loamy dirt and cool temps make for ideal biking conditions.
Header Image: @southpawmegan
It’s fall - that time of year where you don’t really know what to do. We just wrapped up an amazing summer of beautiful weather that meant lots of time for playing. Now the rain is looming, the temps are a little colder, the days are a little shorter but it’s not quite winter yet. This has become one of my favorite times of the year here in Revelstoke. Making sure everything is ready for the winter, getting around to procrastinated summer house projects, leaves are being raked, and the fall mountain biking is friggen AWESOME!
I love when the temps go down - it makes the dirt on the trails super tacky and the it’s not too hot or too cold to ride. Fall mountain biking gives us some of the best conditions of the year. While we all the love Revelstoke's alpine rides, Macpherson holds the gems of fall mountain biking. In the last couple of years there has been a substantial amount of work put into our trail system at Macpherson. In terms of actual fall mountain biking, it has some of the best trails in Revelstoke.
With so many different trails there are endless variations and loops to do. I find myself riding different loops constantly which always keeps thing interesting. But I do have some favourite trails and loops...
Disclaimer: I really like long rides, I almost like going up as much as down. Times may vary on group size and fitness level.
Loop #1: Got To Get Up To Get Down
Flowdown---Tantrum---Berm Donor---Dusty Beaver---Toad School---Buff Enuff---Tantrum---Root Canal---Break-aLeg--- Black Forest---Ridge Walk---TNT---Root Canal---Road---View---Tight Rope---Berm Donor---Dusty Beaver--- FlowDown
Duration: 2 to 3hrs
This loop - or a variation of it - is my go-to route for Macpherson fall mountain biking, as it has most of my favorite Revelstoke trails in it.
Start at the Flowdown parking lot. After a short section of Flowdown, take a left on Tantrum for a great warm up on some good technical biking. Sooner or later, take a right and start up Berm Donor. By this time your legs should be nicely warmed up for one of the best climbs in Revelstoke - make sure to keep some gusto for the end. Good job! Now you’ve got some great downhill coming your way. Head across the road to Dusty Beaver, pump the bumps and keep the flow going down this awesome trail. Cross the road and head straight up onto Toad School, which has some great fast sections. Keep going into Buff Enuff which will spit you out onto the last bit of Tantrum.
Time to start climbing again... From the Griffith Creek parking lot go up Root Canal. The name is fitting... At the next road, head up Break-A-Leg for a wicked climb. This spits you out onto Black Forest, a super enjoyable single track through the forest with a bit of everything, and definitely a welcome break after the last climb. From here its time to put your head down for the last big climb of the day. When Black Forest hits the road, keep going straight and you will see the entrance to the new section of Ridge Walk. This awesome climb brings you to the top of the Macpherson network and one of its original, classic trails: TNT. After a snack at the top, get ready for one of the best trails at Macpherson, seriously if you don’t have a smile at the bottom of the trail you should probably sell your bike.
From TNT, head left onto Root Canal but skip out on the road before you reach the bottom. Relive the last downhill as you spin along the road to meet up with the View trail (you where just here an hr or so ago, right by Toad School). Crush your way up the short pumpy climb and get on to Tight Rope. Its a quick trail but it certainly has some great flow and a sidehill feel to it. At the end, head left onto a short section of Berm Donor, back to Dusty Beaver but this time take the right turn onto Flowdown near the start. Within 10 minutes, you will find yourself at top of the infamous Flowdown. Take a break and make sure you are ready for some of the best flowing, fast single track anywhere. Enjoy it right to the bottom and crack high fives in the parking lot.
Loop #2: Out...Back..And Then Some
Tantrum---Root Canal---TNT---BlackForest---Stimulus---Bluff---Backside---Quarry---Yew R Here---Sex On The Beach---Road Northview Drive---Road Mt Begbie Road--- Dog Patch---Highway---Tantrum
Duration 3-5hrs
While this loop doesn’t quite get you to the very top of Macpherson, it takes you pretty much everywhere else. Start at the very bottom of Tantrum (the turn off before the Flowdown parking lot), ride Tanturm in its entirety, enjoying the technical challenging riding all the way along. It gently climbs and contours its way up to the Griffith Creek parking lot. From here, enjoy the climb up Root Canal and onto TNT. After a bit more climbing, you come to the junction with Black Forest, where you want to head left. Ride this classic until just above McPherson lodge where you will meet up with Stimulus. Enjoy this great trail as it meanders beside the creek and then take off on the buff single track through the cut blocks. Instead of doing the Stimulus loop, head right when the trail forks which will take you right to the highway and the Begbie Falls/Bluffs parking lot. Here, jump on the Bluff trail (careful as this is also a well used trail for climbers and hikers) which quickly brings you down to Begbie creek.
Time to start the trek back up... This climb is a doozy that just keeps going. Keep on the Bluff trail and try and make it to the top of the last climb. From here, start along the Backside trail, a wonderful trail that has some great views and an awesomely difficult rock section. After conquering that section you will meet up with Quarry, another beauty of a trail that’s playful and fun all the way down until you hit Yew R Here. Take off on this buff trail until you hit the road, which will carry you along to the Revelstoke classic: “Sex on The Beach”, a trail that brings you right down to the edge of the great Columbia river long with an awesome view of RMR.
Make sure to have a snack here because the ride isn’t quite over yet. Keep going up Sex on the Beach, heading right at the trail fork, which will take you to NorthView Drive. Pedal along until you reach Mt Begbie Rd, head right. Ride down Mt. Begbie Rd for a few minutes and then start looking on the left side of the road for a trail called Dog Patch. Once you find this head up a fun, techy climb until you reach the highway. A short pedal up the highway brings you to the Griffith Creek FSR and back to the parking lot. Now its time to earn your beer... Jump back on Tantrum and ride it all the way out to the end.
Written by Chris Rubens.