Just some good, clean, down-home fun.
Of all the routes we’ve posted on Love Machine so far, I think this one might be my favourite. Definitely worth the trip from the city (#WillTravelForGravel). A great mix of mellow walking trails, riverside dykes, a short road section with a good shoulder, and winding FSRs.
Around kilometre 10, the trail briefly dips under the Trans-Canada Highway. If the river is running high, you might have to get your feet a little wet here, or you can try your luck at traversing across the grassy slope. Once you’ve passed that problem, it should be smooth sailing.
The route continues to follow the Vedder River, before jumping onto the road and passing by On The Way’ country store and Kev’s Hot Dogs. Great spot to stop if you want to grab some snacks and swap stories with the local fishermen. Honestly, some TOP NOTCH bumper stickers for sale here too.
Shortly after, you’ll start to get into some looser-surface FSRs, and gravel roads. The climbs are punchy but they don’t last long, and you’ll get rewarded with a nice descent into Cultus Lake. Heads up, on weekends you’ll run into a few quads and dirtbikes on these roads, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Just experience the local culture.
If you want to skip this section (or go for an early beer at Sidekick Brewing; tell them Love Machine sent you for absolutely nothing in return), you can cross the bridge at Vedder Mountain Road and connect onto the route as it winds its way back. Still makes for a great ~50km ride.
Happy trails,
Love Machine
**Please note, this route briefly crosses roads on Soowahlie First Nation land, so please be respectful. It’s our understanding that these roads are open to cyclists, however we’ve sent an email to the Soowahlie Band Administration for confirmation. If these roads aren’t open to the public, we will update the route with an alternative.
