The Best Family Bike Trails in the Columbia Valley, BC

Everybody needs a happy place and for us, it's the Columbia Valley stretching from Radium Hot Springs to Fairmont Hot Springs. From there we head further south to Kimberley, or north to Golden.

Located across the border in British Columbia, the Towns of Radium Hot Springs and Golden are only 3 hours from Calgary by car and very accessible for a weekend getaway.  Add an extra half hour from Radium, and you are at Fairmont Hot Springs. Take it further for a long weekend and you can also reach Kimberley to the south.

Awesome family mountain biking in the Columbia Valley, BC (Deja View Trail)

Editor's note: this story was first started in 2014 but receives annual updates, additions of new trails, and photo upgrades. It will continue to grow every year.

Most links to go the Trail Forks website where you can see maps and difficulty ratings for each trail along with detailed information on height gain/loss and distance. I highly recommend following these links to learn more about each trail before trying them with your family.

Trails around Radium Hot Springs and Area

The Radium Hot Springs Bike Park and Sinclair Creek Trail

The Radium Pump and Jump is located in Sinclair Creek. You can either just walk/bike down off of Forsters Landing Road or you can drive to the official parking lot and bike along the creek to reach the bike park (and the link above gives directions for both options.)

Playing at the Radium Pump and Jump

We love biking along the Sinclair Creek Trail on our way to/from the bike park. It is a lovely gravel hiking trail, only 1.2 km long (one way,) double track width the whole time, and pretty much flat the entire distance. It's a great trail for novice riders.

Radium Pump and Jump Bike Park

The pump track is a great addition to the town, and combined with a bike ride or hike along Sinclair Creek, makes for a great half day adventure.  (and even adults will have fun playing in the bike park.)

Easy biking along Sinclair Creek, Radium Hot Springs

Pacemaker Trail, Radium Hot Springs

The Pacemaker Trail starts in the Redstreak Campground and is a short little 3 km loop if you ride it together with Pacemaker Return. We discovered this trail after seeing a post on Instagram, and it has become a favourite for short evening rides while camping in Radium.

Pacemaker  Trail, Radium Hot Springs 

The Pacemaker loop is relatively easy, has gentle elevation changes, and poses no real technical challenges. While it is definitely singletrack, it's one of the easier ones in the valley. We loved that it was relatively smooth without a lot of roots or rocks, and I thought it had some good views. There's also a good chance of seeing bighorn sheep on this section.

If you want an easier trip for beginner riders, just do the Pacemaker Return trail out and back. It is rated green on Trail Forks and is much easier than the "blue" Pacemaker Trail (which does have a few twisty turns and steep hills.)

Easy riding on the Pacemaker Return Trail

On the Pacemaker Return Trail you'll be biking through meadows reborn by a prescribed fire. And for a fun challenge, find the "Narnia lamp post" that looks like it's straight out of the "Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." - I have no idea what this lamp post is doing in the middle of the meadow but it's a fun find.

The "Narnia lamp post " on the Pacemaker Return Trail

Redmaker Trail, Radium Hot Springs

There's nothing extraordinary about the Redmaker Trail, but it starts from the E loop at the Redstreak Campground which is where we usually camp. The trail is rated "green" and is a mixture of easy single track, double track, and gravel road. Ride it downhill from the end of E loop (site E5 to be specific,) and either ride all the way to the Radium Resort and Golf Club (my husband picked us up here one time,) or turn around when you get to the bottom of the single track and bike back up to camp.

Easy double track riding on the Redmaker Trail

Usually we just enjoy the fun downhill singletrack section out of the E loop until we get to the old road, and then we turn right to bike back up to our loop through the campground.

Total distance one way if you rode to the golf course is 2.3 km. 

