10 Best ATV and Biking Trails Near Calgary

With the summer getting close to full swing, we want to help you get the most out of the nice weather. To this end, I have researched some of the most interesting and beautiful biking and ATV trails to help you find new trails to ride. Make sure you're ready to go with great accessories like the Swagman SEMI 2.0 2 Bike Hitch Rack to get your bikes out there!

Whenever you are out enjoying the vast wilderness that our great country has to offer, remember that is indeed our soil. Canadians are very proud of our lands, and we should always strive to keep them clean and undamaged. Please be considerate of the wildlife and plants that live in these areas, and leave no trace so that you, and many others, can return to enjoy these same trails over and over again.

 

Burnt Timber (ATV)

Burnt Timber is located west of Cremona near Waiparous. With a whopping 95 kilometers of trails, this area ranges from easy to challenging and has something to offer everyone. The terrain varies from flat wide open spaces to forested areas all in sight of the mountains.

The area is very remote, with Cochrane being the closest service. Cell coverage is limited, so you should keep in mind that with 95 kilometers of trail to ride, you’re best to pack a GPS to ensure you don’t get lost, and two-way radios to keep in touch with the rest of your crew are never a bad idea. Be sure you obey all local posted signs, as this area is a provincial park.

Fallen Timber North Recreational Area (ATV)

 Fallen Timber North, located just south of Sundre, is smaller than its nearby sibling trails, Fallen Timber South. These trails, however, are often less busy in the summer than their southern counterparts and they are also very remote. GPS and two-way radios are recommended here as well due to spotty cell phone coverage.

 This area features it’s own local camping ground a short distance from the trails, ideal for a weekend trip. Please note that they do not allow staging ATVs in the campground, or for ATVs to be ridden to or from the trails. To get your quads or bikes up there more easily, consider a truck bed extender like the X-Treme Gate Slide-Out. Stick to the trails, be respectful of local signage and other trail users, and have a blast!

Fallen Timber South Recreational Area (ATV)

The Fallen Timber South area, known locally as the Ghost snowmobile trails, is one of the largest in the area. They feature over 180 kilometers of well-groomed trails that are open year round. Large hills, forest cut lines, and alpine riding are common in this area, and the trails offer options for all skill levels.

 These trails are known to get extremely busy in the summer months, especially on long weekends. Reports of intoxicated drivers causing serious damage to the trails and natural environment have been increasingly common, which often leads to shutting the trails down to ATV use for a time. Please tread carefully on the terrain and be sure to respect the land around you so it can be used for many years to come.

 

Ghost River Area

 Ghost River area features an OHV trail that runs point to point and almost 12 kilometers. It is beautiful terrain along the Rockies rated at a moderate difficulty. While it is a shorter trail, there are various places long the way to explore. You are best to ride it down to the end, then turn around and ride it back up again. Always be respectful of the environment and stay on the designated trails.

 

Mclean Creek Recreational Area (ATV/Mountain Biking)

Mclean Creek, located 60 kilometers southwest of Calgary, is one of the most popular OHV sites in Alberta. There is a nearby campsite and designated staging areas for loading and offloading OHVs. There are over 77 square kilometers of terrain to explore from May to October, including a lot of creek crossings and endless mud pits, so be prepared to get coated in mud. There is a wide variety of terrain for all skill levels, and there is also fishing, hiking, and mountain biking opportunities available as well.

Please note that they do not allow vehicles over 1000 pounds, and they request you stay on the designated trails.

Topp Notch (MTB)

Topp Notch is the first purposefully built mountain biking trail inside a national park. Starting in Banff, the trail is a single-track 6 km loop with an elevation change totaling 600 meters and it is rated advanced. The trail was hand made, with beautifully crafted bridges, benches, berms and technical rock gardens. This all adds up to a beautiful, flowing trail that is extremely varied. The trail is also open for day and night riding.

