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Outside Magazine, July 2008

Dispatches: Get Lost
Deluxe Mountain Biking
British Columbia

By Katie Arnold

Chilko Lake, British Columbia | Hut-to-Hut Traverse in Banff National Park | Canoeing in Temagami, Ontario | Cruising in Torngat Mountain National Park Reserve, Labrador | Mountain Biking in British Columbia | City Biking in Quebec | Coastal Trekking in Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick | Canada and the U.S. Recession

Freeriding Vancouver's North Shore? That's so 2002. This year it's all about the singletrack, and the best way to pay homage is by signing on to Sacred Rides' new 11-day epic from Calgary to Vancouver ($4,500; September 6–16; sacredrides.com). From cushy backcountry outposts, visitors tackle B.C.'s most coveted rides, including the seven-mile Roots and Roots Extension, near Island Lake Lodge, in Fernie; a private trail network out the back door at Baldface Lodge; buff alpine singletrack near Revelstoke's Glacier House; and 18 miles of tight, twisty, just-made trails around Shuswap Lake, in Okanagan. The perfect post-ride perk: a real-deal sweat-lodge ceremony at the Quaaout Lodge, a First Nations property on Shuswap's shores. But the highlight comes on day ten, when a floatplane picks you up at the dock of Tyax Resort, on Tyaughton Lake. After buzzing the Chilcotin Mountains, north of Whistler, the pilot drops you off at Spruce Lake for a silky five-hour descent through alpine meadows back to the lodge. You'll understand why it's one of the most sought-after rides in Canada.



Next Page: Quebec

Chilko Lake, British Columbia | Hut-to-Hut Traverse in Banff National Park | Canoeing in Temagami, Ontario | Cruising in Torngat Mountain National Park Reserve, Labrador | Mountain Biking in British Columbia | City Biking in Quebec | Coastal Trekking in Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick | Canada and the U.S. Recession



KATIE ARNOLD is an Outside correspondent.