The Redmaker Trail starts from the E5 campsite at Redstreak

Family Biking at Nipika Mountain Resort, near Radium Hot Springs

Spend a weekend or a day at Nipika Mountain Resort just outside Radium Hot Springs and you can bike on 100+ km of singletrack and double track bike and ski trails.  We spent a weekend here in May of 2015 and loved it! Our group of kids biked about 15 km over our two days spent here and had a lot of fun exploring the Natural Bridge and the Canyon Bridge.

For more information and a full trip report, please read my story on our experience:  Kids on Wheels - Nipika Mountain Resort.  

Family Riding at Nipika Mountain Resort

Suggested Bike Loops at Nipika Mountain Resort

First, visit the Trail Forks site to see a map of the Nipika bike trails so you can get a general idea of where I'm sending you on the following suggested loops. All loops below follow the north trails.

Double track easy loop: Starting from the day lodge, follow "Main Street" to the  meadow where you'll find a warming hut and outhouse bathroom. Follow the cross country ski trails from here to the Natural Bridge (there are maps at the day lodge if you want to take one with you, and you'll find a map at every trail intersection as well.)

Cross the natural bridge and continue following the cross country ski trails around until you come to the Canyon Bridge. Cross, and make your way back to the day lodge for a loop that's approximately 10 km in length. Read the full trip report for this loop here: Kids on Wheels - Nipika Mountain Resort

And if you read the story above, I've offered suggestions on how to add some easy singletrack biking to the loop.

Crossing the Natural Bridge on the cross country ski trails

Singletrack easy/intermediate loop: Follow "Main Street" from the day lodge to the first meadow with the warming hut. From Main Street, you can do an optional short out and back ride on "Teen Spirit" to get an idea of what Nipika singletrack looks like. It's only 600 metres long one way and is a fun flowy trail (especially coming back down towards the meadow)

Back at the meadow, follow Dunbar's Trail (easy, flowy, and fun) to the intersection with Cliff Hanger. You'll follow CH for a short distance until you get on the Kootenay River Trail. The river trail is 1.8 km long and relatively flat. It is quite rooty in spots, but it's nothing that a 20" bike can't handle. There's one challenging hill you'll have to push your bikes up, but other than that, it's easy riding and it connects several small beach areas to stop and play at.

Beach area along the Kootenay River Trail

Once you reach the last beach area on the Kootenay River Trail, you'll have to push your bikes up a steep hill (a double track ski trail) to get back towards Main Street. From here you can either follow ski trails back to the day lodge (or be adventurous like us and attempt to bike Chamois Whammy.) Note that Chamois Whammy is very exposed in spots and that a fall could end in the river far below you. My son wasn't scared at all when we just did this in 2017 (age 8) but I walked a lot of it.

This loop is no more than 7 to 8 km in total distance.
Recommended for competent riders with previous mountain biking experience on bikes with at least 20" tires, hand brakes, and gears.

A look at some of the narrow riding along Chamois Whammy at Nipika Mountain Resort

Biking the Old Coach Trail from Dry Gulch to Radium Hot Springs

The Old Coach Trail, an old historic road is one of the nicest family-friendly mountain bike rides in the valley and isn't too long if you set up a vehicle shuttle or send an adult back for the car. The Old Coach Trail is double track the entire time and is 9 km one way.

There's a lovely coffee shop on main street as well near the end of the trail in Radium Hot Springs if you should find yourself waiting around with the kids while another adult is riding back to the trailhead for the vehicle. There's also an ice-cream shop on main street on the other side of the highway.

Biking the Old Coach Trail from Dry Gulch to Radium Hot Springs

We first biked the trail with our son at age 4 and while challenging at that age, he did awesome.  My husband ran along beside him to offer a bit of assistance on the occasional steep hill or loose gravel patch but by age 5 he was doing fine  - and just walked the big hills (of which there are a few.)

Route Directions: 

We prefer to start at Dry Gulch, biking into Radium Hot Springs. This way, most of the ride is gradual downhill until the final climb back up to town at the end. Note that the final hill is over a kilometre long in distance (and quite steep) so bring lots of candy for the end.

