SilverStar Bike Park - A Rush On Some Terrific Trails

The absurdly gifted environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy thinks often about ‘sense of place,” that feeling we have when we know we belong within a specific habitat, that priceless experience of being settled.

Moss won’t gather and roots wont grow under the feet of Nancy Shields. Just following her on Instagram (@nochancenanc) shows she is constantly trekking with a camera dangling from her neck.

I ride a road bike. But what I’m not good at is mountain biking. I need to see an obstacle way in advance so I can calculate my options. Left or right of a pebble on the shoulder of a road is about all I can handle.

Tucked away in the Kootenays, Rossland is a buzzing ski town that still has a very quiet off season through the summer months. But the hidden gem keeps the trails fresh and abundant for those who decide to explore them. 

Whether it’s coasting past the ocean on a cruiser bike, or experiencing an adrenaline rush while kicking up some dirt on a mountain bike, Vancouver Island is an ideal place to hop on a bike and take in everything the area has to offer. 

Visiting Sooke felt like being a tourist in my own town. It’s only 45 minutes away from where I grew up, and there’s no place I feel more at home than the west coast of southern Vancouver Island.

The Cypress Hills rise 600 metres above the surrounding prairies making them the highest point between the Canadian Rockies and the East Coast. The unique mix of climate, geography, and ecosystems create a home for an extensive diversity of plants and animals. The entire area is also steeped in rich history with archeological evidence confirming human habitation as far back as 8,500 years.

#OkanaganExploring Sipping his morning pick-me-up out of a coffee mug featuring a photo of his family, Sun Country Cycles owner Ricardo Smith was gracious enough to meet me as I began my Vernon cycling journey. I arrived first thing in the morning and the Sun Country parking lot was already full of customers - either dropping off their bikes to get serviced or picking up rentals like me.

With our rental bikes loaded on the back of our SUV, we headed out from Kootenay Mountain Works bike shop eager to take on the Community Forest everyone was raving about in Cranbrook. As we neared Cranbrook, we turned north from the city towards the Eager Hill trailhead. We were immediately greeted with a sun-kissed hillside of blooming wildflowers and the scent of Ponderosa pine.