The Raddest Rides in BC - Summer 2012

Too big a question. Define a time period too please as that will dictate how high you can get into alpine.

eg you can rent a RV to go one-way from CGY to YVR.

7 days tho is sweet fuk all for time.

K-Country - Jumpingpound - Cox Hill

Revelstoke - Frisby Ridge; and Keystone Standard

Salmon Arm - Rubberhead

Merritt - Visitor Ctr loops or full Iron Mountain

Chilliwack - Elk-Thurston or Vedder loops

Sunshine Coast when you pull into Vancouver.

I've written about all these places on various assignments from tourism associations - published either on Pinkbike or NSMB. If you're too early in the year then the alpine will be snow-covered. Too late and many of the lower trails will be dustbowls and all of Kamloops and the Interior will be dustbowls. That's why you need to define a date.

Too many trails to list if you decide to stick around Sea-To-Sky area.

Many of the rides listed above can be done with smaller bikes but it depends on skill level too of course.

In the Interior:
1. Canmore. (1 day)
2. Revelstoke (2 to 3 days)
3. Rossland (2 to 3 days)
4. Fernie. (2 days)

Coast: I would go the island and sunshine coast

1. Victoria (super techy. but not a huge amount of trails)
2. Duncan
3. Nanimo
4. Cumberland
5. Campbell river
6 and 7 Sunshine Coast.

OR

1. Squamish
2. Whistler XC
3. Whistler XC (wicked XC riding, really underated)
4. Pemberton
5 and 6. Chilcotins

Here's my recommendation for the coast around September with 7 days. All these loops are anywhere from 3 to 6 hours. If you can read a map then you'll be ok

I'm skipping Vancouver, Fraser Valley and Sunshine coast as 7 days is nothing for time and you'll likely not be able to fit this all in anyway

Squamish

Univercity - Ring Creek FSR - Bobsled (1 loop) - Angry Midget (loop 2) - over to Ring Creek Rip - up Powerhouse Plunge - over to Hoods in the Woods.

Shady Tree - climb Cheekye Fan trails - climb to Cat Lake - Cheshire Cat - Cheshire Kitten - either over to Wonderland and back to Shady Tree --- or ----- climb Debecks' Hill to Crouching Squirrel (easier) or Rigs and Zen (hard) then to Shady Tree. Throw in a climb to Trestle Trail via Lower Jacks then back down Highlands to Shady Tree

Whistler

- Start at Lost Lake - Cut Yer Bars - back over the highway to Emerald Forest - cross over again to Emerald Estates - do Big Kahuna, Anal Intruder and then Section 102 in reverse - ride highway to Kill Me Thrill Me - then over to Young Lust - Comfortably Numb (pull out at BCBR cutout if you are out of light) - for full man points do all of CN

- Start at Village - valley trails to Stonebridge - climb Stonebridge and new climbing Westside route to flank Trail. All these loops can be redone off this same climb; start with Pura Vida (easiest); add in Industrial Disease; Cheap Thrills; AC-DC, Sh it Happens depending on how you feel.

- Start at Village - head to Creekside. Climb to midpoint of Ride Don't Slide. Hike up RDS to Hwy 86. Climb Hwy 86 to Khyber Pass. KPass to Babylon then either Boyds (harder) or Big Timber (easier). If you feel like it head over to West Side and hit another loop.

Pemberton

- Ivy Rd parking lot - climb Happy Trail - Big Nimby - past Microwave Tower - Jack the Ripper then JTR all the way down. I like to do this the man's way and climb all of it (4 hrs). Others will shuttle to Mic Tower. Do what you will

- Ivy Rd parking lot - Happy - Big Nimby - Overnight Sensation - climb to Mosquito Lk - climb to Cream Puff and down. Can repeat climb to Mosquito Lk and do Grumpy Grouse, Meatgrinder etc (inr order of ascending difficulty) Each loop is approx 1.5hrs with first loop 2.5hrs)

- Chain Lakes trail is supposed to be awesome but I never got to it

Near Pemberton

Barbour heli drop - contact Bikeco for this. It used to be on the down low but now looks like they're advertising it. Superior to the much-hyped but too short Rainbow helidrop. 8 hours or so.

Tenquille Lake - I like it as an out and back with hike-a-bike from bottom of Lillooet River Hurley junction. Some will shuttle the Hurley FSR and cut out 1000m of climbing. Barbour heli drop adds about 700m of alpine to Tenquille Lk ride. TLk itself is about 1600m of ascent/descent - starts at 200m and ends at 1800m or so at alpine lake

Chilcotin. - just read up on the articles I've written. Spruce Lake drop is for beginner/intermediates. Warner is longer than Spruce but still purely valley riding. Lorna Lake is more committing but better for those who can read a map

This really should be a sticky as the question gets asked again and again and again and again