Climbing up the final section of the Old Coach Trail to Radium Hot Springs

Deja View (Singletrack Extension to the Old Coach Trail)

This is one of our favourite mountain bike trails in all of the Columbia Valley. It's smooth, flowy, technically easy, and there are no roots or rocks. It's paradise!

From the Old Coach Trail, there are fun singletrack trails off both sides of the gravel road.  You can jump off on to any of the singletrack trails  as you follow the gravel road, but if you are new to mountain biking, you should take the trails on the river side as they are much easier.

Easy singletrack riding on Deja View off the Old Coach Trail

The singletrack trails we ride are collectively referred to as the Deja View Trail and we've ridden all 5 of the loops on the river side. The first and second loops closest to Dry Gulch are especially good for novice mountain bikers, and then each loop gets progressively harder.

Amazing views on the Deja View Trail 

The beauty of the mountain bike loops along Deja View is that you can ride as many as you want for a short out and back ride. Start at Dry Gulch, ride a few loops, and come back on the old road. (It will be up hill the whole way back on the Old Coach Trail so save energy for the return ride!!)

Alternately, ride some of the loops and then continue on the Old Coach Trail to the far trailhead in Radium Hot Springs so that you don't have to backtrack at all. This is what we usually do.

Flowy easy riding on Deja View

Additional direction notes: Make sure you start your ride from the parking lot at Dry Gulch by going through the gate at the far left side of the parking lot. Don't go up the gravel hill. If you go up the gravel hill you will miss the entrance to the first loop. Go through the gate, start following the wide gravel road, and take the first singletrack trail you come to on the left hand side of the road.

Also, the Deja View Trail continues on the right hand side of the Old Coach Trail after you've finished the first 5 loops. Anything on the right side is MUCH harder though and so we've always skipped these sections.

And my best suggestion for "what age do you recommend this trail for?" - Try the first loop. If it's way too hard, stick to the Old Coach Trail. If it goes well, try the second loop. Walk any hills that scare you (or your kids,) and push your bike up any hills that are too steep. The beauty of this trail  is that the hills are never that long and it's a very cruisy, flowy, cross country ride.

Our favourite bike trail in the Columbia Valley

Juniper Heights Trails, near Radium

This is a new area for us that we are just discovering as of 2019 but seriously, look at the Juniper Heights area on Trail Forks - and you'll have enough new trails to explore for the next year!

Riding Looper in Juniper Heights 

There is great variety in the trails here from double track easy climbing trails (rated green,) to flowy swoopy intermediate trails.

Personal favourite loop as of the moment: 

- Park at the parking lot on Juniper Heights Road

- Ride up the road further until you get to High Roller (it's easier to climb on pavement)

- Turn left onto High Roller and follow it around until you get to Cheater (you're going to have to have your phone handy the entire time because there are a LOT of junctions and nothing is signed!!)

- From Cheater, drop down to Looper - which you are going to climb back up to High Roller (and even though you're climbing, this trail needs to be done in the uphill direction for best flow on the downhill sections.) - Alternately just climb Looper from the parking lot, but we found this to be easier for a child who doesn't like tons of climbing.

- Enjoy the best parts of Upper Looper (some crazy downhill flowy sections as you ride up the trail) and end up back at High Roller. Take High Roller back towards the road, but turn on to Simon Says to descend back down to the parking lot. This is a fun trail and it's downhill the whole way back.

For an easier ride:

Consider biking Junior Juniper (a green double track trail) or Quick Release (another green double track trail.)

From the top of either trail you can choose a number of fun trails for your descent (and most of the trails are fairly easy at the bottom, example Lower Looper is awesome.)

Easy riding on Quick Release, Juniper Heights 

Trails around Invermere and Area 

Lillian Lake Trails, near Invermere

5 year old approved!

If you go to the Trail Forks website you'll find a map showing the amazing bike trails at Lillian Lake near Invermere.  The "Junior Johnson" is a double track trail, great for families and beginner riders. It has a couple of steep hills but there are mild elevation changes along most of the trail. And it's very short (a 3 km loop) so you'll only be riding it for an hour or two at most!

