Cypress Side Quest
Vancouver, BC · Aug 24, 2023
A North Shore loop that crosses the Lions Gate Bridge and climbs hard into the mountains above West Vancouver. It links gravel doubletrack, chunky singletrack, and tarmac connectors, with Fern Trail and the Cleveland Dam as the payoff. Expect serious climbing, around 28 percent unpaved, and a proper introduction to the terrain that made the North Shore famous.
The Cypress Side Quest is the ride to do if you want to understand why the North Shore has the reputation it does. It starts in downtown Vancouver, crosses the Lions Gate Bridge with views back over the city and Stanley Park, then heads west on the road beneath mountains that feel a good deal bigger than the map suggests. This is a mixed terrain rip that links the gravel paths threading across North Vancouver, and it does not ease you in gently. The North Shore is one of the world's mountain biking capitals for a reason, and this loop makes that obvious within the first few climbs.
The elevation is the headline. The climbs are punchy and steep, and a few pitches turn into hike-a-bike, so the smart move is to ride it counterclockwise and keep the worst grades on the way up rather than the way down. Around 28 percent of the day is off pavement, but the tarmac connectors still carry you between the good dirt, and once you drop into the trees the route packs in some genuinely gnarly sections. If you want to trim the day, the run out toward Horseshoe Bay is the natural place to turn back.
The reward for all that climbing is Fern Trail. It is a stretch of pristine gravel doubletrack with singletrack spilling off both sides and the Vancouver skyline floating through the trees, and it makes every bit of the chonk worth it.
From Fern Trail the route winds back to tarmac and rolls past the Cleveland Dam and the Capilano River before a fast descent dumps you back into the city. This route is one of the picks from Barry Lachapelle's Vancouver gravel guide, and the line itself was mapped by the crew at Love Machine Cycling, who have done the work of documenting the region's best mixed terrain loops. Come with wide tires and easy gearing, since both pay off on the loose climbs and the chunky singletrack that follows.
Plan for May to October, when the trails are at their driest and the views open up. It is a true loop that begins and finishes downtown, so you are never far from a coffee stop on the way out or food when you roll back in. It is a hard day, but it is the best initiation into North Shore gravel you will find close to the city.
