Now that the Province of Albert charges most visits to Kananaskis Park, I concluded the best place to park was in the small Bragg Creek Provincial Park, located on the Elbow River a kilometre or so south west of the Bragg Creek village. West Bragg Creek Provincial Recreation Area is within the Kananaskis zone so you need to have an annual or day pass to park there.
I had set up my gravel bike with just one bottle as I would be carrying 1.5litres or two bottles worth of energy drink in my hydration pack. For snacks I had a mix of gels, bars, a cheese sandwich and two homemade brownies. I estimated I would be riding for 6 hours and would consume a bottle per two hours as the weather was moderately cool for the time of year. Cool enough for me to wear arm warmers at the start.
The circuit I had planned was adapted from a route I had ridden the previous summer of just gravel and asphalt that was 30km longer. My shortened route would follow the Tom Snow multi-use trail from Dawson Provincial Recreation Area through to the West Bragg Creek Recreation Area. This would give me around 24km mountain bike trail instead of 58km of gravel and asphalt but I had no accurate idea how fast I would be able to cover the mountain bike terrain; I guessed it would take me 2 hours but I now know I underestimated the technicality of that terrain.
After a false start when I realized I was headed down the road and hadn’t actually loaded my bike, I still managed to reach the start and set off at before 9:30am. The air was cool, around 12⁰C, but the sun was out and the forecast was good. Even so, I had a lightweight waterproof tucked in my hydration pack pocket just in case of thunderstorms.
My route up the Elbow Valley was familiar and I knew that once I started climbing on Highway 66 I just had to be patient. For some reason, my Garmin computer gave a waypoint 39km away, which seemed much further than I remembered to the end of the asphalt road. Numerous cars passed me on their way to recreation areas further west as I got into my rhythm. Pickups and SUVs carrying mountain bikes were much in evidence. I passed a pair of riders who had halted to admire the view of the high mountains ahead of us and was overtaken by a guy on a road bike who pulled away from me on a downhill even though I was hitting 60kph.
Expecting to have to ride another 10km, I was surprised to see the sign for Forgetmeknot Pond and my turning for the Powderface Trail in front of me. The road biker continued towards the Pond while I started off up the gravel climb. By then it was 11am and the sun was directly behind me, heating my black cycling shorts. I faced a stiff 6km climb to the first of three 1800m peaks on the Powderface Trail, that I noted had been regraded since opening in mid-May. Perhaps because it was a Friday in late August, there was more vehicular traffic than I had experienced previously; Subarus, Jeeps and trucks but also minivans and saloons.
Powderface Trail follows the line of valley formed between mountain folds aligned south east to northwest and you are always on the eastern flank. Consequently, there are open views to the higher ridges to your left but forest continually obscures any views to the right. At the first highpoint is a small parking area for a handful of cars giving access to a hiking trail. The road afterwards drops, robbing you of 140m of elevation before a second climb to 1800m. Beyond that high point is a drop down to the scenic valley formed by Canyon Creek which certainly had more water running than in the summer of 2024.
The Kananaskis British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Memorial, sits atop of a small rise that gives a wonderful vista to the south of the higher Rocky Mountains. Continuing northward, you climb back up to 1800m before you can enjoy 15km of downhill gravel. In places, I had to slow down because of washboarding, and in a couple of places the road margins were falling away. Oddly, I didn’t see much wildlife on my journey, just ravens and a Grey Jay. The were special warnings for bears but I saw no evidence until much later and that was only scat on the path.
I reached my turning for Dawson Recreation area after 3½ hours so should have been thirty minutes ahead of schedule but now faced an unknown mountain bike track. Having been used to riding a gravel road wide enough for two cars to pass, I immediately cycled past the entrance to the Tom Snow Trail. This was an easy mistake as the single-track trail disappeared into the trees at a wooden post marked with a small orange tag and a Trans-Canada Trail sign.
