over Kilini Creek, they flooded upstream of the railroad tracks. According to a local involved with the nearby game association, as fast as they tear out the dam – the rodents repair it.

RR 14, East Access and Neighbours. Because of the flooding, come in from the East … unless you have a boat or want to swim across the backwater of Kilini Creek, plan to drive around.

Canadian Northern Railway included Bilby as a stop [2]. At that time, it had a general store and a water and coal station for the trains. The track was laid 1912 and the hamlet was named for a company engineer called ‘Wilby’. Unfortunately, a spelling error resulted in the name ‘Bilby’. The one room schoolhouse closed in 1952 and the train station ceased service in 1961. Signs about Bilby’s history can be found in the former townsite [3,4].

Established in 1971. The Natural Area was first designated in March of 1971 and was given Order in Council status in 1998. The site is about 1 km south of Devil’s (Matchayaw) Lake.

Summer Camp and Dump. Camps for kids and cabins were created in the area and were serviced by the train until passenger service ceased. While the hamlet, post office and general store have disappeared; the natural area bears the original name (okay, not the original which was Wilby, but close).

I met a good number of walkers (and their dogs) who live or vacation nearby. One older lady described how the site served as a local dump for years. There are still a number of old cars in the trees reminding us of this time.

Any maps and map views are for general information only. Do not rely on them for navigation or to determine legal boundaries.

Area Details

  • Name/Owner: Provincial Order in Council.
  • Is it Worth It and Why Go Here?: 5/5: Recent remediation has made Bilby a great destination for all season activities. Hopefully the OHV don’t soon return it to the muddy, impassable mess the site was a few years ago.
  • Wayne Gretzky Units: 44.1 km
  • Trail Classification: Rating: 80; Access: Granted; Develop: Earthen Track. ; Maint: Maintained; Season: All Season: Still earthen track but now graded and covered with wood chips. Suitable for cycling, walking, snowshoeing, etc.
Trail Classification System with examples - YEG-Ville.
Trail Classification System with examples – YEG-Ville.
  • The Drive Out: A beautiful drive out. Be sure to visit Devil’s Lake to the North and Imrie Campground, both nearby. Onoway has some services.
    • TWP 544 is paved, light to moderate traffic but no shoulder so ‘okay’ for cycling.
    • Rural drive out to Devil’s Lake and RR 14 terminates there.
    • The Other Shoe: Fat biking, walking.
  • Frank’s Trip Notes
  • 2024-09-28. Weather: Warm and clear skies.
  • 2020-12-11: Trails continue to deteriorate due to the ATVs.
  • First done: 2017-03-11.

(On smart phones, swipe to see the next image)

  • Abandoned farmstead on TWP 544 near RR 11, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Abandoned farmstead on TWP 544 near RR 11, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • A former homestead, TWP 544 near RR 11, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    A former homestead, TWP 544 near RR 11, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Brand new boundary fence marker in the SEcorner of the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Brand new boundary fence marker in the SEcorner of the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Monument with the history of Biby, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Monument with the history of Biby, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • New signage (apparently put up in August, 2024) at the NE corner of the NA, looking West, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    New signage (apparently put up in August, 2024) at the NE corner of the NA, looking West, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Locally known as 'dump road', the forest is reclaiming several old vehicles, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Locally known as ‘dump road’, the forest is reclaiming several old vehicles, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Newly installed boundary fence running along the North and West borders, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Newly installed boundary fence running along the North and West borders, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Newly strung boundary fence across an ATV track exiting at the NW corner; locals would previously cross the railway track from this egress, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Newly strung boundary fence across an ATV track exiting at the NW corner; locals would previously cross the railway track from this egress, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • A Beaver dam created against a train trestle; nice of those humans to help!, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    A Beaver dam created against a train trestle; nice of those humans to help!, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Looking roughly SW across Kilini Creek and the extensive backwater from the beaver dam, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Looking roughly SW across Kilini Creek and the extensive backwater from the beaver dam, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Reflections in the backwater of Kilini Creek, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Reflections in the backwater of Kilini Creek, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Looking east along a cut line as it climbs through the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Looking east along a cut line as it climbs through the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Looking south as the ATV track drops down into the flooded Kilini Creek - a track to follow in hip waders, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Looking south as the ATV track drops down into the flooded Kilini Creek – a track to follow in hip waders, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Looking west along the cut line and atop the central hill in the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Looking west along the cut line and atop the central hill in the NA, 2024-09-28, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Final resting place of a vehicle along dump road, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Final resting place of a vehicle along dump road, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
  • Looking south along the boundary of the site on a cold winter day, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.
    Looking south along the boundary of the site on a cold winter day, 2017-03-11, Bilby NA, P. Potter.

Notes and Reference

  1. Conversation with Dave, Scout Leader and involved with the Onoway & District Fish & Game Association & Gun Range; accessed 2024-10-01.
  2. Bilby Remembered (Unpublished), n.d.
  3. Discussion with Blaine from bison grow & greenhouses. Telephone – 780.499.4829, December 4, 2020.
  4. “Bilby.” Placard at former townsite, n.d.

Usage: This site is intended for my personal use only and very select invited guests. My recommendation is for you to stay in bed with the covers pulled firmly over your head.