 

Moose Mountain Trailhead (MTB)

This trail, located near Bragg Creek, primarily caters to the downhill crowd. There is a shuttle that can be ridden to the top, or you can ride up the road or a path beside it. The trail down runs 39 kilometers single track and it is full of technical features like wooden platforms, jumps and drops. It is rated advanced, although most of the features can be avoided allowing for beginner and intermediate routes as well.

Nose Hill Provincial Park (MTB)

Nose Hill Park is perfect for anyone looking for a less intense ride without much travel. Located within the city of Calgary, Nose Hill has over 60 square kilometers of land stretching across an isolated plateau. The top of the hill offers an incredible view of the city and mountains, and the trails go through forested areas, open fields with plenty of short hills, as well as a small lake. There are no artificial technical elements, just the steep hills.

 

(Photo credit: Ryan Drescher)

Big Sweat (Valley of Five Lakes/Wabasso) (MTB)

Multiple different trails cross back and forth across each other through this valley. The trailhead begins near Jasper and offers a variety of choices throughout the trip that will bring you either higher up for a fantastic view or lower down for a more technical ride. All of these trails go to the same location, except one extends all the way to Lake Wabasso and affords several routes back. At 32 kilometers of trail, there are tonnes of options for the adventurous biker, including night riding. There are various restrooms along the way, and there is winter biking available as well. If you're going to be camping in the area, check out the Swagman RV Bike Ladder Rack to help get your bikes out to the trails!

Get the most out of your summer and explore some new biking and ATV trails. Respect the environment, have fun, and enjoy the land we are so blessed to live in!

Auto Truck Depot

107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta

Toll Free: 1-855-253-4330

Local: 1-403-253-4330

info@autotruckdepot.ca

www.autotruckdepot.ca

How to Survive the May Long Weekend

May Long Weekend, widely hailed as the first big camping weekend of the season, is quickly approaching, and I don't know about you, but I'm very excited. Hopefully you've booked your campsites already, because even with unpredictable weather they fill up fast.

Whether you're planning to hit some trails with your ATVs or bicycles, tow your watercraft to the lake, or are just out for a relaxing weekend it's important to be prepared. The roads are going to be crowded with people trying to leave the city, gunning for the mountains if you're here in Alberta, and the stores are going to be chaotic with people trying to pick up last minute supplies before they leave. It happens every year, and every year people fall into the same trap.

In this article, I'm going to list some tips to help you get your adventure started with relatively low stress so you can get right to the relaxing, fun part and spend more time there.

1. Get Your Site Early

Before anything else, you should know where you plan on going. On an average weekend, you'll usually be able to book a camp site a week in advance without too many problems, unless you're trying to go somewhere that's exceedingly popular.

May Long, however, everything becomes exceedingly popular. Everybody is trying to get out of the city and get their first taste of summer, so any campsite with an opening works. If you're smart, you'll plan ahead, find a place that you really want to spend your weekend, and book a site far in advance. Another benefit is that once you've decided where you're going it's much easier to lay out a plan for what you want to do, based on what's in the area.

2. Pack and Prep your Vehicles Beforehand

Yes, it's true that all of us wake up the morning of departure to pack bathroom bags, finalize the cooler, and get the last of your clothes together, that's hard to avoid. I'm not here to tell you to have your bags packed a week before hand, that doesn't work for everyone. What you can do to make your life much easier is get your RV or watercraft out of storage a couple of weeks beforehand. Make sure that if you're hauling a trailer or RV out to the woods, you've properly inspected and prepped it. If there's a problem that crops up on the Friday, you're going to have a hard time getting it fixed before you leave. For more info how how to prep your trailer or RV for the camping season, check out this article. If you're planning on hauling out any watercraft, make sure you've thoroughly checked them for damage before the weekend, or you may be short an activity, as it will be hard to get repairs done on a motorboat on May Long.