Our 5 year old still found the trail to be a challenge when we first rode it but it's one of the easiest trails in the area by far!

The Junior Johnson: Balance bike friendly

The trail would be chariot-friendly too. Just don't take babies that you don't want to be jostled around a bit because it is bumpy in spots.

Once you've mastered the Junior Johnston, the next trails to try are "Let it Flow" and "Filler up." They are rated "green" but are singletrack and quite a bit more difficult than the Junior Johnson.  There are quite a few hills as well and you definitely need gears on the kids' bikes.

Note if you're going to ride "Let it Flow" and "Filler up," check Trail Forks to ensure you're going the right direction. "Filler up" is the climbing trail and "Let it Flow" is the descent trail for the loop. Depending on where you join up with this loop you'll either climb first or descend first.

Once you've mastered all of these trails, you can try sections of "the Johnson" or the "Kloosifier." My husband and son also really love the "Arch Potential Trail," which has a crazy snake-like section in the middle where you wind up and down a gully. (note it is a downhill trail and you need to start from the Johnson parking lot in order to get the best flow on the snake part.)

The Junior Johnson double track trail

Arch Potential - Johnson Intermediate Loop (Lillian Lake)

A great intermediate loop can be made of approximately 8 km, allowing families to try a bunch of trails in the Johnson area without committing to any of the longer ones. This is also a great way of testing to see if the kids are ready for either the Johnson or the Kloosifier Trails.

From the Johnson Parking lot follow the Arch Potential Trail up and down to a junction with the Johnson Trail. Arch Potential has a lot of climbing along with some steep descents. There's also a snake section in the middle where you wind up and down two sides of a gully (which my boys loved!!)

From the end of Arch Potential, turn left onto the Johnson Trail (east along the river bank) heading for the junction with Let it Flow (a green single track trail.) You'll only be on this trail for a short distance until you come to a connector trail leading to the junction with Filler Up. 

Arch Potential Trail near the junction with the Johnson 

Climb "Filler Up" and then descent on "Let it Flow." (It's a loop, but you have to ride it the correct direction.) At the bottom of "Let it Flow," hop on the short connector again until you return to your previous junction with "Filler Up." This time, take the Johnson Trail back to the parking lot.

Note, most people ride this section of the Johnson Trail in the opposite direction when doing the full loop so pay attention to bikers coming towards you and perhaps hop off the trail since you're going against the flow. It's the only way to get back to the parking lot though.

And in case you're wondering what this loop would be like in reverse, Arch Potential is a downhill specific trail and the snake section does not work in the opposite direction. You need to start on Arch Potential from the Johnson parking lot.

In case I totally lost you, refer to the Trail Forks website or app (I highly recommend putting the app on your phone because it's easier to see where the high and low points are for choosing which direction to ride a trail.)

Easy flowy section on "Let it Flow"

The Kloosifier Trail (Lillian Lake)

The Kloosifier Trail is one of our new fav. trails in the Columbia Valley, but my son didn't graduate to this trail until he'd ridden all of the other cross-country trails in this guide! He finally rode this loop at age 10 (and we still walked a lot of hills, both my son and I.)

The full loop is 8.2 km and the trail is amazingly flowy, smooth, and fun. Expect very few roots or rocks, but a few sandy sections if it hasn't rained recently. The trail is much more technical than others like Deja View outside Radium Hot Springs or Teen Spirit in the Fairmont area - both which you should ride FIRST.

Scenic riding on the Kloosifier Trail, Lillian Lake, Invermere

My suggestion is to start with other trails in the valley and work your way up to this one with the kids. It's also not a bad idea to solo ride it first as an adult. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to walk some sections because a few of the hills scared me.

This trail is very beautiful though and I highly recommend it for the views alone.

