City’s first mountain bike park taking shape in river valley thanks to community …

feepa · #1 Posted **Sep 19, 2025, 10:11 PM**

https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/...river-valley-thanks-to-community-effort/

Quote:

Volunteers have dedicated some 1,800 hours this summer to building Edmonton’s first mountain bike park at the site of the former wastewater treatment plant in Queen Elizabeth Park.

The $1.2-million facility, which organizers are hopeful will open in July 2026, will consist of an asphalt surface pumptrack, multiple dirt jump lines, flow trails, and skills areas, and a rest area.

ExcaliburKid · #2 Posted **Sep 19, 2025, 10:21 PM**

Asphalt pump track is great, my kids will love that! Need a couple more of those around the city, they're great fun!

Calgarian · #3 Posted **Oct 10, 2025, 9:31 PM**

Very cool, how much vertical do you get there?

Airboy · #4 Posted **Oct 14, 2025, 5:35 PM**

Not much but the photo is taken from the op just below the MUP. The trails around this are also being redone.

EMBA also has a Snowdog this year to groom winter trails in Terwilliger and eventually some others.

feepa · #5 Posted **Oct 14, 2025, 7:41 PM**

20-30 meters but we are using all of it very thoughtfully

Calgarian · #6 Posted **Oct 17, 2025, 3:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by feepa

20-30 meters but we are using all of it very thoughtfully

The river valley is much deeper than that though isn't it, more like 150m? I would assume this is a limited site with it being an old water treatment plant. I've heard nothing but good things about the MTB trails in Edmonton, lots of fun trails and some good features.

Harrison · #7 Posted **Oct 17, 2025, 5:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

The river valley is much deeper than that though isn't it, more like 150m? I would assume this is a limited site with it being an old water treatment plant. I've heard nothing but good things about the MTB trails in Edmonton, lots of fun trails and some good features.

Not quite, the river level is around 600M ASL (if I recall correctly) while Downtown is around 665M, so around 60-70M deep generally.

Calgarian · #8 Posted **Oct 18, 2025, 4:23 PM**

Still enough to have fun, and if you can lap it you can get into some proper vertical.

feepa · #9 Posted **Oct 20, 2025, 2:28 PM**

We dont go to the top of the bank though, or right to the bottom of the river. Theres 20-30 meters within the bike park of elevation.

The river valley is at max 60 meters, and thats right to the river from the very top. Theres no way its 150m at any point.

Calgarian · #10 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 4:20 AM**

Can't remember how I came up with the 150 number, think I googled it and they gave me the total elevation difference in Edmonton. Either way, you don't need a huger vertical to have fun trails.

Do any of the ski hills in Edmonton do mountain biking?

feepa · #11 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 2:24 PM**

rabbit hill used to do lift service but that was easily over a decade ago since they stopped.

feepa · #12 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 2:25 PM**

150 might have been the man-made ski hill jump that used to go over connors road long agao?

Calgarian · #13 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 2:44 PM**

Looking at this topography map, you have to go out to Sherwood Park to get 150m above the river.

https://en-ca.topographic-map.com/map-sg...%2C-113.49014&popup=53.4047%2C-113.23677

feepa · #14 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 3:24 PM**

Rabbit Hill comes close (In magrath) at 714 M asl. Its in the SW

https://en-ca.topographic-map.com/map-sg...5194&zoom=14&popup=53.44677%2C-113.55954

and in case you wanted to see the 'bike park' elevation, its https://en-ca.topographic-map.com/map-sg...9736&zoom=18&popup=53.44677%2C-113.55954
basically, everything inside the multi-use path perimeter and the river bank edge.

Airboy · #15 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 4:45 PM**

Devon MTB Park has more elevation gain than Edmonton

Calgarian · #16 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 5:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by feepa

rabbit hill used to do lift service but that was easily over a decade ago since they stopped.

I think COP in Calgary is the only lift access MTB in the entire province currently, and that blows my mind with how popular the sport has become. I get why Lake Louise, Marmot and Sunshine don't do lift access, but some of the smaller hills definitely should. I know Castle Mountain has it in their long term plans, but that would be of little benefit to Edmontonians...

feepa · #17 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 5:50 PM**

thought nitepark in GP did

Airboy · #18 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 5:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calgarian

I think COP in Calgary is the only lift access MTB in the entire province currently, and that blows my mind with how popular the sport has become. I get why Lake Louise, Marmot and Sunshine don't do lift access, but some of the smaller hills definitely should. I know Castle Mountain has it in their long term plans, but that would be of little benefit to Edmontonians...

LL tried it out once in the 80s. But for the big hills its cost prohibitive. and at the time the Parks and GoA did not allow the lifts to run in the summer for safety reasons. Norquay could be the best set up for it. Sunshine is a relatively protected area in the summer. Lake louse hosted a few races in the 80s. (The attack of the killer bees seems to come to mind. Nakiska hosted 1 downhill but no lift access. There were a couple of serious injuries so they never did it again.

The Nordic Centre is the only one that had regular DH races. But you had to hike up back then. Its when we used or regular bikes. long before the DH bikes became so specalised. Hinton XC Nordic Centre also had DH but again it was shuttle rides like Base Line.

And Long before the Death race Grande Cache hosted a race for a few years where you would get shuttled to the radio tower then race downhill then transition to cross country to finish in town at the rec centre. And Nordegg did some very early DH races in the 80s and 90s. Edson Silver summit had lift access a bit as well. but I never got out there. I had either retired from racing or was spending my time racing the BC Cups and Canada cups.

feepa · #19 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 6:12 PM**

I didn't think it was safety reasons that prevents LL and Sunshine, etc from operating lifts, in fact, both have summer lift operations for hikers and tourism, but bikes are not allowed. I believe they want to keep the usage down in the summer to allow the parks to be ... parks. I get it, but also, ughh.. would be great to have some lift assist mtb there.

Nordegg is now doing shuttle service up black mountain. Pretty good trail network out there theyve started.

Calgarian · #20 Posted **Oct 24, 2025, 7:10 PM**

I think it's Parks Canada that prevents MTB trails on the 4 resorts in Banff / Jasper, all are very busy with wildlife and the disturbance of cutting trails through wouldn't be good for that. Also very cost prohibitive as was said.

We have Moose Mountain in Bragg Creek for shuttling, and organizations like Alberta 66 Mountain Biking that offer shuttle services, was fortunate enough to get in on a corporate shuttle day this summer, much fun!