Cargo Storage

Getting yourself to your destination is fairly easy. The hard part is getting all of the gear you're gong to need out there when you have a vehicle packed with friends and family. It helps to know what you want to do beforehand. You don't need to plan every minute of every day, but having a general idea of the activities you want to hit on the trip will help you prepare your vehicle storage space.
If you're going to be camping near a beautiful lake or river and you want to do some kayaking or canoeing, make sure you can get the boats there. We offer a wide range of accessories that can help you get your boats out with you, including the Thule Hull-a-Port Pro Kayak Carrier and the  Access Adarac Truck Bed Rack. If you're towing a trailer, we even have trailer racks, like the Swagman Roamer LT Pop-Up Trailer Rack, to help you get your gear safely to your destination.

If you're not hauling watercraft, a Cargo Box may be a good way to make sure your ride is comfy. When you have your car packed with people, hauling enough camping equipment, personal gear, and food can be difficult, especially if you're planning on tenting. If your vehicle has a roof rack installed, you need to check out our selection of Cargo Boxes, like the Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 or the Thule Force XXL. Both of these are large enough to accommodate a tonne of gear so your vehicle is less squishy. If you don't need something so large, maybe SkyBox 16, or one of our many Cargo Baskets will do the trick for you. If you don't have a roof rack, we can get you set up with one quickly and easily.

Bed Extenders

Once you're at your destination, how do you plan on transporting your ATVs? A trailer with a garage for your toys is great for the long haul, but horribly inefficient for transporting quads to a staging area. Be nice to yourself and the environment, and get a truck bed extender for your pickup, Not only will you have a better time hauling cargo, you'll be able to securely transport your ATVs in your truck bed. The AMP Research Truck Bed Extender, on our sister site Tonno Cover Depot, is one of several great options.

Tonneau Covers

A great way of increasing your secure storage space is by using a tonneau cover. A cover like the Access Original Roll-Up can turn your truck bed from an exposed area for storing large items into a secure, locked off place for hauling smaller cargo. If you're looking to haul a trailer, you still have options. Retractable Tonneau Covers, like the Pace Edwards JackRabbit can be locked in multiple positions, so you can haul a fifth wheel trailer and keep your cargo covered.

3. Plan for Your Absence

Always plan for the fact that you will be away from your house for several days. If you have a pet that isn't coming with you, set them up in a pet hotel or recruit a friend to visit them at your house once or twice a day. Make sure your heat is turned down, as this can do wonders for your heating bill. Secure all your windows and doors and at least partially close some of your blinds or curtains. If you're especially worried about break-ins, you can set a lamp in your house on a timer to come on in the evening for a few hours. These steps will help discourage potential thieves.

4. Buy Supplies Early

Don't be the person shopping to fill your cooler on the way out. Stores are always overcrowded at the beginning of the weekend with people who forgot hamburger buns, need ice, or forgot to pack water. Buy your groceries a few days before hand to minimize your time spent in lineups for a cashier. If you need to get camping gear, or other equipment, check that the week before and pickup up then. You run less risk of not findingh what you need, and then you can just pick up and go in the morning without having to mess around in a store.

4. Leave Your Work Behind

The long weekend is mean to be exactly that, a weekend. While it is a good idea to bring cell phones and a GPS in case of an emergency, leave behind your pagers and computers. Keep your cell phones off unless you really need them, because this time is the time to be with your family and friends. You only have one go at life, and once you retire, all you're going to have is the people around you so treat them right. 

5. Stay Safe, and Be Respectful

Remember that the people around you may not be as prepared as you are. Some of them have to work the weekend, some of them may be scrambling and stressed, Treat everyone around you with respect and basic decency, and everyone will have a much better time.

Make sure you treat the environment around you with respect as well. We want to be able to visit these campsites and wilderness for many years to come. We are lucky to have all of this wide open space in Canada, so get out their and enjoy it and stay safe!

Auto Truck Depot

107, 42 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta

Toll Free: 1-855-253-4330

Local: 1-403-253-4330

info@autotruckdepot.ca

www.autotruckdepot.ca