Trails

Alice Lake Provincial Park

Difficulty Level: Physically moderate/ Technically moderate.

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Season: Trails within Alice Lake Provincial Park are closed to bikes May to September. They make excellent early and late season riding, however. Just outside the park boundries the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association has built a network of singletrack that forms part of the Test of Metal race course and is open year round (when free of snow, at least).

Synopsis: The terrain around Alice Lake offers some excellent singletrack riding. Here a network of trails snake their way through a beautiful moss covered forest, stretching from the park to Garibaldi Highlands in Squamish.

Trailhead Access: From Squamish, drive north on Highway 99 for about 9.5 km to the Alice Lake turnoff (47.5 km south from Whistler). The turnoff is well marked with blue and white Provincial Park signs. Turn east off the highway and drive a short distance to where the road splits at the main entrance to the park. I usually bear left, towards the RV sani-station, where a small parking lot sits right beside the trailhead of the Four Lakes Trial. During the summer, continue up the road, which will turn to dirt, to the biker's billboard under the hydro lines. There is a good map here.

The Ride: The Four Lakes trail loops through the park, and is only open to bikes October through April. There are many trails just outside the park boundries, however.

Climbing above the biker's billboard leads to Made in the Shade, a nasty switchback descent to the banks of the Cheekeye river and the Deadend Loop. Or follow the hydro road to Cliff's Corners and Rob's Corners, two fast, twisty downhills. South from the park Jack's Trail leads right into Squamish.

In addition, the forested area across the highway from the park enterance, known as the Cheekeye Fan, is filled with trails.