Mountain Biking the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

Many in the mountain biking community consider the Cariboo Chilcotin the “unofficial mountain biking capital of Canada,” with unlimited terrain for riders seeking adventurous free-riding or a leisurely pedal through one of the many amazing trails covering this vast region.

The spectacular terrain and quality trail systems here offer distinct riding experiences with hoodoos, river valleys, rugged canyons, steeps, and single-track ridges. One could spend an entire summer here without setting a wheel in the same place twice. Red Bull’s feature film ‘Where the Trail Ends’ showcaseed the world’s top freeride mountain bikers, including Williams Lake’s own James Doerfling, as they search for unridden terrain in five countries around the globe, including the amazing cliffs and canyon walls of the Fraser and Chilcotin rivers right here in our Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region.

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast on Trailforks.com

Quesnel Mountain Bike Trails

The city of Quesnel is quickly developing into a mountain biking playground. Local riders call the Pins route a “flowy” ride, with spectacular views of Baker Creek and the hoodoos littering the valley floor. Quesnel’s Adventure Skills Bike Park has a freestyle section, pump track, kid’s area and features to challenge beginner, novice, experienced and highly-skilled riders.

The Wells-Barkerville area offers some of the most extraordinary trails in BC, loaded with Gold Rush history. From gentle boardwalk trails through quiet wetlands to day-long epic mountain expeditions in stunning alpine terrain, this trail network has it all.

Quesnel is a convenient 1.5 hours drive south of Prince George BC. For those seeking an adventure from Vancouver, the drive will take approximately 7 hours. If starting from Quesnel and heading south along the Gold Rush Trail, riders will discover days of adventure riding to explore.

Riding Around Williams Lake

Cafe after mountain biking in Williams Lake: Photo: Ollie Jones

Post Ride Cafe in Williams Lake | Ollie Jones

Bike magazine referred to Williams Lake as North America’s “Shangri-La of mountain biking.” The 200-plus tracks around the city provide the choice of tackling technical loops; try ‘Aflo,’ the Lake City’s most popular trail with its’ flowy banked turns, or choose hours of exploring on many easy-riding trails. Downtown’s Boitanio Bike Park covers over 4hec/10ac, and is the largest of its kind in BC’s interior, with 6 major jump lines, pump track, drop zone, flow trails and log work. Here you’ll also find Fox Mountain – the longest-standing trail network in Williams Lake, host to some of the most stunning scenery in the Cariboo. The network has 28 trails totalling over 45 km (28 mi) of single track. All trails can be accessed via a nice climb up Jimmy’s Fox, Con Nino Y Pero, Skyline or by shuttling up Fox Mountain Road. There are three trailheads, each offering a large Kiosk with maps and info. For families, try out Foxfire which was rebuilt in 2019 and is a fun flowy trail that can be accessed off the parking lot on Ross Road.

Trails Near 100 Mile House

The 100 Mile House area has hundreds of kilometres of marked and unmarked backcountry trails crisscrossing the plateau. Trails are accessible around the 108 Mile Ranch, and from downtown 100 Mile House. The trails beginning at Centennial Park take you up an old ski hill, and with plenty of old roads and tracks in the area, you have easy access onto trails in the nearby hills. On the 99 Mile trails south of town, choose to stay on the trails, or venture off onto singletrack for more amazing riding.

The Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium actively promotes all of the wonderful mountain biking trails in and around Wells, Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House. And the trail building is important to local Indigenous groups as well, such as the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation (SXFN), previously known as Dog Creek Indian Band and Canoe Creek Band, who along with First Journey Trails celebrated the grand opening of mountain biking and hiking trails in summer 2022 at Big Bar Guest Ranch and helping to cement the region as a major destination for gravel cycling, drawing cyclists looking for quiet dirt roads from across the globe.

Mountain Biking In The South Chilcotins

The South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park is an extraordinary destination for backcountry biking. Guide outfitters in the region offer multi-day adventures to explore the wilderness. Accessed through the Bridge River Valley and nearby Gold Bridge, this is a family-friendly destination where visitors will find a variety of places for camping, trail riding, and historical and cultural attractions.

Mountain biking in South Chilcotins Provincial Park | Photo John Wellburn

An Alpine Riding Experience In the South Chilcotins

Looking for the ultimate backcountry mountain biking experience? Board a floatplane operated by Tyax Adventures and fly into the alpine to ride an unbelievable network of single-track trails. Book into one of their catered camps so you don’t need to carry nearly as much gear. If you aren’t into biking, Tyax Adventures also offers hiking trips and scenic flightseeing tours.

Before boarding the floatplane, or as a post-ride experience, stay at Tyax Lodge & Heliskiing, located on Tyaughton Lake. Tyax Lodge is a bike-friendly resort complete with a bike wash and storage, an on-site restaurant, and a spa facility with 3 types of saunas…perfect for after a long day on the bike! For groups, they offer 3 private chalets for the ultimate in exclusivity. For those on a budget or who prefer a more rustic experience, Tyax Lodge offers 5 tent, and 5 RV sites throughout the summer.

Bella Coola Riding

Meanwhile, in the Coastal region, the Schoolhouse Trail and Medby Trail Networks near Hagensborg offer a variety of routes for mountain bikers to tackle, while those visiting Bella Coola can embark on a 38.6 km (24 mi) trek from Bella Coola Wharf to Big Cedar Tree Larso Bay along the Clayton Falls Forest Service Road to The Big Cedar Tree Quad Trail. With the excess of trails and skill levels around these communities alone, you will think you’ve arrived in biking paradise.

Gravel Biking Destination

In a region steeped in history, the Gold Rush Trail is home to a new inn, Tutti Gravel Inn. Located in Clinton BC, The Tutti Gravel Inn is the original and premiere gravel bike-friendly hotel in British Columbia! Read all about this wonderful property and their ethos of exploring gravel roads by bike in “An Interview with a Gravel Biking Expert“.