Flowy fun riding on the Kloosifier Trail, Lillian Lake 

Panorama Mountain Resort Trails, near Invermere

We finally visited Panorama with our bikes and rode two different trails.

Option One: The Paved Valley Trail Loop

The first option here is the Valley Trail, a paved 3.9 km loop. And while it is paved, know that there is some steep climbing from the upper village to the Grey Wolf golf course. Once you leave the golf course, you'll be riding down to the lower village (where you'll have one section of very steep switchbacks.)

The best direction to do this loop is from the Upper Village up to the golf course and then down to the Lower Village. You'll end up at the gondola (which you can ride for free with your bikes back up to the Upper Village.)

I do not recommend riding uphill from the Lower Village to reach the golf course. This would involve biking up the steep switchbacks.

Riding the paved Valley Trail at Panorama Mountain Resort 

The first cabin on the Pacer Trail

Option Two: Hale Hut Ride

For a second option that is more of an easy mountain bike ride (and not paved) you can bike from the Grey Wolf golf course up to the Hale Hut in roughly a 5 km return ride. You'll be riding on winter ski trails.

You'll start on the Pacer Trail, a double track gravel trail, and you'll pass by a small cabin before reaching the junction with the Hale Trail.

The Pacer Trail gains about 100 metres but it is never overly steep. You can always push your bike up any hill that proves to be too difficult. From the junction with the Hale Trail you'll gain another 60 metres or so (in a very short distance.) We pushed our bikes up most of this section (which thank goodness only took about 10 minutes at the most.)

The ride out from the Hale Hut is very fast and you'll be at the final climb back up to the golf course in no time!

Hale Hut (which is open for warming up in on cool days)

Option Three: Combine the Valley Trail and the Hale Hut Trip 

Starting at the Upper Village, bike the Valley Trail until you reach the golf course. Hop onto the Pacer Trail and ride out to the Hale Hut. Return and then finish your ride on the Valley Trail, heading down to the Lower Village. Ride the gondola back up to return to your starting point at the Upper Village.

Total distance here would be roughly 9 km. It is a half day outing and fun for families staying in one of the condos at the resort.

Riding along the Pacer Trail en route to the Hale Hut

During the summer season there is also lift accessed mountain biking at the resort, but the chairlifts weren't running for biking when we were there.

You can see all of the trails at Panorama Mountain Resort on the Trail Forks website.

Biking down from the Hale Hut

The Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail, near Invermere

This is a paved trail in the valley (one of the few) but don't count on a cute little family bike trail. This trail has more steep ups and downs than any other paved trail I've ridden, and you'll get quite the workout!

Paved biking on the Westside Legacy Trail 

The Westside Legacy Trail, or the Markin-MacPhail Trail as it's been recently renamed, will be 25 km in length, once fully completed, and will join the communities of Invermere and Fairmont.

The trail parallels beside and often above The Westside Road that connects Invermere and Fairmont. Westside Road is on the far side of Lake Windermere and you'll have no problems finding the paved bike trail if you start from the Invermere side and just drive until you see the first trailhead. At this point, the trail is right beside the road and easy to spot.

Climbing switchbacks on the Legacy Trail

So far there is 10 km of paved trail completed so you can complete a decent out and back ride. Once the trail is complete, I'd recommend setting up a shuttle and riding one direction with the kids. (and there are big hills in both directions so I'm not sure either direction is easier.)

Follow the progress of this trail on the Legacy Trail website. 

Lots of climbing on this trail!

The SRL Lakeside Trail, near Invermere

If you're already ridden Deja View and Teen Spirit (below under Fairmont,) this should be the next trail you seek out. Together, these are our top three favourite trails in the valley for flowy, easy, smooth, non technical riding.

This one will require a bit of route finding to locate the trailhead as it is not on Trail Forks. You'll also be riding on private land (that is open to biking and hiking) so please be respectful, pack out all garbage, and treat the trails with care.

