The Kootenay Rockies region is home to some of the best mountain biking in Canada. Backcountry singletrack trails and crazy freeride terrain, are coupled with chairlift-accessed trails and guided tours, ensuring a memorable experience for all riders, from beginners to experts. Several operators in the area offer equipment (mountain bikes, helmets, and padding) rentals and guided tour packages.
Mountain Bike Tours
Guided mountain bike tours provide access to great terrain, while helping improve individual mountain biking skills. Whether day trips or multi-day journeys, a knowledgeable can maximize your riding time. Had an amazing Kootenay Rockies mountain biking experience? Write a short blog about it!
To learn more about mountain biking trails in the Kootenay Rockies region, click on map list locations or links below:
Mountain Biking Trails in the Kootenay Rockies
Once the snow melts, ski resorts shift into summer mode and riders can enjoy the convenience of chairlift-accessed, well-maintained trails. High quality rental gear (bikes, helmets and padding) and lessons round out of the resort biking experience. Extensive networks of comunity mountain biking trails are also accessible throughout the Kootenay Rockies region.
Fernie Alpine Resort is one of Canada's premier mountain-biking destination resorts.The bike park offers over 100km/62mi of varied terrain for riders of all abilities. 37 runs, accessed via two chairlifts, range from smooth and easy dirt tracks, to rollicking downhill single-track and slalom courses, to wicked steeps and stunts – geared toward beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders respectively. New trails for beginner and intermediate riders were added in 2008. Quality instruction is also available, including specialty women-only clinics, camps for kids ages 7-14, and private lessons. Fernie is also home to the extreme riding Full Throttle Festival, held yearly at the end of August.
The bike park is open daily from June 28 to September 1. Rentals (bikes, helmets, and armour) are available at the mountain, and repair shops are located in town. Helmets are required.
Fernie Alpine Resort is a 1hr drive from the Canadian Rockies International Airport in Cranbrook, BC, or a 3.5hr drive from Calgary, Alberta. A variety of shuttle services connects the resort to the city of Fernie.
Panorama Mountain Village is a well-rounded bike park, with 15 authentic mountain trails covering kilometres (miles) of varied terrain. The park caters to riders of all ability levels, offering smooth easy berms for beginners, and stunt-filled steeps and high-speed single-track to challenge the pros. Make sure to check out the drop park, trials park, and dirt jump park. Panorama Bike Park is open daily from June - August. Helmets are mandatory while in the park, and body armour is recommended. Rentals are available at the base of the mountain. Panorama is just a 15-minute drive from Invermere, or a 1.5 hr drive from the Canadian Rockies International Airport (Cranbrook).
The Kicking Horse bike park has 27 exceptional mountain-biking trails that attract beginner to expert riders. The park boasts 1,128m/3,700ft of heart-pounding vertical - one of the longest chairlift-accessed descents in North America. Check out the breathtaking scenery on a gondola ride to the top of the trail. The eight black-diamond trails are challenging and steep, designed for freewheeling speed. Novice riders can build confidence along manicured trails protected by large berms. The dirt jump park has progressive tabletops and step-ups. All trails are packed dirt and gravel with some featuring North Shore style wood stunts.
Kicking Horse Bike Park is open from mid-June to mid-October (weather dependent). Rentals and repairs are available at the mountain. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is located 15min north of Golden, 3hrs west of Calgary, Alberta, and 1hr west of Lake Louise.
Nelson is a prime mountain biking destination in British Columbia, often used as a location for mountain bike movies. There are five main trail systems in Nelson: Mountain Station, an extreme trail system very close to town; North Shore, a system known for epic downhills; Svoboda Road Trails, in West Arm Provincial Park, with grinding uphills and awesome single-track; Blewett/Giveout Creek, characterized by steeps, roots, stunts, and some seriously rocky sections; and Baldface Drainage, with its new trails and long descents. Pick up a trail map at any local bike shop. Nelson is 7–8hrs east of Vancouver and southwest of Calgary. It is also just 3hrs from Spokane, Washington. Biking season runs from late April to early October.
Golden, surrounded by six national parks, offers three main trail systems: Dawn Mountain Nordic Ski Trails, with many beginner loops and magnificent views; Moonraker, where trails range from easy-to-moderate; and Mount 7, a moderate-to-difficult system with several very steep trails. Enjoy jaw-dropping mountain and canyon views just about everywhere. Golden's top mountain biking event is Psychosis (July), "the world's most demented mountain bike race." Fast and furious, it is 1,220m/4,000ft straight down to the finish line.
Golden is a 3hr drive west of Calgary Airport, and a 1hr drive west of Lake Louise on the Trans Canada Highway. Biking season generally starts in May and continues until October.
Revelstoke sits between two magnificent mountain ranges: the Monashees and the Selkirks. Mountain bike trails in the area vary from family-friendly excursions through the community's "Greenbelt," to extreme descents from altitudes of more than 2,134m /7,000ft. For a relaxing cycle, catch a ride to the summit of the Meadows-in-the-Sky Parkway, and coast the 26km/16mi down, taking in the incredible scenery of Mount Revelstoke National Park. Or for a greater challenge, check out the wide variety of trails available at Mount MacPherson or Boulder Mountain.
Revelstoke is 6hrs northeast of Vancouver, and 4.5hrs west of Calgary. The best time for mountain biking is late April to early October.
Rossland is the self-proclaimed "mountain bike capital of Canada," and one of one of North America's "10 Great Adventure Towns to Live and Play," according to National Geographic magazine. Seven Summits trail, declared an "Epic Ride" in 2007, by the International Mountain Biking Association, is the most famous trail in Rossland. However, there are also hundreds of kilometres (miles) of old wagon roads, rail grades, and mining pack trails, suited to easier riding. Rossland trails range from wide, gently sloping rail trails to terrifyingly tight-and-twisty single-track. Trail maps are available from the local bike shops.
Rossland is located 3hrs north of Spokane, WA, 3.5 hrs east of Kelowna, and 1hr southwest of Nelson. The biking season generally starts in April and ends sometime in October or November, depending on the weather.
The Great Northern Rail Trail is built on the beds of two abandoned rail lines, originally constructed between 1891 - 1893 to transport silver from a mine on Toad Mountain. This multi-use trail (Easy) runs through rugged, mountainous terrain at a grade never exceeding 2.4%, passes over bridges, pile trestles, frame trestles, and an S-curve frame trestle. The southern end of the trail runs along the Salmo River, climbing gently through the Salmo River Valley for 30km/19mi, until it reaching Apex. From there the 18km/11mi descent is slightly steeper until ending at Troup, on the edge of Kootenay Lake. The descending portion of the trail passes Cottonwood Lake Regional Park, pathways into the city of Nelson, and old rail beds that lead to sandy beaches. The trail is well marked with signs posted every 2km/1.2mi along its entire length.
Salmo is located at the junction of Hwy 3 and 6, approximately 30min from the communities of Castlegar, Nelson, and Trail. The gravel trail is open year round, but conditions are best from May through October. The full trail takes about a day (each way).
The Slocan Valley Rail Trail (Easy) is built on the bed of an 1897 rail line, originally used to transport ore from the Kootenays. Winding through the Slocan Valley, the trail encompasses an environmentally sensitive habitat area, which sustains many animal species. The northern end of the trail begins in Slocan City and ends in Slocan Junction, running along the incredibly beautiful Slocan River much of the way.
Slocan is a 20min drive south from New Denver, via Hwy 6. The gravel trail is open year round, but certain sections are covered in ungroomed snow during winter. It takes about a day (each way).
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