The Ultimate BC Bike Park Road Trip Part 1: The West
Having grown up in British Columbia’s Sea to Sky region, I’ve been lucky enough to visit and ride a variety of the bike parks scattered around the province over the years. As I grew up, so did these parks. Bigger and better trails were built, more chairlifts were added, and infrastructure was added to the surrounding areas. That being said, it has been a few years since my last bike park road trip so when the opportunity arose to visit seven of BC’s best bike parks back to back I started plotting a course right away.
Stop 1: Whistler
If you’re going to visit a bike park, you might as well start at the top. Dropping into Top of the World. Photo: Hailey Elise
I’m based in North Vancouver, so the logical first stop was Whistler, which to me is kinda like the Walmart Supercenter of bike parks, and I mean that in the kindest way possible. This place has everything. Whether it’s your first time or your thousandth time going mountain biking, Whistler will have a variety of world-class trails for you to sink your teeth into.
I’m no stranger to Whistler, and so on this trip, I wanted to make a conscious effort to ride the zones and the trails that are slightly off the beaten path. With trails like A-line, Dirt Merchant, and Crank It Up, the Fitzsimmons Zone gets a lot of hype, but there is so much more to ride and explore.
Views for days on Top of the World. Photo: Hailey Elise
For intermediate and advanced riders I’d highly recommend checking out Top of the World. Not only are the views stunning, the trail itself is fun and engaging the whole way down. This is a true alpine lap so make sure you’ve got the arms for the long descent.
The views don’t let up, even lower down the mountain in the Garbanzo Zone. Photo: Hailey Elise
The Garbanzo Zone is well known for its freeride flavour. With trails like Original Sin, Freight Train, In Deep and more sporting a variety of rock rolls, jumps and techy, root-filled sections there is no shortage of terrain and line options.
Grab a buddy and send it down the infamous “Filthy Ape” rock roll if you feel like adding some spice to your day. Photo: Hailey Elise
One of the reasons I love the Garbanzo Zone so much is all the side hits that you can scope and session relatively easily. Features like the Oakley Hip, Filthy Ape and the Freight Train Container have all become iconic at this point and it’s always a fun time adding your name to the list of thousands of riders to have hit these landmark features.
Nothing beats the feeling of going mach 10 into the Oakley Hip. Photo: Hailey Elise
No shortage of hits, including this rock roll to hip on Drop In Clinic. Photo: Hailey Elise
Lunch with a view at the GLC in the Whistler Village. Photo: Hailey Elise
There’s no shortage of places to eat in the Whistler Village. From pizza by the slice to poutine to burgers and everything in between. One of the places I always opt for is the GLC, which is right at the base of the lift. Tons of food options and as a bonus you get a great view of the hill where you can watch other riders huck their meat while you fuel up for the next lap.
It might be the same mountain, but the Creekside Zone feels like a different world. Photo: Hailey Elise
I couldn’t leave Whistler without sampling the newest zone: Creekside. Admittedly, I haven’t spent much time on this side of the mountain so it was awesome to get to know the trails a bit better. Trails like Odessa, Shake and Bake, SpinGnar, and Call Me Maybe offer up a ton of singletrack tech and flow.
Always a pleasure cruising down into the Creekside Village, where the vibes are nice and laid back. Photo: Hailey Elise
The Creekside Zone might have fewer trails than Fitzsimmons, but don’t be fooled, the descents here are long and it’s easy to spend the whole afternoon on just two or three laps.
Apres at Dusty’s is hard to beat. Photo: Hailey Elise
After a successful couple of days in Whistler it was time to move on, but not before one last comfy night at the Evolution Hotel located right in the Creekside Village. With close proximity to the lift, secure bike storage, and all the amenities a dirt bag like me could need it was the ideal spot to spend a couple of days at.
Locked, loaded, and already missing the comfy beds at Evolution. Photo: Jason Lucas
Stop 2: Big White
The next stop on this epic road trip was Big White, located just outside of Kelowna, BC. From Whistler, the drive is about five hours and it will take you through some truly breathtaking landscapes.
Love a good sign. Photo: Hailey Elise
They don’t call it Big White for nothing. The bike park starts at an elevation of 1,750m and goes all the way up to 2,150m meaning you're either in the subalpine or alpine the entire time. The views from the top are nothing short of spectacular and there’s a variety of trails for riders of all abilities to drop into.
Marmot spotting is a great way to pass the time on the lift up. Photo: Hailey Elise
Rock chutes with a view on Rock Hammer. Photo: Hailey Elise
I rode Big White the very first day the park opened and since then it has been incredible to see how much the trails have progressed. The build crew has clearly put in work over the past couple of years and it shows. New corners, jumps and wooden structures have popped up all over the park which has really helped level up the trails as a whole.
Squirts just received a complete makeover before we got there and these berms were primo. Photo: Hailey Elise
Always love seeing more wallrides. Photo: Hailey Elise
If jumps are your thing then trails like Dark Roast, The Joker, and Black Mamba are going to be your go-tos. If you enjoy the tech then Rock Hammer, Hubba Bubba, and Black Slabbath will be your jam. That being said, the laps here aren’t super long, so hitting everything within a day or two is definitely achievable.
