Mountain Bike Alberta: How to Strike Pay Dirt
Okay, right off the top: in Alberta, you’re in mountain country. You want to go mountain biking? The Canadian Rockies rock. Prefer different terrain? The entire province is a cycling playground, even if your path to personal glory is paved.
You’ve got long and winding mountain roads, challenging switchbacks, heart-stopping downhills and memorable vistas. And that could be just the trip to the trail, depending on how difficult you like your outings. From beginner to advanced to extreme, there are endless opportunities, most of which are easily accessed, to ratchet up your courage or wind down and relax.
The late summer and autumn is a great time to mountain bike in Alberta, because this is a relatively dry time of the year. The rivers that rise in the spring are tamer, giving you more terrain to play in and on. And the biking season usually lasts into October, with moderately cool days that can be perfect for working up a sweat.
In this story, we’ll provide an overview of Alberta’s mountain biking areas and trails, showing some beginner and intermediate and expert runs, along with some great web links to more comprehensive information.
We’ll also look at some tours (from one day to a weekend to a week) and tour operators, and show you where you can rent bikes if you don’t have one – or if you want to step up your suspension for more serious riding.
And because the autumn in the Rockies is also bear season, as grizzlies look for buffalo berries to eat (which can grow alongside trails), we’ll touch on bear and bike safety tips.
Taking It from the Top: Ward Cameron
There’s no one better to provide a view from the tip of the mountain, so to speak, than Ward Cameron, a Canmore-based 
naturalist, author and tour operator.
Some years ago, Cameron went deep into the bush where there were no routes other than the ones he imagined, and he designed the course for the TransRockies Challenge that launched in 2001, threading through Alberta and B.C. It has become a signature mountain bike adventure race in North America, and it’s held in August.
Alberta mountain biking is distinct from other regions because of its huge variety of terrain, says Cameron.
“I like to say we put the mountains back in mountain biking,” he says. “There’s monster downhill and big climbs and classic loops and pretty much everything you would look for in a mountain biking landscape for all skill levels.”
In Cameron’s book Mountain Bike! The Canadian Rockies, (available at Mountain Equipment Co-op), he breaks down trail levels, scenery and outings. He plans to add mountain biking trails on his Mountain Nature website.
Finding Pay Dirt
These areas are recognized as great places to mountain bike in Alberta:
- Canmore and Kananaskis Country (which has a trails report)
- Banff National Park area (guided mountain biking is not permitted on trails within the park)
- Jasper National Park
- Southern Rockies, particularly the Crowsnest Pass area (featuring old mining and logging roads)
- Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park
- Waterton Lakes National Park (Waterton Lakes National Park has four designated mountain bike trails: Snowshoe Fire Road from Red Rock Canyon to Snowshoe Cabin; Akamina Pass; Wishbone Trail from Chief Mountain Highway to Wishbone Landing; and Crandell Loop Trail.)
Of these mountain biking areas, Cameron’s favourite is the recreational playground of Kananaskis Country. It’s less than an hour’s drive west of Calgary. The mountain town of Canmore sits at the edge of Banff National Park and offers a wide range of mountain bike services.
“The nice thing about Kananaskis is that it’s managed under a multiple use mandate, so it embraces mountain biking,” says Cameron. “Whereas in Banff National Park mountain biking is limited. And also because of the multi-use mandate, there are horse trails, where you have rolling landscapes, and you have options to do nice, long loops with classic views.”
One of Cameron’s favourite trails is Jumping Pound Ridge, which he describes as “a classic foothills ride.”
(If you combine this ridge trail with Cox Hill, it provides sweeping views with a lot of uphill, and then stimulating descents, and can be a full day’s trip for intermediate to advanced riders). Cameron advises going south to north to take advantage of that classic descent.
“The foothills are nice because they are a little bit more rolling and they take advantage of the landscape, so you can a lot of the steep uphills,” says Cameron. “Jumping Pound Ridge was part of the original TransRockies Challenge course and when it comes to Rockies riding, it’s one of the most famous rides in the foothills.”
Get a Taste of the Trails
Sites such as Trails.com work with Cameron and other experts to provide short (free) and full (by subscription) views of their trail descriptions. You’ll find trail ratings including beginner, intermediate, advanced and all skills.
Below is a taste of a few trails by Cameron in previews available at Trails.com.
For All Skill Levels:
Snake Indian Falls
This trail is located north of Jasper, beyond the end of Celestine Lake Road. This 48 km out-and-back ride is an excellent trek for both beginners and experts. It follows the beginning of the North Boundary Hiking Trail, a 151 km hiking trail that follows the northern boundary of Jasper National Park. Snake Indian Falls is one of the scenic highlights of this route. The road is wide for its entire length. It trends uphill for the first half, cresting at an elevation of 1,524 metres before dropping to Shalebanks Campground.
For Beginners (and it’s a great family ride):
Ice Caves Fire Road (Kananaskis)
The 1A Highway has been permanently closed to vehicles from the Continental Divide to its eastern terminus on the Lake Louise Road. This closing has created a great family ride along this former roadway. While you roll your way along the route's wide gravel, you'll have periodic views toward Mount St. Piran and Mount Niblock to the left. The real point of this ride, though, is the chance to crest the Continental Divide along a moderately level trail.
For Beginner to Intermediate:
Valley of Five Lakes and Wabasso Lake
The trail is located east of Jasper, Alberta. This trail is an ideal ride for beginner to intermediate cyclists looking for a pleasant gradient with some challenges. The 23 km loop trail can be lengthened by 17 km by continuing on to Wabasso Lake farther south. The trail begins by climbing part of the way to Old Fort Point, one of the most commanding views of the Jasper town site area. You may want to park your bike and make a short detour to enjoy the view.
For Intermediate to Expert:
Canmore Nordic Centre
The Canmore Nordic Center is located above the town of Canmore, approximately 80 km west of Calgary, Alberta. If you're a competitive rider looking for challenge, this is the place for you. As the former host of the cross-country and biathlon events during the 1988 Winter Olympics, it provides an endless collection of trails. Beginning at the day lodge, you have options that vary from about 3 km to 50 km or more. Since the trails are designed to provide loops of differing lengths, you can create almost endless diversity by linking up the various options.
Discover Other Trails
Try a Tour: One Day, a Weekend or a Week
Operators in most regions of the province mentioned above provide mountain biking tours, as well as traditional cycling tours for those who prefer pavement.
While we can’t include all of the options in this article, here’s a sample of a few.
Blue Moose Tours (operating out of Calgary) provides a full-day, guided mountain bike tour in Kananaskis Country, where you can explore the rugged limestone peaks of the Canadian Rockies front ranges. You’ll climb some breathtaking single-track and experience technical trails, and some with small optional stunts. There will be rocks and roots, tight trees and wide open ridges. (Blue Moose also does multi-day tours).
Canusa Cycle Adventure Tours is geared to pavement but you’ll have to book ahead to tour the David Thompson Highway or the Icefields Highway (Banff to Jasper), as these popular trips run about a week and are already booking into 2007. The tours are tailored to families and different skill levels.
The Calgary Outdoor Centre offers tours and clinics (though most are done for the 2006 season); you can get a look at what to expect for next year, if you’re planning that far ahead.
