Ever associate the word “mountain” with the city of Edmonton? Don’t laugh! Edmonton is a metropolitan mountain-biking Mecca. City folk here possess some pretty gnarly riding terrain, the best urban mountain-biking scene of any major city in Canada…maybe the hemisphere. Perhaps. Read, ride, and then you tell me.

The Big Picture in four words is the North Saskatchewan River Valley. It eviscerates Edmonton with a chaotic zigzag motion, creating a valley of more than 7,400 hectares of choice mountain-biking options. This landscape is complimented by more than 20 significant ravines and creek beds flowing into the valley watershed. Along these river valley trails is an exceptional sample of the natural heritage, with biological, climatic, and scenic variations rarely found in an urban setting. There is a network of more than 100 kilometres of off-road riding trails in the valley with endless permutations for route creations, all within city limits. Lynall Brennis, the director of forestry for the city of Edmonton, estimates that there are another 400 kilometres of “goat trails” that have been informally carved into the woods and fields by hikers and animals. Oh Lynall, get on your bike; there are far more than that.

Accessibility and diversity are the operative words. A 10-minute ride from virtually anywhere and you can plunge into the watershed. No bridges, no highways, no prospects of gridlock. But don’t think granola when you think trail mix. Edmonton offers boreal forests, open grasslands, bush, rock gardens, sand dunes, trial courses, and so on. There’s enough variety to engage and occasionally enrage your riding sensibilities. Yeah, there are lots of flats here, but there are some nice steep pitches and plenty of undulating trail.

There are also countless ribbons of paved multi-use trail in the valley, approximately 80 kilometres, where the runners, road cyclists, and skaters travel. It functions as your safety valve and your reprieve, complete with water fountains, washrooms, and emergency “blu-phones” alongside it.

The North Saskatchewan River Valley played a vital role in the history of the region, and the vestiges of this history are evident throughout the valley today, where you will unexpectedly discover them. As you ride, you might also happen on any one of a number of cultural or recreation amenities and events throughout the river valley.

Summer Sizzle

Summer in Edmonton is warm and dry, with natural light to almost 11:00 p.m. It never truly swelters, and you hear the word “drought” more than the word “rainfall.” A four-hour power cycle after work is possible on most days, with time left over to bask in the twilight with a cold beverage. Here are some of my favourite summer rides:

The “Big Kahuna” Ride

Emily Murphy Park to Hermitage Park

Start at the Emily Murphy Park and ride the forests along the river valley through the centre of Edmonton and then northward downstream. It’s a solid three-hour ride to Hermitage Park, but you can easily make it an eight-hour ride if you explore half the ravines along the way. Finish at Hermitage Park and ride 137th Avenue to the Edmonton Light Rail Transit (LRT) system’s Clareview Station. The LRT will get you close to your starting point in less than 20 minutes.

“Ewok Trail” Ride

Kinnard – Forest Heights – Mill Creek

This one has got it all, baby! Lush boreal forests; challenging descents; trail variations up, down, and along the riverbank; hidden trials courses; and more. Ewok Trail is preferred by advanced riders, who tend to cycle here on Wednesday nights. Call a bike shop and head out with the cognoscenti.

Fort Edmonton to Terwillegar Park

Start at Fort Edmonton and cycle south along the river to Terwillegar Park, the hub of Edmonton mountain biking. Terwillegar provides more than 200 acres of rideable landscape, most of it flat to wavy, with a couple of reasonable hills thrown in. South from Terwillegar Park, there is sweet trail with more dramatic changes in pitch and more technical aspects. Tuesday is typically race night. Registration is at 6:30 p.m. and the race is at 7:00 p.m.

Winter Riding Galore

As global warming sucks the snow from the Edmonton winter, I swap my skis for wheels. Winter riding conditions here are to be envied. No cold West Coast drizzle. None of the paralyzing snowfalls of the East Coast. None of the gray, windy winter days of Central Canada. None of the slushy, chinooky days of Calgary. Expect blue skies with dry, motionless air and snow-packed trails. And when the hoarfrost sticks to everything, it is oh so spiritual! The creeks become brand-new singletracks. The river becomes a frozen bridge for connecting and extending routes. Hell, it’s an infinite frozen corridor. I’ve worshipped at Moab in February, yet an Edmonton winter is my mountain-biking Vatican. Here are some of my favourite winter rides:

“Dante Descent” Ride

Wedgewood Ravine

Start at 184th Street and 34th Avenue. Follow the creek downstream to the river. The creek bed is flat and wide to begin with, but the forest gradually closes in. The pitch gets steeper, the trees taller, and the bush thicker. When you arrive at the frozen river, cross (if you dare) to Terwillegar Park for endless riding. I prefer to ride upstream on the river, crisscrossing back and forth on the frozen bridge until I reach the Rabbit Hill ski area for a burger break. This section of the river is brilliant because it freezes into so many distinctive forms. Use the river at your own risk!

“Beaver Fever” Ride

Horse Hills Creek

Start where 1st Street crosses the creek. This creek spins, twists, and turns like a rollercoaster ride on acid. Expect to jump more than 20 beaver dams along the way. It is not rideable unless it is frozen. You will see lots of critters along this ride. It takes 25 minutes to ride down to where the creek meets the river valley. Head downstream on the frozen river (20 to 30 minutes, depending on ice conditions) to the Horse Hills Ponds area for a vast mountain-biking playground. There are half-a-dozen circuits here, with lots of deer around the six large ponds.

With so much infrastructure, great conditions, and population, the tribe is nurtured. There are group rides every day and bike shops to hook up with. Bike shop names and telephone numbers are listed below.

The city of Edmonton publishes an annual cycling map that can be picked up at any bike shop. If you crave detail, Edmonton’s Orienteering Club has created some spiffy 1-10,000 scale maps of the river valley and ravine system that outline the aforementioned goat paths. Maps can be picked up at MapTown (telephone number below).

Events in the area include the races every Tuesday night at Terwillegar Park. The Great Canadian Adventure Race will be held on Sept. 8, 2002 (20K mountain bike, 20K canoe, 10K run/orienteering), and the Capital City Off-Road Dualthon will be staged on Sept. 22, 2002 (6K trail run, 16K mountain bike, 3K trail run).

Calvin Maxfield is an outdoors junkie who claims to have skied, ice-skated, in-line-skated, ran, snowshoed, canoed, hiked and rode every inch of the North Saskatchewan River Valley in Edmonton.