Experience Cycling in the Mountain Parks

Just seconds into my descent down Superberm, one of the fastest, flowiest downhill mountain biking trails at Kicking Horse Resort, the exhileration, the fear, and the fun-factor goes off the charts. After hitting a few super-fast berms, I pop off a little jump and feel the wonder of weightless. (A really short, just-inches-off-the-ground flight, but it was a flight nonetheless!). Indeed, ripping down the mountainside on a full suspension bike is speaking to me. I’m definitely listening.

While mountain biking is one of the coolest and craziest things I’ve done in the mountains, I’ve long since realized that it certainly isn’t the only way to enjoy the mountains on two wheels. Far from it. From e-bikes to road bikes, and everything in between, there are tons of great biking adventures to be had in the mountains. And they all have plenty of merit.

Here are four of the best biking excursions that the mountain parks have to offer. Fear not, none of them require mandatory air time. (With the exception of heli-biking, of course!)

Biking the Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail Between Canmore and Banff: Meandering in close proximity to the Trans-Canada Highway, the 22km paved pathway that links Canmore and Banff is a beautiful, family-friendly adventure that cyclists of all abilities can enjoy. While the journey takes approximately two hours to complete, first-timers will want to stop numerous times to soak in the stunning views, linger at the viewpoints, and enjoy a few snacks along the way. Many people make it a full-day, there-and-back adventure, you can also make it a oneway trip and take a shuttle back to either Banff or Canmore. ROAM public transit offers regular shuttles (with your bike) to get you back to your starting point.

The Old Coach Trail in Radium Hot Springs: Traversing high on arid benchlands – with spectacular views of the Columbia Valley Wetlands and the Purcell Mountains – the 9 km outand-back Old Coach Trail between Radium and Dry Gulch makes for an fun family-friendly bike ride. Although you will likely encounter some roots, rocks, and pitchy sections, the gravel trail is rated “green.” Travelled by cars and carriages over a hundred years ago, this trail features spectacular viewpoints and abandoned relics (mainly old cars rusting away in the trees!) of a long-gone era of coach and automobile travel.

Mountain Biking in Golden: True, the downhill single-track trails at Kicking Horse Bike Park are phenomenal! However, Golden is fast-becomming a mountain biking Mecca for all genres of riding. Cross-country enthusiasts have a handful of

areas to explore including Moonrakers (34 trails), Columbia Basin Trust (14 trails), Mountain Shadows (17 trails), and Mount 7 (22 trails). For experienced riders (that don’t mind a little cliff-side exposure!), the 5 km, 515 metre plunge down the Canyon Creek Trail in the Moonrakers network is one of Golden’s signature trails. Bring your “A” game.

Road Cycling the Icefields Parkway: Without a doubt this is one of the world’s most scenic highways. Unfortunately, when you’re going highway speed in a vehicle, you’re going to miss a lot. On a bike, not so much! Want to bike the parkway but don’t quite know how to manage the logistics? No problem. Go with Mountain Madness Tours. They’ve guided thousands of cyclists and have it down to a tee. While the trip between Jasper and Banff usually takes four days, it can be customized depending on your group’s skill and fitness level. Also, if you want to add a trip down to Waterton Lakes National Park (the ride down Alberta’s Cowboy Trail is phenomenal!) or ride all the way back to Calgary or Vancouver, it can be done. All you need is a sense of adventure and some pretty strong legs!

E-Biking in Waterton Lakes National Park: True, Waterton Lakes National Park suffered some significant fire damage in 2017. However, the beauty of this park is still fully intact! Not only that, but one of the region’s most beautiful roads is now closed to cars...but open for hikers and bikers! Yes, this means that the stunning Red Rock Parkway makes for one of the best biking opportunities in the mountain parks. And perhaps the best way to enjoy this scenic stretch of road is via an E-bike, which provides an extra power boost when you really need it. E-bikes (as well as a full fleet of other bikes) are available for rent at Pat’s in downtown Waterton. Even if you don’t make it out to the parkway, just peddaling around the townsite is a memorable activity nearly everyone can do.

Heli-biking in Revelstoke: One would think that if you can heli-ski and heli-hike, then you can surely also heli-bike. And, if you go to Revelstoke, that is correct! The Mount Cartier heli-biking adventure is definitely not for the faint of heart (or the newbie rider!) After your heli-drop near the summit of Mount Cartier, you’re in for a fast, white-knuckle, blackdiamond descent down rocky single-track and aerie ridgelines. It’s steep, it plunges over 7,000 feet, it’s 17 km long, and it will leave you breathless. Your beer at the end will be the best one you’ve ever had. Book your trip with Wandering Wheels, they were the pioneers of this world-renowned adventure. Visit wanderingwheels.ca.

By: Andrew Penner