48 Hours
Get to the new trails to the south of Medicine Hat before things really start to take off
Rising speed and flow in
Elkwater, Alta.
Ripping down the newly minted, machine-groomed trail in Cypress Hills Provincial Park, I was struck by how fantastic this new route is. It offers fast flowy riding, with big berms and a selection of jumps – 100 per cent fun sustained the whole way to the bottom. It is also a sign of what’s in store for the region.
Like most Calgarians and Canmorites, I first heard rumours of the excellent mountain biking in the Medicine Hat area several years ago. Living in the Canadian Rockies, it took a period of time and a poor local weather forecast before I made the almost four-hour drive southeast to check out the riding near Canada’s sunniest city. About 65 km south from Medicine Hat, the small community of Elkwater, at a higher elevation, can offer a refuge from heat and sun to the north in midsummer. Matt Los, a strong local rider, says, “It’s cool to have a completely different riding experience just 40 minutes away from Medicine Hat. We have the best of both worlds with the dry, badlands riding style of Redcliff near Medicine Hat to the lodgepole pine forest with rooty trails in Elkwater.”
My initial trips to Elkwater were fun but left me wanting more. Still, I continued to return at least once a year. During my most recent outing, though, things were quite different, largely thanks to the work by the 670 Collective Mountain Bike Club. “The bulk of this whole trail network couldn’t have happened without the hard efforts of all the volunteers involved over the years,” says local rider Aron Adrian. “There are countless trail fairies who put their own rides on hold to fix trails or move and saw trees for everyone else’s enjoyment.”
This year, you can experience trails by the 670 Collective that have been kicked up a notch, the result of a partnership between the club and Alberta Environment and Parks. It started last year and included $400,000 in funding. More than 14 km of new trails are being developed. The latest are at the local ski hill, Hidden Valley Resort. “Until this year, a cross country hardtail with skinny tires was the best bike choice for riding in the region,” says Tyler Wilkes, one of the trail developers. “After this year, the right bike will be a big-wheeled enduro smasher. The new trail development at Hidden Valley is going to add a gravity-oriented, Dh/enduro experience to supplement the already great trail riding.” The trail developers are Lifetime Outdoor Inc. and Starr Trail Solutions with Wilkes’s company, Mcelhanney, doing the design and project oversight. “The riding community in Elkwater and the Medicine Hat area is unique compared with other western riding communities,” Wilkes says. “It’s young and growing. I would say mountain bike culture hasn’t gone quite as mainstream in the area yet as it has in most of B.C. or other developed mountain bike towns. For the fraction of the overall community that does mountain bike, it is extremely passionate, dedicated to the cause and incredibly welcoming. The 670 Collective is an amazing group of volunteers who have helped push the trail development that is going on now. I think this mtb community is on the cusp of exploding with the current trail development going on.”
If you have two days to spend in Elkwater, start the first day off at 12–34 Café and Pub for coffee. Then, head over to the visitor centre parking lot to start the day out on an
“This MTB community is on the cusp of exploding with the current trail development going on.”
iconic singletrack loop. A grand singletrack ride that will give you a sampling of some of the classic cross country trails is the roughly 13.5-km with 360-m gain loop of Old Baldy Trail to Horseshoe Canyon Trail to Plateau Trail, over to Mystery Trail, and then Lower Mystery Trail to the start of the downhill-only, black-diamond Last Grizzly. As you climb Horseshoe Canyon, you’ll have views of the prairie 600 m below. On Last Grizzly, you’ll enjoy the fun, tight turns on the way down. If you’re not riding black-diamond trails yet, then hit Mazama Drop for its descent. Mazama is named after a volcano in Oregon that deposited a blanket of ash in the area when it erupted 7,700 years ago. The 670 Collective found that ash beneath the surface as they built the trail.
Another shorter and easier loop option is the approximately 5.7-km-long and 200-m-gain ride connecting the recently developed, machine-built trails of Cougar Ridge, Badger Grind, Firerock and Old Baldy. This shorter loop will
provide smooth riding and great views of the surrounding area from the top of Old Baldy. The ride down to the campground is quick and fun, with numerous bermed turns.
At the end of the day, if you still have some energy, swing by the pump track located at the visitor centre parking lot or head straight to the Camp Cookhouse nearby to try the delicious Italian burger and sample a Medicine Hat-brewed craft beer, Travois, that donates 25 cents f rom every sale at the Cookhouse to the 670 Collective. Jacques Leblanc, one of the founders of Travois, was the club’s first president.
During the second day at Elkwater, focus on the recently sanctioned downhill trails at the Hidden Valley Ski Resort. Keep in mind that the trails may be located on the ski hill, but they are not being developed by the resort itself, so there is no lift access. The pedal up is relatively quick from the visitor centre. There are green, blue and black flow lines, two to three black tech lines and a black jump line. The blue flow line, recently named Canadiana, offers smooth riding, high berms and intermediate-level jumps. The trail is perfect for those just starting to ride these types of trails.
Elkwater, particularly the new ski hill trail network, is a superb option for your next bike trip. Cypress Hills Provincial Park offers a large selection of family-friendly riding, singletrack cross country trails and roughly six new downhill trails. Also, make sure to pick up a membership to the 670 Collective. The group has done so much for the trails, so do help it out after you take in the great riding.
Details
How to get there
Elkwater is a 45-minute drive southeast of Medicine Hat. Take the Trans-canada Highway east and then turn south on Highway 41. Elkwater is less than a fourhour drive from Calgary and a six-hour drive from Edmonton. If four to six hours of driving sounds like too much, break up the trip by stopping an hour earlier to ride at Redcliff, a desert-riding location to the northwest of Medicine Hat.
Where to stay
The Elkwater Lake Lodge and Resort ( elkwaterlakelodge.com) is the place for hotel-like accommodation. One of the best features of Elkwater is the camping. Seven campgrounds offer a large selection of sites that are connected to the trail network. You do not have to start your vehicle in Elkwater to reach the trails. Do check out the provincial website ( albertaparks.ca) to find available camping before arriving.
Where to eat
Since Elkwater is a small community, it has only a few places to grab a bite. Fortunately, the highly rated Camp Cookhouse ( campcookhouseandgeneral store.com) is located near the main parking area for riders. The convenience is amazing: after a ride, rack up the bikes and head over to the patio.
For coffee, wraps, paninis and pizza, you can go to 12–34 Café and Pub ( 12-34cafeandpub.com). Located next door is the Elkwater Fuel Stop, where you can get groceries, especially ice cream, and a small selection of camping gear.
Where to shop
For everything biking related check out Gravity Sports ( gravity-sports. business.site) and Cyclepath ( cyclepathmedhat.ca) in Medicine Hat before arriving in Elkwater. Both are great shops with a large selection of bikes, parts and gear.