Whistler Valley & Whistler Bike Park
Mountain Bike Trail Guide
Whistler sees more visitors in the summer than it does in the winter - but how can that be possible? What’s the draw for folks when the snow is gone? The answer: mountain biking. The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is legendary, known as the single best bike park in the world. Riders from all corners of the globe dream of making their pilgrimage to this dirt church. What makes Whistler so special? A lot of things really. From the quality of the dirt to the sheer number of trails, Whistler is certainly well deserving of its reputation. One of the greatest parts about mountain biking in Whistler is the overwhelming variety. It’s not just a mountain for the pros, though there are certainly many professional mountain bikers that call it home - especially during Crankworx, which is one of the largest mountain bike festivals in the world. There are mountain bike trails for riders of all ability levels, making Whistler a wonderful destination as well as a great place to learn and progress. With that said, the huge variety of Whistler mountain bike trails can be downright overwhelming, so read along and we will help to break down the must hit trails and how to best take advantage of a mountain bike trip to Whistler.| Total Trails | 500+ | Difficulty | Beginner through Expert |
| Total Distance | 350+ miles | Total Vertical | 7,010' |
Parking & Directions
Lodging
What Bike To Bring
Typical Weather & Conditions
Whistler Bike Park
While there are great mountain bike trails all over the Whistler Valley, the scene revolves around the bike park, and it certainly does not disappoint. 5 ski lifts service the 68 total trails in the Whistler Bike Park that descend over the nearly 5,000’ of vertical drop. This may be overwhelming at first, but they make it very easy to navigate and to choose which trails to ride. The Whistler Bike Park trail difficulty ratings follow the usual Green Circle through Double Black Diamond system, and also designate each trail “freeride” or “tech.” This means that there are no surprises and you know exactly what to expect when you drop in. Breaking down the lingo, freeride trails have a smooth flowy surface along with jumps and machine built features, while tech trails are more raw and natural, filled with roots and rocks. It’s always a good idea to warm up on some easier trails at any downhill mountain bike park, but especially at Whistler. It’s worth noting that the trails here are long and physical, often harder than their difficulty level equivalent trails in other areas.There are four main area within the Whistler Bike Park: Fitzsimmons, Garbanzo, Peak, and Creekside. Each of the trails in the Whistler Bike Park has its merits, which means the best way to explore is often just going out and riding what you stumble upon. The great signage allows you to do this without getting in over your head, too. That said, there are certainly some crowd favorite trails, which we’ll explore specifically below.
Fitzsimmons
The Fitzsimmons zone is the lowest and oldest part of the Whistler Bike Park, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it is the most mellow. Some of Whistler’s most famous mountain bike trails like A-Line and Dirt Merchant are in this zone. Accessed by the Fitzsimmons Express lift, this is probably the most diverse zone in the bike park, featuring trails of all different styles and difficulty levels.The Whistler Bike Park’s A-Line trail is perhaps the most famous mountain bike trail in the world. Sure, the flowy jump trail concept may be ubiquitous now, but this is the flowy jump trail to rule them all. Jump after jump of fast high flying fun. Not all riders are ready for jumps this big, but fear not, there are plenty of other great trails in the Fitzsimmons zone. Warm up on the beginner EZ Does It to get your feet under you. If that feels easy move on to Crank It Up and B-Line for more flow, or head over to Ninja Cougar to Karate Monkey to Samurai Pizza Cat, not only for the awesome names, but for fun intermediate tech.
Del Boca Vista and Shady Acres both are good green trails to prep for Ninja Cougar, Karate Monkey and Samurai Pizza Cat. These three trails butt against the edge of A-Line allowing riders to easily mix up their laps or meet with friends of different abilities at each intersection. Riders of all levels love to session these kung fu theatre themed trails. They've been ridden in, smoothed out over the years but just as fun as ever. Filled with perfect berms, tight trees and numerous natural features these allow all riders, even season pros, the ability to get creative with their lines.
Advanced riders have tons of options in this zone for both tech and flow. Look to Upper Angry Pirate, Monkey Hands and Lower Whistler DH for technical riding that challenges even the best riders.