Gorgeous views of Lake Windermere from the SRL Lakeside Trail 

The easiest way I can guide you here is through this link on Strava. If you are not on Strava, follow the directions below:

1. From Invermere, get on to Westside Road on the far side of Lake Windermere. This road goes all the way towards Fairmont. Follow the road until you see the paved Legacy Trail beside you on your right. Keep driving until you arrive at a big parking lot with a sign that says SRL Property on your right hand side. The parking lot is number one on this map for the Legacy Trail.
   
   
2. You can hop on the Legacy Trail from the parking lot but you want to cross Westside Road to start biking on the far side of the road for the SRL trail. You'll see a singletrack trail heading up into the forest on the opposite side of the road. This is your trail. It is unmarked other than signs saying you are on SRL property. (But it's ok because you are allowed to bike and hike here.)

Once you've found the trail, enjoy a nice smooth flowy 6 km loop that will take you further down Westside Road. From here you have a few choices.

Optional ending 1. Leave the kids and an adult at the end and send a second adult back for the vehicle. It's a short ride back if you take the road but it's uphill most of the way.

Optional ending 2. Cross the road and head further up the road a short distance where you'll see a gate and a single track trail leading off from it. This is the SRL Mountainside Trail. It returns through the forest to the parking lot you started from.

All together with the SRL Lakeside Loop and the Mountainside Trail return, you'll be riding approximately 8 km. You can also hop off the Mountainside Trail onto the paved Legacy Trail for the return ride. 

Trails do not get more beautiful than this! 

Mount Swansea South Park Trail via the South Ridge, near Invermere 

The South Park trail is the only true downhill trail you'll see in this guide (so far.) It's meant to be ridden with a shuttle one-way and while it's rated as an intermediate trail, that is a "Mount Swansea rating" which would place it as an advanced trail anywhere else (especially for families.)

If you have youth who have taken downhill biking lessons or have spent time riding at their local ski resort on lift-accessed terrain, they'll love the South Park trail. By downhill standards it probably is an intermediate trail, and everything can be rolled. There are options for jumps, but you don't have to take them. 

The appeal of the South Park trail is that it is a very flowy machine built trail. It is fast and smooth with many bermed corners. 

Smooth downhill riding on South Park off Mount Swansea 

To access the South Park trail, you first have to drive up the Mount Swansea road to the trailhead for the South Ridge. This is both the first and the second crux. After driving the Swansea road and climbing up the South Ridge Trail, South Park itself will probably feel easy by comparison.

First, the road - to reach the start of the South Ridge Trail I highly recommend a high clearance vehicle. I do see people on this road in AWD cars, but you'll want to be a very skilled driver on badly rutted steep mountain roads. This road terrifies me and I crawl down it every time I have to do a shuttle run.

Second, the climb up the South Ridge - You'll have to climb 118 meters (height) over 903 meters (distance.) My son is a strong rider and he had to push his bike most of the way. If you're the shuttle driver, you might have to hike up to the top of the ridge to help your child/children with their bike(s.) This is what I did. Then I ran back down and drove the truck down to the bottom.

Finally, Make sure your shuttle driver is following Trail Forks on their phone while driving down and knows where to stop to meet up with the group. My boys connected South Park to Hula Girl but my son really didn't like it and found it to be too rough. I recommend just meeting your group at the bottom of South Park.

Note: Kids should be wearing full face helmets and protective padding for this ride. 

The biking trail goes left, the hiking trail goes right from the top of the South Ridge

Trails around Fairmont Hot Springs 

The Spirit Trail, Fairmont Hot Springs

This is an 18 km long double track old road that goes from Fairmont Hot Springs to Canal Flats. I'd been obsessed with this trail for a while now so we finally explored the entire thing in the summer of 2017 (my son aged 8.)

You'll find the trail on Trail Forks. While I recommend doing an out and back from Fairmont, we did the full traverse from Canal Flats to Fairmont (starting high up) and rode approximately 12 km. We set up a vehicle shuttle so that we only had to ride one way, and were able to drive a fairly long section of the trail on the Canal Flats side where there was no gate or barrier (until the trail got too rough and we knew we had to switch to our bikes.)

