The Ultimate BC Bike Park Road Trip Part 2: The East
After a whirlwind leg through the Sea to Sky and the Thompson Okanagan, which included Whistler, Big White, SilverStar, and Sun Peaks, we’re pushing further East. While Part 1 featured the iconic hits and buffed berms of the West, Part 2 sets its sights on the Kootenays and the Rockies. From Revelstoke’s massive vertical descents to the technical woodwork at Kicking Horse and the loamy "brown pow" of Fernie, these final stops showcase the wilder side of BC’s bike park scene.
Stop 5: Revelstoke
At this point, we’ve been on the road for over a week and ridden dozens of bike park laps, yet somehow the energy was as high as ever. There’s something special about driving through this part of the province. The mountains get bigger, the terrain gets more rugged, and you’re bound to see wildlife all over. The first stop of this leg of the trip was Revelstoke Mountain Resort, a park I have had very limited time at so I was stoked to explore more of the terrain.
The very top, it’s all downhill from here. Photo: Hailey Elise
The scale of Revelstoke Mountain Resort is immense. A lap from the top of the gondola is 1,200m of descending, but if you’ve got the legs for it, you can climb all the way up 2,200m for an extra 700m of descending on the blue flow trail 5620.
In early August the alpine flowers were still popping. Photo: Hailey Elise
Views for days up here. Photo: Hailey Elise
Dropping into 5620 is truly a surreal experience. You’re way up in the alpine, but you have an absolutely buffed blue jump and flow trail ahead of you. The descent is equal parts fun and beautiful and will take you all the way down to where the rest of the trails lie.
The fun doesn’t stop on lower 5620. Photo: Hailey Elise
Dropping in on Fish Bonker. Photo: Hailey Elise
In the meat and potatoes of the park, you’re going to find Lower 5620 and Bagful of Boogie, both of which are great options if you need to get warmed up or just want to rip a lap of blue flow. If you’re looking to level up, look no further than Fish Bonker–a trail that features a ton of line choice down steep, natural sections of trail with a few features thrown in.
Doomsday is one of those trails that never gets old. Hits galore. Photo: Hailey Elise
If you’re the jumping type then you absolutely need to ride Doomsday and End Game. The trail builders have done something special here and each jump works so well with speeds being easy to gauge the whole way down. Some of the jumps feature steeper than average lips and landings, a rare thing to find in a bike park, but they are so well built that it works and gives you the opportunity to pop for more air.
This set of jumps on End Game is a great spot for a session. Photo: Hailey Elise
If you’re looking for apres after smashing laps all day then look no further than the Revelstoke Mountain Resort village. Paces like the Rockford and the Mackenzie Common Tavern offer a ton of different food options to replenish some of those calories.
Colourful AND delicious food at the Rockford. Photo: Hailey Elise
All too soon it was time to leave Revelstoke and make our way further east and through the Monashee Mountains to our next destination.
Quick spray before hitting the road again. Photo: Hailey Elise
Stop 6: Kicking Horse
It may look far on a map, but the town of Golden is a short two and a half hour drive from Revelstoke. Even though it is relatively close, Golden, and subsequently, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, feel like an entirely different world. Nestled in between the Monashees and the Rockies, Kicking Horse is home to some absolutely epic terrain.
Coffee with a view. Photo: Hailey Elise
Even the commute to the trails is epic. Photo: Hailey Elise
Unfortunately, during our time in Kicking Horse, the main gondola was undergoing repairs, which meant we needed to stick to the lower portion of the mountain. Luckily, there were still a bunch of trails for us to check out, and this being my first time in Kicking Horse meant I was keen to hit them all.
Dropping into Swamp Donkey after a fresh makeover. Photo: Hailey Elise
Every corner was full of fresh dirt. Photo: Hailey Elise
The first hit of the day had to be Swamp Donkey, which just received a full redo. New jumps and buff corners made for an awesome warm up. Everything here is rollable and I’d recommend taking a feeler lap before pressing send as there are some sneaky hips in there.
It’s easy to feel small out here. Photo: Hailey Elise
It was soon time to make our way over to what Kicking Horse is known for: the tech and the rock features. Trails like Stickrock, Pioneer and Rock & Roll will push even advanced riders with steep rock slabs and technical wood features.
Wood you jump it? Photo: Hailey Elise
Stickrock is a work of art. Photo: Hailey Elise
It’s easy to see why so many POV videos of the Kicking Horse trails go viral–they are so unique and visually stunning. You won’t find the woodwork of Stickrock anywhere else, and similarly, the scale of the slab on Rock & Roll is mind-blowing.
Slabs for days on Pioneer. Photo: Hailey Elise
From rock to dirt on Pioneer. Photo: Hailey Elise
It was mid-August by this point but we still had cool temps and hero dirt. Photo: Hailey Elise
I left Kicking Horse wanting more, in a good way. I had a blast on all the lower trails, and for that, the trip was worth it. But I know there’s more up there, and now that the gondola is once again running, I can’t wait to get back for more.
Stop 7: Fernie
All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, it was time for the last stop, Fernie Alpine Resort. It was a bittersweet feeling as the trip was winding down, but Fernie is a place I have never been to, and so I was frothing to hit some new trails.
The scale of this place is insane. Photo: Hailey Elise
Fernie Alpine Resort offers two zones with very different flavours of trail: the Elk Chair and the Timber Chair. Make sure to check the operating hours of the lifts online as they don’t always run both everyday and I’d highly recommend riding both if possible.
Party trains all day. Photo: Hailey Elise
I had the pleasure of following two local rippers, Isaac and Dre, who were kind enough to give me a lay of the land. We started on the Elk Chair, which is home to a variety of trails that vary in difficulty from mellow to insanely steep. In fact, a couple of trails were closed while we were there due to recent rains and being too dangerous to ride when that wet.
Isaac showing us how it’s done on Will Power. Photo: Hailey Elise
My favourite trails of the day were Will Power, Case Closed and Rubber Ducky, although honestly, it’s hard to go wrong here. The trails almost have a “local shuttle lap” feel, and I mean that in a good way. Barely any brake bumps, tons of line choice, and soft dirt to be found everywhere.
Trying to keep up with Dre. Photo: Hailey Elise
Roostable corners everywhere. Photo: Hailey Elise
Boy lunch. Photo: Hailey Elise
Heading over to the Timber Chair was a totally different experience. The trails on this side feel much more “big mountain” with raw, natural lines all over.
Rugged, steep, and fun as heck. Photo: Hailey Elise
Isaac sampling some fresh brown pow on Detcord. Photo: Hailey Elise
Trail highlights on this side included Rumplestumpskin, Detcord, TNT and Communication Breakdown. From steep, fresh loam to big jumps and features the Timber Chair definitely caters to intermediate and advanced riders.
So pitted. Photo: Hailey Elise
Tight trains on Communication Breakdown. Photo: Hailey Elise
An iconic final feature down to the village. Photo: Hailey Elise
Two weeks, seven bike parks, dozens of laps and good times. I am so lucky to live in a place with so many incredible bike parks. One thing I learned on this trip was that no two parks are the same, and combining multiple parks into one trip is a great way to get a ton of diverse riding in a short period of time. If you get a chance, definitely hit up one, two or even all seven of these parks; you won’t be disappointed.
Along the way, I also captured video of this amazing journey. To watch that series, you can click here.
If you missed Part 1: The West, be sure to check it out here.