Riding Prince George trails in the fall is like being transported to a place people can only dream of. You know when you’re driving around and you happen to notice the beautiful colours of fall in the trees – imagine being right in the middle of all those trees with a canopy of reds, yellows and oranges. That’s were I love to be!
One of (because there are many) the most special things about Prince George is the vast and unique trail system we get the privilege to enjoy. There are retired locals, bike shops and the Prince George Cycling Club that selflessly volunteer hours creating, maintaining and investing their time and money into our trail system.
Riding the trails at Otway
My favourite place to ride is the single track out at Otway otherwise known as the Caledonia Nordic Ski Centre. The trails at Otway are for every level of rider, I’m not even kidding, I’ve taken my mom riding out there and she loved it. Me, my family and our friends go riding out there all season long. This year both of my kids finally made it to the top of Otway ‐ together! There were squeals of delight, whoops of elatement and boosts of confidence as they successfully conquered trails like Cyclone, Twister, ACDC and Java. There’s nowhere else like this to build this kind of bond with your family and I love it.
Taking on the Cranbrook Greenway
If you have the time, another sweet ride is the Cranbrook Greenway – downhillers think it’s boring, but I love it. It’s a less technical ride, so I find you have more time to enjoy your company and scenery, or race pace it if you’re on you own. My family and I like to start at Forests for the World, UNBC side, and ride all the way to Otway. It’s a very undulating, wide, soft trail, so if you don’t like to ride in the mud, time it when the season’s been dryer. I hear you can ski it in the winter but I’ve never tried.
There are different meet‐up groups with different abilities and interest’s, clinics, specific to women or mixed and bike races that happen all summer long. It really makes it easy for new comers to get to know the trail system and the people that make up our crazy cycling community whom I love!
There’s a very active road bike community too – but that’s a whole other story.
