Nestled in an ATVing paradise, Whitecourt lies in an area that lets riders explore uninhabited land and rough, muddy terrain. Luc Mercier, the chief administrative officer for Woodlands County, is an adventurous and avid ATVer and he frequents the area around Whitecourt weekly on his ATV.

“This area is just so beautiful,” said Mercier. “You can get out there into the middle of the bush and you would just about think that you were the only person on the face of this earth.”

The mayor of Whitecourt, Jim Rennie, also ATVs on occasion and said the region is wonderful for riding adventures because the government has allocated a large amount of green space as Crown land that is open for public use.

“People are free to use that land for whatever they wish,” said Rennie. “For people who are using their ATVs responsibly, there is a network of trails in our municipality.”

Rewarding riding areas are easy to come by here, but Rennie has a few favourites.

“The House Mountain area is a fantastic quadding area with a huge network of trails,” said Rennie. “We also have the Fort Assiniboine Sand Hills Recreational Area—so we have a variety of areas that are great for quadding.”

Rennie said that Whitecourt is famous for its snowmobiling, but many people in town also ATV during the summer.

“We are the snowmobile capital of Alberta,” he said. “Snowmobiling is probably our No. 1 tourist draw so I am sure that the same could be said about quadding.”