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> 5 SQUAMISH BIKE ROUTES

YEAR-ROUND, C YCLISTS in search of both mellow crosscountry and challenging technical trails head for Squamish. The three following locales are synonymous with both serious and casual bike action found along more than 122 trails.

> CHEEK YE FAN

Access : If you journey here by car, park in the vicinity of Brackendale Eagle Provincial Park on Government Road (see chapter 3). Head north on Government past the Brackendale Gallery, cross the BC Rail tracks and enter the well-marked Farmers’ Institute Trail, which begins on the east side of the road. (See map, page 60.) Ability Level: Novice to intermediate

If you’re new to mountain biking, one of the best places to begin is the forested trail system in the Cheekye Fan, a boulder-studded zone near the mouth of the Cheekye River in the rackendale neighborhood. The wide, hard-packed Farmers’ Institute Trail meanders through several clearings and into a second-growth forest.

In some places, paved sections as well as a segment of the historic Pemberton Trail augment it.

At Ross Road, the trail joins up with the Cheekye Fan trail system. Head west on Ross Road to reach one of the trail entrances where a map is posted. From this point a series of interconnected trails, some made more challenging by intentionally placed logs and rocks, loops through the fan. This is a good introduction to technical cycling with a minimum of steep terrain. Chose from a half-dozen single- and double-track routes, such as Reefer Rip and Cracked Patella. Or, if you’re looking for something more laid back, try the paved trails in the Brackendale Family Bike Park on Ross Road, just east of Don Ross Secondary and Brackendale Elementary Schools.

Paul Ridge, Diamond Head

The main Cheekye Fan route, the Ray Peters Bike Trail, circles around the Fan beside Government and Squamish Valley roads. You’ll frequently see vehicles parked at a series of entrances to the main trail and its offshoots, such as the Rusty Pail Trail off Squamish Valley Road, where the trailhead is marked by a corroded coffee can suspended from a tree. Rusty Pail offers a carefree ride with fewer rocks and roots to deal with than elsewhere on the Fan. It’s a spongy trail that twists through a sheltered stand of Douglas fir; the forest floor is carpeted with moss and sword ferns and studded with cedar stumps, evidence of the old-growth forest’s glory days.

Signage in the Cheekye Fan is sparse, but some trails are marked with colored ribbons. It’s up to you where to turn when the trail divides. The trails cover a relatively small, contained area, so getting lost isn’t likely, particularly if you have a copy of the Squamish Trail Recreation Map. A cleared BC Hydro right-of-way crosses the Fan and Farmers’ Institute trails. Following the trail and service road that leads through this land reserve will return you to a main road no matter which direction you choose. The joys of cycling the Cheekye Fan include more than just the fun of twisting your handlebars. The sheltering forest also offers cool relief on hot days in summer and a dry ride on wet ones.

> ALICE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK

Access: For directions to Alice Lake, see chapter 4.

Ability Level: Novice to intermediate

Bike trails around Alice Lake (see map, page 49), on the east side of Highway 99 opposite the Cheekye Fan, are wider, smoother, and less technical. They also enjoy more daylight. The most popular is the Four Lakes Loop Trail, open to cyclists from September to May.