Mountain Biking Areas and Maps

The Galloping Goose
The Galloping Goose is part of the Trans Canada Trail. It is a multi-use 70 kilometre trail that offers beauty and history. Start in downtown Victoria and ride this easy-grade trail to the hills of Sooke and Leechtown, an abandoned mining site near Sooke. The trail surface is wide (two to four metres) and mostly flat with both paved and unpaved sections. Rural, forested and ocean vistas will accompany your ride. Once in Sooke, ride in Sooke Mountain Park. view map

Sooke Mountains 
Sooke Mountain Park is located in Sooke and can be as challenging as you would like it to be. From Victoria take Highway #14 towards Sooke. Passing a mini-golf playground on your left, take the first right onto Harbour View Road. Follow the road until you reach a gravel parking area. One huge mountain biking playground awaits with logging roads, singletrack and great views.

Hartland 
Located just outside Victoria, Hartland Surplus Lands is the only designated mountain biking area on Vancouver Island. The park is easy to find, but a riding guide is recommended. Riding takes place on the forested hills of Mount Work. From logging roads to extreme drops, the area is riddled with trails and new ones appear almost weekly. In general, the trails tend to be technical; tight singletrack, roots, rocks, logs and drops abound, but Hartland has something for everyone and there are plenty of trails for beginners and intermediate riders along the lower regions of the park. There is also a trials course 100 metres from the entrance.

To get to Hartland, head north on Blanshard Street from downtown Victoria. Blanshard turns into the Pat Bay Highway (Hwy #17). Take the Royal Oak exit, on the right. Turn left at the traffic light onto Royal Oak Drive and then right onto West Saanich Road. From West Saanich Road, turn left onto Hartland Road. Follow Hartland until you get to the entrance for the Hartland Landfill. The parking lot is complete with toilets and an area to wash your bikes after your ride. The trail head is opposite the parking lot.

Burnt Bridge
The area known to mountain bikers as Burnt Bridge won't be found on a map. The nearest reference is Kokisilah Park, about 50 minutes from Victoria. Burnt Bridge is currently an active logging area and trails are
accessed after a 2 hour climb up fire roads. A big yellow gate and a bridge confirm that you are in the right spot. The area is fairly large with some great riding. A guide is recommended. If you are riding low on the hills, choosing the singletrack will take you straight up. For an easier ride, take the fire roads up high into the hills. Be sure to stop and enjoy the views. Follow the single track back down. After your ride, jump off the bridge into the water (the water is deep enough) or swim from the rocky coastline of the river.

To get to Burnt Bridge, take Highway #1 towards Nanaimo. Once on the Malahat, turn left onto Shawnigan Lake Road. After about six to seven kilometres, there is a very obvious left or straight choice, take the left turn towards Camp Pringle and Shawnigan Lake Park. This will take you along the west shore of Shawnigan Lake on West Shawnigan Lake Road. Continue until it ends at a dead end and stop sign at Renfrew Road. Turn left and follow Renfrew Road until it becomes gravel (two kilometres), then it is two kilometres farther to Koksilah Park. Cross the bridge to begin riding.

Bamberton 
To get to Bamberton, take Highway #1 toward Mill Bay. Take the Bamberton Provincial Park turnoff. Drive down and under the highway, turn right and park near the gate. Ride north along the paved private road for about two kilometres. Watch for a logging road that heads up to your left, crossing under the hydro line. You will come to a fork with a large tree marked with trail signs. Take the fork on the right for a couple of short, fast trails that drop back down to the hydro line. The left fork climbs up, up and up.

The climb up the road is tough, with steep sections and loose rock at some points. There are several single track trails off this main road, all of which take you back down to the hydro line. Opt for any of these trails or head up the main road to Hatchet Jack's Lookout. Keep going a little further to Oliphant Lake where you can take a refreshing swim. Head back down on the logging road that circles the lake for an alternate route down. It takes you through some old roads, open grassy areas and single rack, eventually taking you back to the hydro line. You can ride back along the hydro line two kilometres to where you originally came up from, or look for trails that continue down from the hydro line and you will emerge near the other gate, about 100 metres south of where you parked.

Mt. Tzouhalem
Mt. Tzouhalem is a popular riding area just east of Duncan, one hour north of Victoria. An entertaining network of trails including some doubletrack, technical singletrack and some flowing, fast singletracks lead up to the summit. It’s easy to get lost on this network, but tough to get stranded, due to the relatively small size of the area and its proximity to civilization. A guide is recommended.

To get to Mt. Tzouhalem, take Highway #1 to Duncan. Go through town and head east on Trunk Road. When the road forks, keep left. After about one or two kilometres, the road forks again. Keep left again and now you are on Maple Bay Rd. Soon you will be in a neighbourhood of planned communities. Look for a large sign on the right for "The Properties". This is Kingsview Road. Head up the hill and park your car at the foot of the residential development. There are great trails to explore if you begin your cycle trek at the top of the road.

Mt. Washington
Mount Washington Alpine Resort, located up-island near the town of Courtney, opens up as a downhill mountain biking meca in the summer months. Mountain Bike trails for advanced riders start at the top of the mountain and are open from mid July until Thanksgiving, subject to conditions. There is also a Dual Slalom course located adjacent to Mtn Tek.

Full Suspension and preferably long travel bikes are suggested for the advanced trails which include a selection of Shore style drops, ramps, rocks and logs. Bikes can be rented on the mountain, and lessons are available.