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Pacific Spirit Regional Park Bike Trails, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Pacific Spirit Regional Park has many bike trails, and they are all pretty easy, and suitable for the whole family. I have cycled there with family members ranging in age from 10 to 71. This video gives you a 15-second taste!
Surfaces: mainly off road trail, mainly smooth, some compressed gravel, mostly single track, some short sections are paved
Distance: varies depending on which bike trails you choose to follow; can be very short or very long; there are maps of the trails at most access points
Difficulty level: easy
Safety level: safe for the whole family in terms of cycling – BUT 53-year-old Wendy Ladner-Beaudry was murdered while jogging through the southeast part of the park at around mid-day in 2009. The killing remains unsolved, so it is probably safer NOT to go alone, and definitely not to go alone at night
Type of bike required: any kind, but a hybrid or mountain bike would be best
Suitable for: bikes, trikes, strollers and walking. Would be very difficult with wheelchairs
Congestion: moderate to low, depending on when you go – cyclists need to watch out for joggers
Getting there from downtown: Cross the Burrard Street Bridge and travel south on Burrard until you reach 16th Avenue. Turn right (west) on 16th Avenue and travel approximately 10 minutes through the city. At Blanca Avenue you will enter the University of British Columbia Endowment Lands. The entrance to Pacific Spirit Park is on the right hand side.
Average Joe Cyclist Rating: Gold Bike-Star for gentle, relaxing cycling with the fresh smell of trees in your nose – a slice of country side right in the city
Here’s a video of one of our bike rides through Pacific Spirit Park:
This is a map of our enjoyable ride through Pacific Spirit Park. There are many more bike trails that we have not yet cycled.
This map shows where the park is.
Pacific Spirit Regional Park in Vancouver offers excellent cycling options for trail bikers who aren’t ready for (or who simply are not interested in) the technical challenges of North Shore mountain trails). I have cycled there with family members ranging in age from 10 to 71.
The park includes a variety of landscapes including ocean beaches, upland forest and fragile bog. It has over 73 km of hiking trails, and over 50 km of equestrian trails. It is managed by Metro Vancouver.
We set of to explore the maze of varied bike trails available in the Pacific Spirit Regional Park on a blazingly hot day in summer, and were relieved to be able to cycle in the comparative cool offered by the endless canopy of lush green trees.
Note that only some of the trails are designated for cyclists, so keep an eye on the signs. The trails further to the north are much steeper as the hill from UBC descends to Spanish Banks Beach. So if you’re less than a super athlete, you might want to start on the more southern side.
Even on the southern side, there are plenty of uphills to give you a good workout. Some trails are gravel, others much more natural, studded with rocks and tree roots to make things more interesting. There are also a few benches along the way, so take along a picnic lunch if you want to make a day of it.
Trails in Pacific Park
- Heron Trail is 1.2 km long, 1.5 m wide at minimum with minimal slopes. The trail surface is semi-firm (packed gravel).
- Imperial Trail is 1.8 km long, minimum 3 m wide, with up to a 20% grade change. The trail surface is semi-firm (packed gravel).
- Cleveland Trail is 1.2 km long, minimum 1 m wide, semi-firm gravel surface with minimal slopes north of W. 16th Street. There is up to a 25% slope south of 16th Street.
All in all, a great collection of cycling trails for beginner to intermediate trail riders.
Here are many more great bike trails.
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Pacific spirit is pretty excellent! Lots of hidden gems in there to find. And it’s freakin’ huge!
You’re right, Alex. Been there a few times and still just scratching the surface. Every ride is different. Next I want to take my daughter there, and have a picnic with her (she only cycles for Subway).
A Beautiful forest I like. Thank you.
I hope you get to see it one day!
I don’t have a mountain bike but am intetested in trying this trail. I currently ride a Giant Roam, a hybrid bike with a front suspension system. Should this be okay for this trail?
In my opinion that would be just fine 🙂