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Edmonton Spring/Summer 2014

27K views 277 replies 26 participants last post by  funnyjr 
#1 ·
Hopefully the trails will be ready soon. Can't wait to start riding on dirt again and in warmer weather.

Fat biking is ok but riding in Edmonton's cold weather honestly sucks.

Looks like there are many trail disruptions this season due to construction. Looks like there will be a need to carve out new single track to replace ones that were lost or going to be lost.
 
#80 ·
I just signed up so I could post especially in this thread!

I've been riding Cambodia since last Tuesday, it's in pretty good shape with a couple inundated low spots (I've just been picking my bike up and walking around them to avoid rutting the place up). The trail between Cambodia and the Rundle Park bridge is pretty iffy though. Cadillac and A-Bomb(?) have been great and there's some single track that runs in between Goldbar and Wayne Gretzky drive that was a little rutted but generally in pretty good condition. On the north side of the river the single track in Kinnaird Park is dry and suuuuper fast.

2014 is shaping up to be pretty great.
 
#83 ·
I saw the sign for Bobsled and then proceeded to get totally hammered as I tried to keep up with the Revo guys on their group ride. It was my first time riding the McKinnon ravine trails. I had no idea how intense some of them would be. I definitely bottomed out my fork for the first time (and second and third...).
 
#84 ·
I was out for a short ride today, and I have to say that those signs are a great addition. They've even put them on trails I'd never have thought of naming - purple haze and wonder woman by the museum, and crazy maria and coaster in mckinnon?

It means I'm going to have to ride millcreek again. Whenever I go exploring in there it seems like 3/4 of the singletrack deadends, and it gets worse every year. So it'll be nice to have a way to know what other people are actually riding.
 
#89 ·
The city doesn't like us building new trails. So it'll be interesting to see what happens with the plans for a new single track to replace the golf course trail. (I guess we can't call it roller coaster anymore, since that's the east bobsled drop in!)

Some kind soul took out most of the trees on back breaker. There's just one left at the end.

EMBA is spear heading the trail signage, along with the club who's responsible for each area. The Dirt Girls got all the McKinnon / Victoria's Secret signs up. I -think- they're the only club with signs up so far, although the crews that do Cambodia and the Refinery trails have had signs up out there for a while.
 
#91 ·
The top of Victoria's secret is completely fenced off now, no way to get out with out some serious bush whacking. So you've got to commit to the museum trails for their own sake now.

There were 25 people doing laps of Pogey / Pot luck on Saturday afternoon, a mix of small groups, the largest being maybe 8.
 
#97 ·
I raced sport as well. The rain did slick up the course a little during the second lap, but I did appreciated the cool off it brought. I had no idea that Terwilligar had such great trails. I'll definitely be ridding there more in the future. I was talking with a couple from Calgary in the parking lot after the race. They were also quite impressed that we have such great trails right within Edmonton. It doesn't sound like they have similar down south.
 
#98 ·
^Riding Terwilliger at night in the autumn is pretty nice. Cool temperatures, no dog walkers, lots of rabbits.

Agreed on the cooler temperatures with the rain. That was a god send. The only sections I found slick were the first half of the loop. Some of the sections down in the trees were clay and were pretty slick. The trails on the second half of the loop up in the trees and on the hillside were sheltered pretty good, so they didn't seem as slick.

All the results here if anybody is interested: Alberta Bicycle Association | Registration
 
#99 ·
I was out of town for the last week and a bit, but managed to get one good ride in yesterday before what is apparently going to be a week of rain. It was so nice to see that the garbage has been cleaned up - I don't know if that was the volunteers from River Valley Cleanup, or if the city crews had to step in, but the dirty mattress and royal glenora camps are gone basically without a trace.

Saw this the strava heatmap on another thread: Strava Global Heatmap
 
#104 ·
I joined mostly just to ask this question. Is there a map or maps that display where the single track mountain bike trails around edmonton are? trails like bobsled, wonder woman, etc. I'm not from here and go by myself most the time. Its hard to find these trails based on word of mouth. Somebody posted this https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msid...ll=53.539418,-113.559381&spn=0.00371,0.004823 which was extremely helpful and helped me find that trail. I just wish there were more maps like this. If I can get instructions on how to get to the trails in Edmonton I would be happy to pin point them like that guy did and put them all in one place to make it easy for others like me. Pictures can even be linked to the entrances for both winter and summer to make it super easy.

I have seen the strava map but its not very helpful to me since it includes all trails. Please share any resources that you have. Thanks!
 
#107 ·
Edmonton's trails are pretty dynamic. With all the erosion we have with our annual monsoon seasons, the trails see some significant changes during the course of a summer or two. The main staple trails are fairly static, and relatively easy to find, but all the newer trails that pop up to circumvent old washed out trails, etc, are a bit harder to find. That's where a club comes in handy as you have a collective of a bunch of explorers who have first hand knowledge of the river valley.

I'm still surprised to see myself on new trails with the club rides that I didn't know existed. I consider myself fairly knowledgeable of the river valley, but the benefit of a club for finding new trails can't be ignored.

A few years back there was a local trail book that River Valley Cycle had (and other shops I'm sure). The problem with these books is that they get outdated so quickly. The book itself was a series of hand drawn maps, so if you didn't know the river valley, it was a bit of a crap shot if you could actually find these trails.

If I start bringing my camera I can start posting up some entrances to some of the single track trails with a bit of a reference point in those pictures.
 
#105 ·
It's really not that hard to find trails, but it takes a bit of going out and searching. I once too didn't know any of the single track, and this was the time before smartphones/gps and group rides. The way I've found things is to just look off in to the bushes from the multi-use trail, and find it. Sometimes you'll end up in a hobo trail, or in a dead end, but sometimes you find gold. With the aid of a smartphone/gps and going on group rides, its probably the best way to find stuff now.
 
#106 ·
The best way to find new trails is to join up with a bike club and get out on some group rides. There are some pretty groovy trails that you really need to know a thing or two to find.

Cambodia was a little sloppy in places, especially some of the climbs heading west. There's been some pretty bad erosion / slumping above the dirt jumps in lower ewok. The two steeper descents into that area are both pretty sketchy now. It looks like the bridge fairies are about to put some new stuff into old timers, and a new bridge fairy built a sketchy A-frame over the tree in Gnomes Trail. It's not too bad riding east to west, but in reverse it's pretty steep and off camber. I don't think any of the interclub ride made it over.
 
#108 ·
I will certainly look into a bike club. That sounds like a good time. Thanks for the tip. I used to group ride in B.C. but they all worked at local bike shops and eventually the group got a little too skilled for me and all bought high end bikes so I started going with friends instead.

I'm going to start recording the GPS locations of the trail heads and tails and taking pictures of the entrances and any signage that is up. That way I can put together a trail map with google map maker. With that people can submit edits or additions. We can update trail conditions and closures. Have pictures, and special details like: wear bells, damage to builds, erosion, don't ride wet, etc.

If nobody wants to pitch in its all good but I'd be happy to take any contributions. Once its complete I'll share it with websites with connections to local riding. Here, EBC, Pink Bike, Local Shops, etc. It will be easy to pop it up on your phone, etc. to check details before hitting the trail so that everyone is in the know and stays safe.

If anyone wants to send me info my email is Barry_Hyslop@hotmail.com You can easily get GPS co-ordinance with your smart phone by standing at the trail head and tail and checking your map application. Please send me the name of the trail if you do send me info.
 
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