Trail Guide - Revelstoke

Ben Gerrish heads to BC to check out the legendary trail network of Revelstoke to see if the rumours are true. Big mountains, awesome trails and a community of like-minded mountain bikers makes for a superb destination to explore.

While the champagne powder and epic backcountry may draw the winter crowd, it’s the seemingly endless trails, local legends and inspiring mountain bike scene that make Revelstoke, British Columbia, the stuff of legends. 

You’ll find Revelstoke situated on the banks of the Columbia River in the South East of BC, close (in Canadian terms, as the scales there are pretty huge) to the border with Alberta. To get there, you’re going to have to rent a car and drive, roughly 7 hours from either Calgary to the East or Vancouver to the West, alternatively there are a handful of internal flights to Kelowna with a shorter 200km transfer. There is currently a Greyhound bus available from Vancouver Central, but there is a chance that this will have been withdrawn at the time of this going being released. Now, this all sounds like a pretty drawn out journey, especially considering you may well have just dropped into Canada off a long haul flight, but that's all part of the charm of Revvy.

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The easier and more well-travelled path for the avid mountain biker is to hop on a readily available, short transfer from Vancouver Airport to the mountain bike Mecca that is Whistler. You can then take in other such classics as Vancouver's North Shore, a ferry out to The Island, home of the Stevie Smith Memorial park, and the epic trail networks of Squamish. All this is available on the way, but to travel the extra mile (or 500) is a longer but rewarding experience!

Revelstoke is a unique and charming place from the off, and once you delve deeper, I assure you, it’s going to be hard to leave. I guess the challenge to get there is possibly part of that; it’s far enough out, that you don’t have the massive influx of visitors that some other areas get.  It retains that small town vibe but definitely has a big personality. The town sits along the side of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the colossal trains can be heard thundering through town all day, occasionally causing a temporary/rolling barrier between the main town and the Eastern “CP” woods, where some of the shorter, old school trails remain nestled. The town has no shortage of coffee shops, quality b14ars and great places to eat and also has a thriving bike shop scene that handily turns its attention to skis and boards in the winter months.

While the town itself is small, the associated trail network is pretty huge with a solid variety of riding. From the newly built “Miller Time” adaptive trail on Macpherson to the Black trail descending from the top of Mount Cartier, everything is built and maintained by local trail groups, something that only serves to strengthen the community.

The community itself is as diverse as it comes. One ride you’re witnessing 10-year-old groms hitting lines that would put many an experienced rider to shame, the next some old boy has just cruised passed on a fire road without breaking a sweat while you mutter and pant your way onwards. Something else that stood out as a welcome break from the norm was a close to 50:50 split of male to female riders, all jostling for their place in the pack, something I noticed a lot across most of BC too.

A large part of community strength seems to be the group rides, and there are a number of rides going out from the shops. The most well attended and infamous of the Revelstoke scene are Thursday nights “Pedal and Pint” rides, run by local legend Brent Strand. Every week offers a different ride, with a consistent quality of routes; mid-ride viewpoint beers and the inevitable table full of nachos and pitchers till late in the night at the River City Pub in the alley behind Skookum Bike shop… what’s not to love?  This not only serves as a great get together for the local rippers but also provides, as we found, a great foot in the door to the scene as we were welcomed with open arms and assured we had to come back for more.

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Macpherson is on the other side of the Columbia River, under the shadow of Mount Macpherson and is only a short ride from town, although there are a number of car parks at the trails heads, for those who wish to save all their leg power for the trails. It hosts a massive selection of trails from family-friendly greens like Miller Time and Beaver Tail right on to some more involved Black routes, with a progressive selection in between. Some trails were taking you right down to the river's edge, while others twist and work their way through the woods.

While we navigated our way around the vast array of perfectly shaped and groomed trails, I can genuinely say we never came across a trail I didn’t like and wouldn't ride again at a moments notice. A Macpherson staple, Flowdown, makes you feel like a hero on the bike as you fall into a collection of lefts, rights and rolling straights, only ruined by the fact that at some point it comes to an end, but it’s always worth another climb up the hill to go again! Even Trails like Root Canal, a trail strewn with sniper roots and nadgery sections leave you feeling worked, but accomplished. There is most definitely something for everyone at Macpherson, well signed and in such a compact area, it really is a treat.  Something of note, is that the trails here are often two way, so you may well have some head on encounters on your travels, these trails are signed as such, and they are built so as to allow passing, but it’s always good to be aware.