Dark Roast has a ton of opportunities for air time. Photo: Hailey Elise
There was fresh dirt all over the park and it didn’t look like the trail crew was showing any signs of slowing down with new trails being flagged while we were there. Photo: Hailey Elise
Fresh dirt? Hell yeah. Photo: Hailey Elise
Solid carb replenish courtesy of The Woods. Photo: Hailey Elise
At the end of the day the Big White Village has a few great spots for Apres including The Woods and Snowshoe Sam’s. The resort as a whole is a busy place in the winter and definitely quieter in the summer months, but with a set of refreshed trails and more on the way I’d expect that to change over the next couple of years. Our time in Big White was short, but sweet and before long it was time to head to the next park.
Some bike love before the next leg of the trip. Photo: Hailey Elise
Stop 3: Sun Peaks
The great thing about these Okanagan bike parks is that once you’re at one of them, you’re never more than a couple of hours from the next. Our next stop was Sun Peaks, just outside of Kamloops. After a beauty drive in the morning we rolled up to the familiar green hills of the Sun Peaks Bike Park.
Don’t be fooled, the Sun Peaks village was bustling by mid-afternoon, but in the mornings it was calm and quiet. Photo: Hailey Elise
Sun Peaks has always been synonymous with two things for me: big jumps and steep tech. With the addition of the Sundance chairlift that accesses an entirely different side of the resort there is even more to ride than ever before.
Stella Blue is a great warmup with jumps of all shapes and sizes. Photo: Hailey Elise
Stella Blue has to be one of my favourite blue jump trails at any bike park. The trail flows so well and the jumps are easy to gauge speed for which makes for a great warm up lap. Once you’re feeling comfy on Stella Blue, you can level up onto Super Nugget and Bad Habit which feature similar jumps, but bigger.
Love a good left hip. Photo: Hailey Elise
Leveling up into Super Nugget. Photo: Hailey Elise
After a few laps dialing in the jump lines on Sundance, it was time to head over to the OG side of Sun Peaks and revisit some classics. I had the opportunity to chase local shredder and Sun Peaks team rider Marcus Cant for a few laps and after dropping in it was immediately apparent that Marcus and I rode this mountain very differently. It sounds cliche, but I think spending an extended period of time at a bike park truly shapes a rider and this was proven by Marcus’ ability to find lines, sneaky side hits and gaps where the average rider would never look.
Blasting down Barn Burner, just trying to keep up. Photo: Hailey Elise
Marcus went 2-3 feet higher on every feature on Canada Line. Photo: Hailey Elise
If you’re into the blue tech and flow then trails like Canada Line, Barn Burner, Spicy Taco and Bermalade are going to treat you well. If you’re wanting to level up beyond those then Steam Shovel, Insanity One, Smitty’s Steeps, Sugar and Sweet One are going to offer up the park’s biggest jumps and steepest descents.
Marcus blasting a tuck no hander at the jump park. Photo: Hailey Elise
Sugar and Sweet One are a bit off the beaten path, but offer a ton of unique features. Photo: Hailey Elise
Before we knew it, our time at Sun Peaks had come to an end and it was time to say goodbye to the steeps and hello to another drive through the Okanagan to our final park in the west.
Stop 4: Silver Star
Outside of Whistler, Silver Star is probably the bike park I’ve been to the most over the years and it holds a special place in my heart. While it doesn’t have the steeps of Sun Peaks, Silver Star is home to some amazing jump lines and unique features you won’t find anywhere else.
The locals here welcomed us with open ar- em… antlers. Photo: Hailey Elise
The Okanagan gets a bad rap for being dry and dusty, but it can be just as lush and green as the Coast. Photo: Hailey Elise
Dropping into the trails I was surprised to see just how much had been tuned up over the past couple of years. Jumps were reshaped, corners buffed, and there were even some new trails to explore.
A skinny on a rubber band. Only in Silver Star. Photo: Hailey Elise
Trails like Double Dog and World Cup are what I love about Silver Star. Crazy wood features like skinnies and massive rollercoasters that lead into warp speed wallrides. This is the only park where you will ride features like these making for a truly unique experience.
For a minute, you might think you’re on the North Shore. Photo: Hailey Elise
Crazy wooden features aside, Silver Star also has a great variety of jump trails including Jedi Mind Trick, Rock Star, and Walk The Line. With jumps ranging from beginner to pro level there is absolutely something for everyone.
Jedi Mind Trick is a great place to start for a little warm up. Photo: Hailey Elise
Walk The Line has some absolutely massive hips on it. Photo: Hailey Elise
Pre-ride, re-ride, and freeride will serve you well here. Photo: Hailey Elise
I tip my hat to Silver Star for always pushing creativity when it comes to trail building. It genuinely makes each visit to this park special and memorable. I, for one, can’t wait to get back and give that dang skinny a few more tries.
That wraps up the first leg of this trip, but we still have three more parks to visit on the eastern side of British Columbia...more to come!
Along the way, I also captured video of this amazing journey. To watch that series, you can click here.