Living on the North Shore, I feel the gravitational pull of Squamish on an almost daily basis. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the riding here is incredible. But the access to unlimited FSRs and flowy single track up there is unparalleled. I find myself staring at Squamish trail maps way more than is appropriate for any non-mountain biker.

So, let’s head up for another lap.

After warming up on some of the flat dykes and trails in the GORGEOUS Squamish estuary, the route starts to climb upwards, along Garibaldi Park Road. A word of warning, this is a very busy stretch in the summer time, with mountain bikers shuttling and hikers heading up to Elfin Lakes. It’ll be dusty, and maybe a bit chaotic, but it shouldn’t last too long. Once you hit Ring Creek North FSR the crowds start to mellow out.

You’ll follow this well-surfaced, undulating gravel road for a while, but make sure to keep an eye out for some incredible views of the Tantalus mountains, particularly at the roadside look out point around kilometre 19. The viewpoint is also more-or-less the end of the day’s climbing, so it’s well worth a stop.

After hitting the Ed’s Access trail junction, you’ll find yourself at the top of the single track descent. Miki’s Magic is a flowy jump trail (jumping is not required tho, btw), so keep your head on a swivel and don’t push it too hard. Then comes Cardrona, the absolute HIGHLIGHT of the route, in my opinion. A blue MTB descent that runs very well on a gravel bike and connects effortlessly to some mellow green trails all the way down past Alice Lake.

After riding out some more urban-connector gravel and then re-tracing your steps close to town, the route loops back past the starting point to the end of the Squamish spit. I THINK, that this is the perfect place for a picnic, if you’re into that kinda thing (disclaimer: no one who pre-rode the route with me was into that kinda thing).

Happy trails,
Love Machine

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