Sampling Some Kootenay Dirt: A Road Trip in the East Koots with Mark Matthews
The East Kootenays are a place that feel like they should be a bigger tourist destination than they are. Set in the valleys of the Purcell and Rocky Mountain ranges, with the mighty Columbia River at the heart of the region, the views are epic everywhere you look and the riding is equally as epic. The region has everything you want out of a mountain biking trip without the crowds: world-class trails, good food, unique mountain culture, and welcoming communities. In June 2026, Mark Matthews and I visited four towns within the East Kootenays to sample some of the riding and get a taste of what the communities have to offer!
Golden
Golden is best known as a mountain bike destination for the massive top-to-bottom laps off Mount 7, the venue for the iconic Psychosis downhill race. The track starts with a trail called Dead Dog, which has a 35-degree scree shoot that drops off the summit with epic views of the Columbia Valley. While the steep drops of Mount 7 might be what the destination is largely known for, there is a lot to offer for the average rider who isn’t interested in throwing their body down a steep mountainside. Along with a host of approachable trails, the combo of good eats, a cycling-friendly downtown core, and a variety of places to stay makes Golden a gem for any rider looking for a rad vacation!
What We Rode:
Our time riding in Golden started on the Reflection Lake climb trail from which we dropped into Roller Coaster and then traversed on Tail Gate Alt to ride down Snake Hill. Both these trails feature gullies, nice berms, and some fun hits with easy ride arounds. After that, we pedaled back up the same climb trail and rode Extra Credit, a cool blue trail with optional black hits. This was the perfect trail for someone who is looking to progress from that blue to black level; all the larger optional hits had friendly room to case or go deep on the landings, making them fun for any riding level.
We spent the following day shuttling Mount 7, where we put in about 170km on the truck. Mark did several top-to-bottom laps of the mountain while filming with local rider Ruben Salzgeber for a vlog highlighting the area.
Access:
The lower Mount 7/Mount Shadows area is best accessed by climbing the Reflection Lake trail. Riding in this area is the best option for intermediate riders looking for a fun day riding bikes.
For those wanting to access the top of Mount 7, you can climb via Schacher, a two-way blue trail, or shuttle up to the top. The shuttle road is rough and bumpy and narrow in places with steep banks off the side – a 4x4 high clearance vehicle and a confident driver are recommended. That being said, for advanced riders, shuttling is the best way to get the most out of the mountain!
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at the Prestige Golden Hotel. The hotel is located along Highway 1, a short drive into town. The rooms were comfortable and clean, and they let us bring our bikes into the room.
What We Ate:
We arrived in town in the afternoon and had snacks for lunch. Then the trails were so fun we ended up riding so late that all the restaurants were closed and we had to resort to hitting our snack stockpile for dinner. For breakfast on day two we hit Ethos; the food was very tasty and the coffee was good too. We got lunch at Reposados, a Mexican place with delicious street tacos. On day two we made sure to get off the mountain early enough and hit up the Raven + Pine Mountain Eatery inside the Prestige hotel for dinner.
Invermere
Invermere is a small town nestled in the Columbia Valley which lays between the Purcell Range and the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Invermere’s downtown has a cool mountain town vibe and the riding scene is rich with multiple options between the bikepark at Panorma, Toby Creek adventures, and two public networks. We started our time in the area with a bit of a rest day and took the afternoon after arriving in town to go for a soak at Radium Hot Springs. The following day we spent at Mount Swansea being guided by Lorraine Blancher who showed us a good sample of what the network had to offer: techy rock lines, a black jump line, drops, and a signature blue trail with epic views of the valley.
What We Rode:
The first trail we rode was called Washed up, a rad black machine-built jump line with large tables and big berms. We went on to ride Hula Girl, a blue tech trail with a mix of rocks, jumps, and drops, and sections where you could let go of the breaks. We took a little detour off Hula Girl to ride Meat Grinder, a black tech trail that goes through a narrow canyon with a bit of a rock garden in it.
After lunch we rolled back to Swansea to head to the top of the mountain for a lap down South Park. South Park is a super fun blue trail with fun berms, fast chunk, long straight stretches, and amazing views of the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Columbia Valley to the West.
Access:
We spent our time at Swansea shuttling; the road was in pretty good condition and is accessible by any 4-wheel-drive truck or AWD vehicle with a bit of clearance. To ride South Park off the top, there is a short but punchy mandatory climb. The views are fully worth it! All the trails are also accessible by climbing up Swansea Trail.
Where We Stayed:
We stayed at Prestige Radium Hot Springs Resort, which is located a 17-minute drive from the Mount Swansea parking lot and a short 5-minute drive from the Radium Hot Springs. Our rooms had sweet views of the surrounding mountains, room to store the bike, and were clean and comfortable!
What We Ate:
For food we ate at Goat St Restaurant both nights for dinner. The menu had a ton of different options; I had the Pad Thai. For lunch, we had sandwiches from Stolen Church in Invermere, which also had a good selection of baked goods and ice cream! For breakfast on our final day we ate at Conrad Kain’s Kitchen inside the Prestige Hotel and the food there was 10/10!
