Is there a better province to ride in than British Columbia? From the finest mountains in the world, to the deep, lush forests covering the whole province, it was hard to narrow down our list to only 10 of the best offroad trails to ride in BC.
The trails we cover today feature ghost towns, Olympic tracks, salmon bakes, abandoned mines, some of the best views you’ll ever see, or heck… maybe just some mud!
Here are 10 of the best offroad trails in BC.
North Island 1000
This trail works its way around the north half of Vancouver Island. It’s incredible with absolutely stunning scenery!
As its name suggests, this trail is 1000 kilometres long. At a moderate pace, this trail can take 5 days to complete.
You’ll get a wide range of terrains, and riding difficulties.
This is a trail you are going to want to take your time on. As you ride down the trail don’t be afraid to stop and take in the rich history and stunning beauty of the area.
North Island 1000, is suitable for any size of offroad vehicles.
Due to the length of this adventure, we would recommend carrying and using a GPS tracker. This way, as you explore, you can always be sure that you are on the right track to your destination.
Geographically it’s nowhere near the celebrated trails in the mountains. However, there’s definitely an argument to be made that this is the best offroad trail in BC. If you want to learn more, there is an excellent article on the North Island 1000 from UTV distance-jumping world record holder Al McBeth here.
Tabor Mountain Trails
The Tabor Mountain Trails are located about 20 minutes east of Prince George.
There’s around 407 km of combined trail in the area, with 27 staging areas. While much of the trail is wide-open, you can expect to encounter plenty of mud along the way.
Many of the trails took form as a result of fireguards and logging after the Grove Fire of 1961. These trails, now maintained by the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society, have been used for various recreational purposes, such as horseback riding and cross country skiing for over 60 years.
Orofino mountain
The trails around Orofino mountain, in the Okanagan Valley, have plenty of mining history surrounding the riding areas.
In the middle of the great depression in 1934, for a short period of time, this area was an economic force in the south Okanagan.
Unfortunately the boom didn’t last.
Now, nature has largely taken over, but you can still see small remnants of what once was.
Many of the best offroad trails in BC feature gorgeous lakes where you can go for a swim, cast a hook into the water or simply stop to take in the amazing views.
Riding the trails around Orofino Mountain, you can experience all of it.
The trails will take you by Taylor Lake, Sawmill Lake, Madden Lake and Ripley Lake.
Gold bridge
The trails around the small community of Gold Bridge are as expansive as the history around it.
While Gold Bridge only has a population of 40, they actually aren’t the least populated town in the area…
Just a short trip south can take you to the ghost town of Bradian, which is a suburb of the former gold mining town of Bralorne!
The cliffs overlooking BC’s beautiful lakes are another highlight. Just like other trails in the once gold-rich areas, you’ll see some mining relics from the past!
The Gold Bridge Valley is a multi-use trail, so bring out your dirt-bike, quad, UTV or your horse to enjoy the beautiful nature of this mountain community!
Blackcomb mountain
Canadian Wilderness Adventures offers guided ATV tours through the wide open trail up Blackcomb Mountain!
Beginners, couples and families will love these rides. These tours aren’t the place to go full send into the mud. What you will get is a relaxing ride where you’ll have the time to take in some of the most beautiful views this country has to offer while you’re thousands of feet up in the air!
On the Salmon Bake Tour, you experience one of the most unique ATV’ing adventures that takes place in Whistler.
You’ll take a ride up Blackcomb Mountain, and once you’re at about 6,000 feet of elevation, you’ll stop at Crystal Hut. Here you’ll be greeted with a delicious meal of salmon, local vegetables and a fruit pie for dessert. There will even be live entertainment, helping you round out your experience.
On your way back on the “Mountain Explorer Tour”, you’ll even drive by the Sliding Center from the 2010 Winter Olympics which hosted the Skeleton, Luge, and Bobsleigh events in the historical winter games.
Bear creek OHV Riding Area
Located less than half an hour north of Kelowna, Bear Creek is the largest motorized recreation area in BC, spanning over 85 000 acres!
The trail system is well-maintained by the Okanagan Trail Riders Organization.
There’s plenty of looped trails built for riders with different levels of experience. Whether you ride a dirt-bike, quad or UTV, you’ll have a fun day of riding!
The destination provides two staging areas. The Aspen Trail Head has a large pull-through parking lot, over 40 developed camping sites, toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and a “unique bear claw kiosk.” The Burke Trail Head also has toilets, an information kiosk as well as 9 additional campsites.
Christina Falls Riding Area
Located 2 ½ hours west of Fort St.John, this trail perfectly represents the riding you’ll find in Northern BC.
There’s no gimmicks here, if you like mud, this is one of the best offroad trails in BC for you.
Be sure to have a winch handy, deep mudholes force you to send it right through the muskeg terrain.
On your ride, you might want to hop off your OHV for a bit to take in the views at Fossil Falls and Whiteman Falls.
This location is remote, and can be accessed by the recreation site at Crying Girl Prairie. Cell service is spotty, so never ride alone and always have a backup plan.
Telkwa Pass
The Telkwa Pass was awarded a silver for “most scenic ATV route” and a bronze for being the “most challenging ATV area” in the 2012 Riders West magazine’s “Riders Choice Awards.”
This is minimally a full day ride. Steep climbs and drastic descents make Telkwa’s Pass a bit of a rollercoaster at times, especially when the trail is wet.
This ride is adventurous, you’ll see peaks and valley’s, lakes and waterfalls, wide-open forest service roads to claustrophobic narrow paths.
This trail is pretty remote, meaning that you might encounter plenty of wildlife from grizzly bears to moose.
Sproat Mountain
Sproat Mountain Lookout helped Revelstoke win the Riders West Magazine Platinum Award for Favourite Overall ATV’ing Area.
Staging at Akolkolex Forest Service Road is around a half an hour out of Revelstoke. The ride out to the Lookout can take a while, but it’s a relatively short trip considering the destination.
The lookout is one of the most social media picture worthy places you can find on the trail.
In one day, you can take a ride, show off the views on Facebook, then hop off at the summit, have some lunch and hit one of the hiking trails!
The loose rocks and steep hills mean that this ride is not for beginners. Ride within your limits. Only experienced, expert riders should ride this trail!
Canoe Mountain
Starting at the bottom of the valley, you’ll take an old forest service road system all the way to the top of the mountain. At it’s peak, you’ll have travelled over 8 000 feet to the top.
As you can probably guess, this trail doesn’t really suit those with a fear of heights very well.
From there, you can take in the unobstructed panoramic views all around you, take a hike on one of the short trails to see the beauty of nature in the area with alpine lakes and beautiful flowers.
Potentially the biggest photography opportunity on this whole list is the view you’ll get of Mt.Robson, the tallest mountain in the Rockies at 3 964 feet.
Where else in the world can you get an unobstructed view of a mountain so tall?
Before You Head Out
Be sure to research the trails before you go.
Make sure you have the proper permits and insurance to legally ride the trails. Many of these trails require passes/permits to ride. Also make sure to check that your machine meets the specifications the trail requires.
Don’t ride in BC? Check out our Best Trails in Alberta blog here or keep an eye out for blogs on other provinces in the future!
Any trip could throw unexpected curveballs. Run-ins with nature or sudden weather changes can happen. It’s important to be prepared, check out our Riding Checklist here.
What do you think of our list? Send us your favourite riding pics from BC on our Facebook or Instagram!
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