Riding on the double track Spirit Trail between Canal Flats and Fairmont

Fairmont Trailhead:

If riding from Fairmont as an out and back ride, continue past the big sign for the resort on the highway (coming from Invermere.) Turn left onto Fairmont Creek Road (same side of the road as the resort.)  Take your first right off this road onto Columbia River Road.

Follow Columbia River Road until it turns to gravel and keep going as you follow the river and some cliffs on your left hand side. Drive until you reach the gate for the Nature Conservancy's protected area. There is an official parking lot with bathrooms here.

From here, Ride until you get tired and turned around.  The trail is very gradual with little elevation change.

Easy riding on the Spirit Trail, Fairmont Hot Springs

What to expect from the "mostly double track" Spirit Trail: 

The riding starts on an old road (which we thought we would be following the whole time) and then turns into easy family-friendly singletrack through the trees.

Half a kilometre in to the singletrack bit of trail, you'll reach a section of exposed trail hugging cliffs to your left.  This is where you'll either turn around or you can walk the narrowest parts until the trail opens up again. It's only a kilometre through this section at most until the trail becomes the wide open road again.

And while Trail Forks indicates this trail being double track the whole distance from Fairmont to Canal Flats, we have thoroughly explored it - and can confirm that there is definitely a brief section of singletrack that you can't avoid.

Easy double track riding on the Spirit Trail in Fairmont

Teen Spirit (Singletrack Extension to the Spirit Trail)

  
Teen Spirit is one of our favourite trails in the Columbia Valley. Prerequisite experience for this trail should be riding "Deja View" (mentioned earlier) or other intermediate singletrack trails in the area. Kids will need a 20" bike (or larger) with hand brakes and gears.

We love this trail because it is very similar to our beloved flowy, cruisy, "Deja View" Trail near Invermere. The hills are never very long or sustained, there are no big climbs, and the trail is gloriously smooth. (no roots or rocks.)

The trail is 6.1 km long and you can make a loop with the Spirit Trail for a total distance of 12 km.

From Fairmont, ride the Spirit Trail on the way out and return on Teen Spirit for best flow.

Biking along Teen Spirit above Columbia Lake, Fairmont Hot Springs

To access this trail you have two options:

Easy option for accessing Teen Spirit - Ride the Spirit Trail until you come to the junction with Teen Spirit (which is easy to find if you're following Trail Forks while you ride.) I recommend riding Teen Spirit on the way back to the parking lot for best flow.

Biking above Columbia Lake on Teen Spirit

Intermediate option for accessing Teen Spirit - From the parking lot, climb up Mini Pipe, 400 metres in distance, and you'll be walking. This will put you on to B&B, a lovely but challenging singletrack trail that parallels the Spirit Trail, higher up on the hillside. We found this to be a beautiful trail but there was a lot of climbing.

Scenic riding along the B&B Trail off the Spirit Trail

B&B was much harder than the Spirit Trail and my 8 year old didn't enjoy the climbing on it. You'll have an awesome decent down off of B&B though to the intersection with Teen Spirit - and you'll avoid riding on the boring old road this way.

Biking across a large grassy meadow on the B&B Trail, Fairmont Hot Springs

For an optional end to the ride, return to the parking lot on a Little Bit of Spirit, a short 2 km loop that is pretty much the same as the Teen Spirit Trail in terms of character and difficulty. (note there is a big climb at the end on a loose gravel hiking trail, but we just walk our bikes back up and it only takes 5 minutes to get up to the parking lot.)

If you choose not to return on this trail, you'll have to take the Spirit Trail for the final kilometre or so back to the trailhead once you've finished riding Teen Spirit.