Must Ride Trails:
Beginner: EZ Does It
Intermediate: Angry Pirate, B-Line, Crank It Up, Heart Of Darkness, Samurai Pizza Cat
Advanced: A-Line, Monkey Hands, Fade To Black
Expert: Clown Shoes, Canadian Open Course, Dirt Merchant, Joyride, Tech Noir, Crabapple Hits, Dwayne Johnson
Our Favorite Helmets For Whistler
Garbanzo
Once you’ve warmed up in the Fitzsimmons zone, the longer, steeper, and rockier Garbanzo zone awaits. This areas is suitable for strong intermediate riders and above. Situated higher up the mountain you can ride these trails down into the Fitzsimmons zone. Blue Velvet is a great flow trail with tons of rollable features and big berms, both natural dirt and some wooden ones, too. Freight Train is a Garbo classic. Fast and full of jumps and features advanced riders will not want to miss this one. No Joke splits off Freight Train for some more tech but is still fast. Speaking of tech, Original Sin is one of the best out there, with a way more natural techy feel. For expert riders, No Duff has some awesome and steep rock rolls.Must Ride Trails:
Intermediate: Blue Velvet
Advanced: Freight Train, Original Sin
Expert: No Duff
Peak
Depending on what type of riding you like to do, the Whistler Bike Park’s Peak zone may be the crown jewel of the entire bike park. With stunning alpine views and a 5,000’ descent to the valley below the Peak zone is a totally unique bike park experience. This is where the famous Top Of The World trail is. Drop in here for stellar views and even better riding - the name does not disappoint. The trails up here are black diamond tech trails, so if you’re looking for flow, stick to the lower mountain.Top of the world brough access to all the technical trails on the southeast side of the valley. Kyber, Kush, Kashmir, Ride don't slide, all descend steep old growth and are as raw as they come in Whistler.
Must Ride Trails:
Advanced: Top Of The World
Creekside
The Creekside zone is the newest part of the Whistler Bike Park, descending to the Creekside base area rather than the main Whistler Village. Here there are great tech and flow trails for intermediate and advanced riders. There is sure to be more awesome trail development in Creekside in the future, too. Southpark, Earth Circus, and Insomnia are Blue flow trails, and all a ton of bermy, turny fun. Delayed Fuse, meanwhile is an advanced hand-built trail, meaning techy and raw.Must Ride Trails:
Intermediate: Midgard, Earth Circus
Advanced: Delayed Fuse
Our Favorite Pads For Whistler
Whistler Valley Trails Outside The Bike Park
While most folks visit to ride the chairlifts, there are also some world class trails accessed by pedal power (i.e. you have to pedal up in order to ride down). These range from huge climbs into the beautiful scenic alpine to quick loops close to town. The trails outside the bike park are a great option for riders on trail bikes, or those who enjoy the uphill in addition to riding downhill. The valley trails are just a good option for folks who are looking to avoid the crowds and want to focus on quality over quantity. You won't find any jump trails in the valley but the miles of tech trails are more than double those in the park.Lost Lake Trails
Super close to the Whistler Village, the Lost Lake trail network weaves up and down around Lost Lake, which is a great swimming hole on a hot summer day. The trails here are mostly short and rolling, more suitable for a couple quick laps than a full day. Lost Lake is a great spot for kids and beginners, too. Go get lost in the network (it’s small in size so it’s hard to get actually lost) and ride whatever looks fun!The West Side trails are steep with more rock slabs and less loam than the trails across the valley. The Flank trail runs the length of the valley north and south with multiple options of descents. Starting north Howler is a big climb with a long descent. For those searching for slabs, Green Monster, Rockwork Orange and Kovara Milk Bar have you covered. Further south trails like Pura Vida, Cheep Thrills, High Society and Legalize make for good options to finish Lord of the Squirrels for those looking to maximize as much descending as possible before hitting the valley floor. Or if riders are looking for a less committing ride these trails can be accessed via the Flank at either Function Junction or the Stonebridge neighborhood.
