A quiet retreat in a the fabulous Canadian Rockies playground!
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In and around the Banff townsite, there are great singletrack mountain biking trails that can be linked up for several hours of excellent riding on well-drained terrain. Varies from simple to black diamond. You can check out Parks Canada's webpage, or Bike Pirate for more info:
Check out this 7 minute video created last Sunday (August 23 2015) : https://youtu.be/AqbPxrntROA
It's summer, and for a relatively short trip, Invermere in the Columbia Valley (BC), is a nice place to find some warmer sunny weather. Driving time from Grandview Chalet B&B in Canmore is less than 2 hours, and a gorgeous drive through Banff and Kootenay National Parks. You pop out of the national park at Radium Hot Springs, where there are lots of camping areas where there aren't golf courses. Invermere is just down the highway on Lake Windermere, which is a popular boating destination.
We opted to mountain bike at Lillian Lake, on the road to the Panarama Ski Area. There are a couple of great singletrack routes created by the Columbia Valley Cycling Society. We opted for the The Johnson, which is a smooth xc route winding and weaving over to the Toby Creek Canyon. It really has some nice flowing fun stuff that drains really well, and gives you awesome views of the canyon. A few places require some attention, lest you drop off a sizeable cliff into the whitewater below, but most people do just fine.
We also dropped our kayaks into the Columbia River, on the downstream side of Lake Windermere, into wetlands with lots of osprey and bald eagles, and again at Radium, where we paddled upstream for several kilometers before drifting back to the car. Very mellow! Nice way to spend hot August days!
Took a few days off with the boys to try out the great trails at Revelstoke, BC - some 3 hours west of Canmore, AB. There are numerous trails right out of the town, but first I wanted to try out Keystone. Located 32 km north of Revy, along a beautiful road, you then drive 18 km up a logging road - some 1000m of elevation gain! By then, the scenery is already spectacular!
The trail climbs steeply for the first km or so, then levels off onto rideable singletrack into the alpine. There is a short descent, and then more climbing around a ridge - finally dropping down to a small lake and cabin. The singletrack is fairly smooth, and sometimes along some cool sidecuts. Overall, a challenging trail with vistas to keep you stopping and looking! The horseflies were somewhat annoying - keep riding!!
Next day we did Frisbee Ridge - about 6 km north of town, and 8 km up another logging road. Ask the local bike shop for a map and directions. Frisbee is a long steady climb for a long ways - once again into amazing alpine terrain. The descent is a blast! and long!!
Great place to visit! And the town is great.