Family riding on Teen Spirit 

Trails around the Town of Golden to the North 

We've only just scratched the surface for what you can ride around the Town of Golden. We spent a weekend in Golden and tried to ride as much as we could, but rain prevented us from exploring more than a couple of good trails.

Below are some of the options that you may want to check out if you're in Golden.

Easy double track riding - Check out the Town Rotary Loop. This 7 km loop is a nice wide gravel trail and it takes you by the Municipal Campground, the outdoor pool, the town pump track and skills park, and the skate park.

Playing on the town pump track located off the Rotary Loop behind the Mount 7 Rec Plex

Easy singletrack riding - Try "Bush Party" in the Mountain Shadows section of trails. It's basically a 2 km long pump track. Expect easy singletrack riding in a figure eight loop, and a great agility course to work on small bumps and roots along with manoeuvering around trees and rocks.

The trail is relatively flat with a few short hills. Awesome for families and definitely balance bike friendly. (full face helmet definitely not needed!)

Easy flat terrain on Bush Party 

Intermediate singletrack riding - We headed to the CBT Trails at a recommendation from Tourism Golden. I drove my husband and son to the top of "The Mighty Quinn" where they then connected to the bottom part of Gold Rush. Then I drove to the bottom and picked them up on Elk Road.

Both trails are downhill only and feature fun flowy berms, jumps, and steep descents. My son LOVED this ride and I would recommend full face helmets for the kids on this one.

It was a very short shuttle and the ride was less than 2 km long. Note with the trailhead for starting the Mighty Quinn, you can drive all the way right up to the starting point off the CBT Mainline Trail. Just go to the Trail Forks map and look for the unnamed road leading in off the Kicking Horse Trail (the road leading up to the ski resort.) 

There is a road that leaves the Kicking Horse Trail (with a gate across it) - and most of the time the gate is open. Proceed past the gate and make your way to the junction with the CBT Mainline Trail and the Mighty Quinn. We drove right up to this junction and were able to start our ride right from the top of the Mighty Quinn.

Descending the Mighty Quinn 

For more trails in the Golden area, please visit the Trail Forks website where you'll find no shortage of trails to try out. I have the Trail Forks app on my phone so we can find trailheads when out traveling (and to make sure we never get lost.)

Reminder to carry bear spray when riding and to make lots of noise!

Trails around Kimberley to the South 

Biking The North Star Rails 2 Trails from Kimberley to Cranbrook

The North Star Rails to Trails path is a converted railway trail,  25km in length, and completely paved.  Start in Kimberley and it is all downhill to Marysville.  From here there is a wee bit of uphill but it is mostly flat to Wycliffe.  From Wycliffe, you will descend and then climb back up from the St. Mary's River Bridge.  Once you finish the climb back up, it is relatively flat again until you reach Cranbrook.

We did this ride on a 30+ degree day in July 2015, and it was hot!  There is very little shade on this trail so bring lots of water or else bike it on a cooler day.  Starting early is also a good idea before it gets too hot.

Biking on the North Star Rails to Trails Path

While it is possible to get a bus ride to Cranbrook to start the ride, you would then have to bike mostly uphill all the way back to Kimberley (less than ideal with kids.)  Easier is to do your own shuttle with friends (stashing a second vehicle in Cranbrook) or else have an adult bike back for the vehicle.

If an adult is biking back, consider parking somewhere around the halfway mark (maybe in Wycliffe) so that you don't have to bike back so far at the end.  My husband parked in Cranbrook and then biked back up the trail to meet us.  This meant that he didn't get to ride the whole trail with us but at least we had our truck at the end.

All trail info. can be found on the North Star Rails to Trails website. 

And I have not covered any of the mountain bike trails around Kimberley yet. The Tourism Kimberley website is your best bet here to discover more trails in this part of the valley.

North Star Rails To Trails

More Biking in the Columbia Valley

For more information on biking in the Columbia Valley, visit Trail Forks for the Columbia Valley and search the various areas to see what trails might be suitable for your family.

Nipika Mountain Resort