Lord Of The Squirrels Loop
12 Miles | Advaned | 4,380’ Climb/Descent
One of the best trails in Whistler is not in the bike park. Lord Of The Squirrels is a tough physical test, with nearly 4,400’ of climbing, but the reward is great. Make a loop out of this ride by climbing Into The Mystic and On The Rocks, then descend Lord Of the Squirrels. This loop climbs steadily until it breaks into some stunning high alpine meadows, then descends back down through pristine forest. This is a big backcountry ride, so prepare accordingly with food, water, and tools. The trail itself is as good as the scenery. The climb is smooth, but gains a large amount of elevation, the descent is mixed bag of rock rolls, roots and ripping turns. It is very technical.Comfortably Numb
12 Miles | Advanced | 3200’ Climb/Descent
A classic trail of Whistler Valley. Comfortably Numb doesn't see the traffic it once did. Surpassed in popularity by the rugged and raw descents found throughout the valley, the trail is the definition of technical cross country as it winds through old growth. Those looking for the thrill of speed may enjoy looking elsewhere but if cleaning tech punchy climbs and root sections to quick short descents with some slabs mixed in this is a good option if you have a few hours and want to spin the legs. This trail is brutal, but if you can solve its various technical puzzles, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched. The trail is typically ridden from the north end, finishing in the Lost Lake trails near the Whistler Village after descending the Comfortably Numb Foreplay Descent. The climbing is challenging for even the most physically fit riders. There are a couple bailout options - these trails just shorten the ride, they are still very difficult. Rocks, roots, boulders, slabs, this trail has it all. For riders really looking to push it and test their bike handling skills, this is the ultimate arena. Blackcomb Trails
The Blackcomb trails have been adopted into the Valley Trail system in recent years Trails like Dark Crystal, Micro Climate and Hey Bud have become destinations rides after gaining recognition from their time as Enduro World Series stages for the Whistler stop during the Crankworx bike festival. Long lines of sight combined with great flow, through massive old growth make these root and rock infested trails some of the best in all the valley.Dark Crystal
2 Miles | Advanced | 1,800' Descent
Designed to use as much natural terrain as possible, Dark Crystal is what Coastal BC mountain biking is all about. Part of the Blackcomb trail network, next to Microclimate, Dark Crystal is a can’t miss for riders looking for techy fun riding outside of the bikepark. This is not a good option in wet weather due to the abundance of roots and other features that get super slippery. The rest of the time, however, Dark Crystal is a marvel of natural singletrack.
Microclimate
1 Mile | Advanced | 1,269' Descent
Another gem, Microclimate is a super fun descending trail located just outside of the Whistler Village on Blackcomb Mountain. Roots aplenty, Microclimate will challenge your line choice and push riders to find their way through the techy sections. Nowadays this techy style may be called “old-school” but the trail is definitely well designed, giving you the speed to conquer the many obstacles - after all speed is your friend, the faster you go, the more you glide over the roots, bumps, and holes. Advanced riders who want the challenge will love this ride!
Our Favorite Bike Gear For Whistler
Parking and Directions
The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is located on the Whistler Blackcomb ski area, a 90 minute drive from Vancouver and the Vancouver Airport. Since Whistler is such a popular international destination there are plenty of transportation options to get mountain bikers to and from the bikepark, too, even without renting a car. There are several bus and shuttle options, even ones that will haulbikes for no additional cost. Since the bike park can be tough on your own gear, and not everyone owns a downhill bike, renting can be a good idea, and it also makes your travel arrangements easier. Read below for more info on bike rentals, and for a list of transportation services that access the bike park. Once you’ve made it to the Whistler Village, getting around is super easy. With the addition of the Creekside trails, there are now two main base areas for the chairlifts that access the bike park, Whistler Village and Creekside.Lodging
There are countless lodging options for mountain bikers visiting Whistler. It’s hard to beat the convenience of staying in the village, and it’s definitely part of the Whistler experience. There are plenty of hotel and condo options, as well as a lot of rooms available on sites like Airbnb. Due to the popularity of biking here, most lodging options are bike-friendly, with bike storage and other amenities.For mountain bikers on a tighter budget, there are a couple camping options, though most require a drive to get to the trails and bike park. The Riverside Campground is the closest option to town, about a 10 minute pedal away. Farther north in Pemberton the Nairn Falls campground is a good option with more great trail riding nearby. In the opposite direction, there are a handful of campgrounds near Squamish, home to even more awesome riding.
Nairn Falls Campground
Whistler Lodging
Our Favorite Trail Bikes For Whistler