I may have made another mistake only 300m along the trail as my Garmin Route suggested following the Cox Hill Trail at the start and this took me to a creek crossing with misplaced stepping stones. Another route continued downstream a few hundred metres and may have had better stones or even a bridge. I had been warned I might get wet but hadn’t expected to do so quite so soon. There was no way I could stay on the slippery rocks in mountain bike shoes and I was soon in water 40cm deep.
Had I thought about it, I would have remembered my gear shift was electric as I dragged the bike across the flow. The big 45mm tires wanted to drag the bike downstream and the rear derailleur was likely under water. I have seen photos of mountain bikers mid-stream riding across that section but it was not doable that day. Anyway, I was none the worse for wear, apart from the soakers, and set off again, relieved that my gear change worked fine on the next uphill slope.
After an initial steep ramp the trail levelled out and meandered through the forest on a pleasant grassy path where I occasionally had to avoid rocks or deadfall but otherwise managed 12 to 20kph. Where the forest opened out into a gorgeous green meadow, I was hyper-aware of bears knowing this was terrain they loved but I saw nothing so enjoyed the simple beauty and the quiet. Nowhere was the trail here wider than a single bike. Further east, I entered an open area of clearcut, brightened by bright pink fireweed. The ground here was firm and sandy and was a delight to ride.
Six kilometres along the trail, I intersected a forest service road that branched off from the Jumpingpound recreation area access road. Here, you are faced with a bridge over a creek but the way is barred with a sign indicating public land is only to the east side of the bridge. Consequently, the Tom Snow Trail crossing is pedantically positioned 20m downstream. No one in their right mind would ford across mud and water on this trail when they could duck under the barrier, cross on the bridge and then rejoin the trail further south.
However, having crossed the bridge, I saw no obvious cut-back to the trail through the forest. I cycled along the road some 100m until the wood opened into a meadow but still couldn’t find the Tom Snow Trail. There seemed to be marker posts along the grass but no one had ridden or trodden this way recently. I concluded hikers and riders must have remained on the private road for another 200m to where the trail was obvious as it reentered the forest. There, the trail had clearly been used more recently.
The next 15 km were the slowest of the entire ride with my speed dropping to 5 to 15kph. The terrain became steeper and the route was often on the flank of a hill with the drop-off to the right. This was classic mountain bike routing through a forest with numerous short dips and, steep climbs. On three occasions the ramps were too steep to ride but I only had to walk up three 3 metres or so of track. In darker parts of the forest, hollows still retained sticky mud or puddles but were always negotiable.
Occasionally, the sound of gun fire from the Buffalo Target range could be heard away to my left, but this receded the more I headed south eastwards. Where the trees thinned , I was given fine views of what I guessed was Moose Mountain though I was never sure of this identification.
Finally, I saw a sign to West Bragg Creek but the distance was still 9km that would take me almost an hour at the speed I was travelling. My arms were aching from pulling the handlebars on the climbs and my shoulders and neck were aching from the jarring descents. Front suspension would have helped considerably! Although I had expected the profile to go steadily downhill towards West Bragg Creek, this was never the case as there were frequent short climbs, dips and twists. This probably made the route more fun for mountain bikers from West Bragg Creek but at the end of a long ride I was finding the going tough.
Some of the worst rocks, tree roots, ruts and mud were in this heavily-used trail to West Bragg Creek. When I eventually passed a family group stopped on the trail I thought I must be nearly finished, but I found the way blocked for maintenance work. A less direct route took me down to the West Bragg Creek parking area where, mercifully, the road was flat and paved. The 24km of mountain bike trail had taken me almost 2½ hours and I am not sure I could have ridden it much faster or saved much time as I only stopped for obstacles and a few photos.
From West Bragg Creek Provincial Recreation Area, the 13km ride back to my car was straightforward and gave me a chance to steady my heartrate to something more reasonable. I finished in an elapsed time of 6:23 hours with a moving time of 5:55 although I can’t actually remember any stops of more than for a couple of minutes! This is one tough ride and should only be undertaken by those with some experience of mountain biking terrain. Also, you need to be aware of bears and take whatever precautions you are comfortable with, be that travelling in a group and/or carrying bear spray. There is no cell phone cover for almost all of this route.