A short trip to the north of Macpherson sees you among some more man-made trails, most famously Logging Leftovers, which you may have seen shredded by the likes of Garett Buehler in previous online 'shredits'.

There’s a warren of lower level trails right on the doorstep around 'Revvy' itself, sandwiched between the town and the Trans Canada Highway are a selection of short runs, ad-hoc dirt jumps and sweet flat out cycle paths. Maybe not enough for a big day out on the bike but a great blast if you have a few hours to kill or just want a quick buzz.

As I mentioned, there is a thriving winter scene in Revvy, and as such, they have a ski lift, right on the border of the town, but for now this currently only serves to transport hikers and luge riders up the hill in the summer months. However, fear not, there are ongoing conversations with local rider groups to open up the mountain to bikes in the near future, so watch this space! That said, this has not stopped an array of quality, technical and demanding trails being built on the hill, maybe in expectancy of the lifts one day being open, but more likely down to the effective yet gruelling dirt road climb that winches you up above the town before ducking back into the woods for yet more Revvy builders treats.  Crowbar being a stand out trail that has some killer climbs thrown in for good measure and has been used in the past as an enduro stage…uphills and all.  These trails throw you out onto the road in the Arrow Heights area, only a short pedal from Williamson Lake Campground which is the home of a grade A lake, perfect for a dip after any hot laps.

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While I've covered the multi-trail areas, Revelstoke has another trail secret to share; the high alpine. Frisby, Martha Creek and Mount Cartier are some of the more popular routes in the mountains, and offer another perspective to the areas riding possibilities. The purists amongst the locals will tell you that the only real way to do any of these trails is to pack a couple beers for the road, some trail snacks and set off early, from town. Pedal out to the trailhead and take on the hike, don’t be afraid to shoulder the bike, keep the reward in mind. Enjoy a beer with a view then shred the sweet single track down, back into town and settle down to some cool pitchers at Chubby Funsters.

Now, while I can genuinely vouch for both the adventure, the satisfaction of the day on the bike, the quality of the trails and the refreshing nature of the cool, tasty beer afterwards, I’ll let you into a little secret.  While there might not be any lift access trails in Revvy, uplifts are prime. A truck ride will see you a good way up the Frisby ridge, as well as cutting out a few climbs in Macpherson while we’re on it. However, possibly more excitingly is the option of a heli-ride to the summit out Mount Cartier, operated by an outfit in town, you can be up and down in the time it takes just to get started on a more traditional attack on the hill. While some may say, you need to earn your turns or at least go self-powered at least once during your time in Revvy, I’d add that if you’re lucky enough to get to town, Cartier should be high on your list. Riding in the high alpine is a unique experience and brings with it a real feeling of exposure and adventure, with absolutely zero sacrifices in the quality of trails.

The exposure though is real, the wildlife is real too and in some cases out to get you. The mosquitos are sizeable and can be unrelenting, and any ride out it’s advised to wear bug spray. As the locals joyfully told me, “they can smell out of towners” and the amount I squirmed and danced around at any static point compared to those guys, I believe them. Some of the larger wildlife, yes, we’re talking bears, are definitely something to be aware of, but in no way should be a deterrent.  As with all of BC there is plenty of literature on proper bear etiquette and safety, some folk carry a bear spray in their bottle cage in case of emergency, in most situation the amount of noise you make whooping your way down the trail scares them away way before you ever get the chance of a glimpse. A much less intimidating critter to look for, who at worst may steal your biscuits while you’re not looking, are the local chipmunks. They, much to our entertainment, were in abundance at the summit of Cartier.

All told, Revelstoke is a dream destination (can you tell it got to me!). It may not have lift access, and it may take a hell of a long time to get there, but that’s all part of the experience.  The high-quality trails and high-quality people make for an unforgettable experience and even after a couple of weeks riding there I have so much to go back and explore as well as plenty that I might have to go check is still just as epic as the first time. Revelstoke…Revelstoked!