Cranbrook
Cranbrook is the biggest town in the East Kootenays but still has a small-town feel. With beautiful lakes surrounding the area and a charming downtown, there is lots to enjoy on and off the bike.
The Cranbrook Community Forest is a low-key mountain biking gem. From fun berms, unique slabs, and hits to XC trails through grasslands with epic views of the Steeples – a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies – there is a bit of fun for everyone in the Cranbrook Community Forest. Overall, the riding leans towards being a bit tamer than its neighboring Kootenay communities making it a good spot for beginner and intermediate riders who want a ton of options for different trails.
What We Rode:
After climbing up Pilsit and Larry, we started our descent on Stunty, a black trail that starts with some panoramic views of town and has great rock slabs, fun bits of woodwork, and jumps and drops along the way. From the bottom of Stunty, we pedaled over to Green Chicken, another trail full of features, notably a cool banked rock slab and a rad wooden whale tail.
Later in the day we drove to another parking lot and rode R2DTour, a blue XC trail that travels through open grasslands and offers epic views of the Steeples Range and Fisher Peak.
Access:
There are multiple different parking lots where you can access the trails, but all trails are pedal access. There is no shuttling in the Cranbrook Community Forest.
Where We Stayed:
While in Cranbrook we stayed at the Prestige Cranbrook Hotel, located conveniently close to the bike trails – only a four-minute drive to the parking lot we used to access Stunty and Green Chicken. The rooms were great and the food was delicious. While we didn’t have time to hit the pool, it looked like it had the best waterslide out of anywhere we visited.
What We Ate:
We ate all our meals at the Modern Olive inside the Prestige Hotel and the food was amazing. For dinner I had a Souvlaki Bowl, and for breakfast I had “The Greek” eggs benedict.
Fernie
Fernie is a small town in the heart of the Rocky Mountains that is big on biking. From wherever you are staying in town you can ride straight from your accommodations to the trail and from the trail to a spot to eat. Everywhere we looked in town there were people on bikes. With a bike park at the resort and public trails that reach up every mountainside surrounding the town, there was a seemingly endless amount of riding to enjoy. In our two days there we barely scratched the surface. The trails we did ride were great and the experience of riding them is made even better by the amazing views. Everywhere you looked the horizon was stacked with jagged snow-capped mountain peaks.
What We Rode:
On our first evening in town we went to an area called The Flow Zone and rode Contra, a black machine-built flow trail that starts off with a little “squirrel catcher” drop that leads into a wooden whale tail which is followed by an endless number of fun tables and big berms. There is also a blue flow trail called Trail Dogs that runs parallel to Contra for those who aren’t ready to step up to the black line.
The following day we went to check out another zone in the Morrissey Ridge network. I started the day shuttling Mark and local trail builder Nik Dunn while they rode Three Kings and 48-hours for a vlog that Mark was making highlighting the area. In the afternoon after Nik had to go back to work, we tried shooting some photos of Mark riding the big jump line on Dopamine. We went back up to 48-hours at sunset and shot some photos of Mark riding the mix of steep sections, cool berms, and medium-sized jumps.
Access:
The Flow Zone can be shuttled up a fairly smooth road but also has a great green climbing trail called Up Dog. As we learned from our friend Nik, most locals don’t even drive to the trailhead because it’s easier to just pedal from home.
The trails we rode on Morrissey Ridge do not have a climb trail that I am aware of, so if you’re looking to climb, I reckon the shuttle road is the best option. For those looking to shuttle we recommend a capable four-wheel-drive vehicle with good clearance. The road looked to have been fairly rain-affected and had some large ditches and rain ruts.
Where We Stayed:
On this stop of our trip we had originally planned to camp at the Coal Creek Camp & RV campground but made a last-minute change of mind due to the rain in the forecast during our visit. Instead we stayed at the Powder Mountain Lodge, a motel in downtown Fernie which was the cheapest spot in town. If you’re looking to save some money on your trip another option would be the Raging Elk Adventure Lodge. That being said, if it’s in the budget there are plenty of higher end hotels in town that will offer more comfort and amenities.
What We Ate:
For food we made multiple visits to Big Bang Bagels, a cool spot on the historic downtown strip with too many bagel sandwich options to count. It kept us coming back for more. We also had breakfast at Mugshots Cafe, which had tasty wraps, baked goods, and coffee. A great grab and go option to get you on the trail.
Planning your trip
If you’re looking to send it on your own trip to the East Kootenay region we recommend you start by checking Kootenay Dirt for more info.
Wherever you go, it is always important to support the local cycling community who invest countless volunteer hours to build and maintain the trails that we love to ride. The best way you can do this is by purchasing a membership which not only provides the club with a bit of cash, but also helps them when applying for the grants that they truly rely on to keep the trails running.