FATMAP by Strava
Nearly at the top of the climb

Ride the Smith Creek Classics

West Kelowna's premier trail network is worth the hype!

Mountain Biking Difficult

Nearly at the top of the climb
Nearly at the top of the climb Photo: Charlie Boscoe

Description

With a beautiful and well-maintained ascent route accessing a collection of stunning singletrack trails, Smith Creek biking is as good as it gets. The area is easily accessed from West Kelowna and it's a popular zone, but the fact that all the trails wander around the forests mean that you can always find some peace. There are no bottlenecks, and once you leave the parking lot there's plenty of space for everyone.

When you first start riding at Smith Creek it can seem like a bit of a maze, but once you grasp the basic layout it's easy enough to find your way around. Listing and detailing every trail and variation would make this guidebook truly maze-like, so we've stuck to describing the 3 main descent routes from the top of the Holy Pail uptrack (Smith Creek's main ascent route), plus an additional bonus trail (Soul Train) on the upper part of the area. None of the trails described in here are overly difficult but all have sustained interest and - if you're feeling brave - the possibility to get some serious air! All of the jumps and drops are completely avoidable on all the Smith Creek trails, so you can tailor these rides to suit your ability level.

Once you've ticked off these 4 lines you should have a good grasp of what Smith Creek is all about, and still have plenty more exploration to do on the countless shorter trails and variations. Even once they're done, there's still a lifetime of riding to be done elsewhere in Kelowna, including at nearby Rose Valley. So much riding, so little time!

Routes included

Related guidebooks