There’s a Reason They Call it The Community Forest
Camping, Mountain Biking, and Making New Friends in Cranbrook, BC.
We were rolling through berms in the grasslands on the Loop Skywalker trail as the sun dropped behind the Purcell mountains to the West. The jagged peaks of the Steeples, an iconic ridgeline in the Rocky Mountains on the Eastern horizon of Cranbrook, BC, were illuminated with a golden glow. There are countless spots for mountain biking in BC that come to mind when planning a trip, and if Cranbrook is not already on your list amongst the other iconic destinations, it probably should be. When I chose to visit Cranbrook, I didn’t really know what to expect, but what I found was a perfect balance of scenic cross-country loops and plenty of fun, feature-filled descents, cozy campgrounds tucked in the forest with awe-inspiring views, and lakes that were just the right temperature to cool off on a hot day.
In late June, my partner Chloe and I rolled into the East Kootenays in our converted GMC Safari campervan and headed straight to the Cranbrook Community Forest. I met up with Jim Nicol, one of the main trail builders in the area, his friend Russ, and both of their sons to go for a ride. We checked out two areas in the greater network accessed by two parking lots. First, we left the Isadore Canyon parking area and Jim took us up a gentle green climb trail called Pilsit. From there, we connected onto a fun blue called Migor and then down into Espresso. Espresso is a downhill-primary black trail with a few fun rock rolls ending in a massive gully with rowdy machine-built berms that reach for the top of the gully and have you crisscrossing your way down the mountain. We took the Chief Isadore trail back to the car from the bottom of Espresso and drove over to a parking lot north of the Eager Lookout trail. We rode a quick loop on R2DTour and Padawan. Padawan is a great adaptive-friendly green flow trail. Both those trails had great views of the surrounding mountains. I was so grateful for the hospitality Jim and Russ showed me; there is something special about riding with someone who had a hand in building the trails. Jim knew every inch of the trails like the back of his hand and was stoked to point out a bunch of cool spots for me to take some photos!
Eager to see as much as I could while I was in Cranbrook, I had a quick lunch and then met up with Tanner and Paul, two locals who work at the local bike shop, North Star Bicycle Co., and went for another ride to get into some of the spicier trails that Cranbrook has to offer. We climbed up Pilsit, Larry, and Windy Bluff to get to the top of Stunty, where we were rewarded with an epic view looking West over Cranbrook before dropping into the descent. Stunty was a rad mix of rock slabs, a few wooden features, a natural rock wallride, some steep n’ loose sections, and a healthy mix of jumps and drops. Though it is considered to be one of the hardest trails in the network, it felt like a true black. Tanner and Paul ripped down the trail as I did my best to keep up and yelled ahead a few times to ask them to stop and session a feature to take a photo. From the bottom of Stunty, we took a connector onto Green Chicken and, from there, rode More Poultry to the bottom. These two trails offered a rad mix of quick berms, jumps, drops, and wood stunts. After returning to the van, Chloe and I drove to Moyie Lake Provincial Park, where we had dinner and a campfire before bed.
The following day, Chloe and I swam in Moyie Lake, then stopped at a rad local bakery called Max’s Place, where we got smoothies and some cookies. After the bakery stop, we explored the town and then rode the Loop Skywalker trail at golden hour with our dog Doby. It is hard to imagine a better sunset loop with its views of the Rocky Mountains and the vast open stretches of grasslands. Finally, we returned to Moyie Lake to enjoy some lazy time at our campsite before bed. It was the perfect day to prepare us for a longer ride the next day.
On day three in Cranbrook, the skies were cloud-covered, offering a welcome break from the heat of the sun as we geared up for one of the bigger rides of the trip. The plan was to ride Hobgoblin, a fun, flowy cross-country trail with some fun blue-tech descent sections and wicked views of the Steeples and the Kootenay River winding its way through the valley below. The ecosystem changed as we gained elevation while pedalling up the mixed bag of trails to get to Hobgoblin. The open forests with ponderosa pine gave way to Douglas fir and an understory full of wildflowers such as lupine and mariposa lilies. The trail itself felt remote as it rolled up and down over the top of the mountain, along an epic ridgeline, past a little lake, and through the goblin’s boneyard (don’t worry about missing it if you decide to ride this trail - you’ll know when you’ve arrived at the boneyard). At the end of Hobgoblin, there were a few options to get back to the bottom: we opted for a bit more of a climb and pedalled Upper Coaster to descend Yer Cheatin’ Heart for some fun flowy berms, then cruised on down Migor and Hillbilly Music for a quick rip back to the parking lot. The total ride distance was around 21 kilometres, which had us feeling tired, stoked to get some food, and ready to head back to camp for bed.
After three days of riding, I still hadn’t had enough of the trails and was eager to squeeze in one more ride before our trip ended. Chloe and I met up with Kristy, a local rider, and her friend Micheal who was visiting from Vernon. Kristy led us on a fun mix of trails we hadn’t ridden yet. We started with a punchy climb up Hillbilly Music to change things up from the green climb, then rode a chill warm-up loop on Upper Bonehead, Bonehead Connector, and Bonehead. This flowy blue cross-country loop was the perfect thing to get into a good mindset for what was next. We pedalled farther up into the network to access Split Rock, Upper Knights, and Knights Trail. Upper Knights had a fun mix of drops, jumps, and rolls. One feature in particular stood out as a highlight of the trip. It started with a long ladder bridge that climbed to the top of a big rock; once on top of the rock, there was a challenging, tight little right turn before the rock descended into a long, perfect, steep slab. It took a couple of tries to get comfy on the approach, but it was super fun once it all came together! For the rest of the ride, we rode Mid-Knight Express, The Deep End, Pole Dancer, Upper Coaster, and Axel Alley, then took Migor and Toothless Grin back to the bottom of the network. All these trails were a blast! Pole Dancer stands out in my memory as an exciting black cross-country trail with some techy spots and unique rock features.
Four days of straight riding called for some serious rest and relaxation. So Chloe and I loaded up on some groceries and headed 20 minutes out of town to Norbury Lakes Provincial Park to camp and chill for a couple of days before we said goodbye to the East Kootenays. Norbury Lakes is a sweet little pair of crystal clear turquoise blue lakes tucked away at the bottom of the Steeples. The best part about camping there was going for a swim in the evening after the day-trip crowds had left the lake, and the water was glassy with reflections: a mosaic of green from the forest canopy with the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains poking through. There was no better way to cap off an already amazing trip. We’re fortunate that world-class trails, pristine lakes, and epic viewpoints are not uncommon in BC, and lucky for us, Cranbrook has all those boxes checked and more. Something that really stood out to me on this trip was the welcoming community. In only four days of riding, I was welcomed on rides with several locals, each eager to share their backyard with me. That welcoming community is what has me already looking forward to my next visit.
Mathew Wanbon is a photographer and writer who specializes in action sports and outdoor adventure. When he is not out taking photos, you can find him hanging out by a lake, out backpacking, or playing in the mountains on his bike or snowboard.
