Roots and rocks, bears and fox

Mountain biking in Kouchibouguac

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DARCY RHYNO

Getting into a flow is difficult with so much water on the trail, but I find myself in a rhythm anyway, snaking through gnarly rock gardens and hopping over tree roots, at times riding so loose, I fear I’ll crash. But of course, riding on the edge is part of the thrill of mountain biking.

Last night, a wild storm knocked out power here along New Brunswick’s Acadian Coast. The wind-downed trees and heavy rains filled rivers and streams to flood levels. When I started out for Kouchibouguac National Park this morning, I wasn’t sure if the conditions would make for a hard ride or if perhaps they would prevent me from riding at all.

I parked at the information centre near the entrance and rode the three kilometre gravel trail just past Petit-Large where the one-way Major Kollock Creek Trail made for mountain biking begins. About a kilometre in, the trail crosses and follows the creek for the remaining five kilometres through the middle of the park to the coast where it ends at a bridge over a paved road. Because it follows the creek, the entire trail is all gentle downside.

Some 60 kilometres of cycling trails wind through the park, but this is the wildest trail and the only one designated specifically for mountain biking. The other cycling trails are on some variety of smooth road bed. This is not a groomed trail, so all the features are natural. There are no berms carved into corners, no step-down or step-up jumps, except for those that naturally pop out of the landscape.

As I ride alone through the Acadian mixed forest to the intersection with the creek, I discover that parts of the trail, including long sections of narrow “north shore” (mountain bike slang for wooden boardwalks on trails) are completely under water. Rather than putting me off, I’m stoked for the additional challenge. The storm has added water features to all these natural rock and root obstacles.

Along the way, I’m reminded many times that I’m cycling in true wilderness. Fresh scat tells me black bears are about, gorging on late summer berries. I make a mental note to remain alert, to avoid getting so carried away with the flow of the ride that I fail to spot the wildlife that calls Kouchibouguac home.

It’s an exhilarating ride to the trail end, but it’s just the beginning of a great day. From here, I cycle back to the boardwalk that leads out to Kellys Beach, the mid-point of an incredible 25-kilometre series of barrier dunes that protect the shoreline and create large, shallow lagoons where wildlife thrives. I lock my bike, grab a burger at the canteen and head for the beach to refuel.

Chanterelles on a trail in Kouchibouguac National Park.

Photo: Darcy Rhyno

On the walk out, I suddenly freeze in my tracks with utter disbelief as a red fox trots up from the beach and onto the boardwalk, passing me on its way to the mainland without so much as a sideways glance. Admiring its boldness (or is the fox just absolutely certain of its own safety in a national park?) I give the fox a nod in recognition that I am a visitor in its territory.

Sharing the boardwalk to Kellys Beach with a wild fox.

Photo: Darcy Rhyno

Back on the bike, I plan my return route to my starting point at the interpretive centre. The route takes me along the coast before heading back through the forest on gravel roads. Just 200 metres into my ride, I stop to read an interpretive sign at a spot that overlooks the barrier islands, when I experience a second close encounter with wildlife. A bald eagle appears from around a tree, gliding at eye level barely three metres in front of me. There’s no time to reach for my phone to snap a photo. There’s barely time to breathe and it’s gone.

Continuing on, I wonder what’s next in the cavalcade of wildlife. For the next six kilometres, I ride the road that hugs the Kouchibouguac River. When I arrive at a fork in the road, I have a choice to make. If I continue on, I can follow the river almost the entire way back to my vehicle. If I turn left, I cut through the forest and ride four kilometres back to the start of the mountain bike trail. The routes are close to the same length and on equally good gravel roads.

As I’m contemplating the last leg of my journey, I look up from the map to see an animal at the edge of the road straight ahead. It’s a black bear, about half grown, grazing on berries. I remember the signs I saw on the creek-side trail. The bear munches, galumphs along to another patch of berries, munches again.

I’m sure it would run off into the woods if I shouted or rode closer, but, remembering the fox and the eagle, I consider who lives here and who is just visiting. Hopping back on the saddle, I turn my bike and head into the forest, leaving the bear to enjoy its lunch. As I ride, I count myself lucky to have scored a third wildlife sighting in a single day, a rare privilege that confirms Kouchibouguac as a wild and satisfying ride.

Interpretative panel, Kouchibouguac Lagoon.

Photo: Darcy Rhyno

Best places in New Brunswick for mountain biking

• Trails in and around Fredericton: tourismfredericton.ca/en/blog/202204/fredericton-a-cyclists-dream

• Mountain bike skills park and Millenium Falcon Trail, Saint John: rockwoodpark.ca/trails

• Sugarloaf Bike Park, Campbellton: parcsugarloafpark.ca/bikepark

• The Pumptrack, Fundy National Park, Alma: pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nb/fundy

• White Rock Recreational Area, Hillsborough: villageofhillsborough.ca/white-rock-recreational-area

• Woolastook, Kingsclear: rivervalleycycling.com/trails/woolastook

• Minto Trail Network, Minto: mtbminto.com

• Madawaska Trails, Edmunston: en.sentiersmadawaska.ca

• Poley Mountain, Sussex: poleymountain.com fork in the road, I have a choice to make. If I continue on, I can follow the river almost the entire way back to my vehicle. If I turn left, I cut through the forest and ride four kilometres back to the start of the mountain bike trail. The routes are close to the same length and on equally good gravel roads.