Seymour Valley

Seymour Valley is the ride that locals keep coming back to, and once you have done it you will understand why. It begins downtown and reaches the trailhead on protected bike lanes, so the whole approach is calm and traffic-free. The reward for the early effort is a deep North Shore valley with a quiet paved trailway, loam singletrack, and a service road that climbs to the dam at the top.

The opening of the valley surprises a lot of riders. A long stretch of smooth tarmac runs up the trailway, the kind of surface that briefly makes you wish for a road bike. Stick with it, because the route soon turns off onto a wonderful piece of loam-covered singletrack that connects to the forest service road heading deeper into the trees. Along the way you pass through old-growth forest and a salmon hatchery before reaching the Seymour Dam, which supplies much of Metro Vancouver's drinking water. The small bridges in front of the dam make a natural place to stop, take in the view, and get some calories in.

The upper valley is the kind of place you want to photograph at every turn. The forest service road threads between towering old-growth trees, the salmon hatchery is worth a pause, and the small bridges in front of the dam frame the still water with the mountains rising behind it.

The descent is the part everyone talks about. From the dam the route drops down Spur 4 road onto Fisherman's Trail, a flowing gravel run through the forest that ranks among the best descents you can find anywhere. After a steady valley climb it is the perfect payoff, and by the time you spill out at the bottom the long tarmac haul feels like a distant memory. This route is one of the picks from Barry Lachapelle's Vancouver gravel guide, where it was suggested as a staple of the local gravel scene.

With roughly 37 percent of the day off pavement, this is true mixed terrain, and a gravel bike with moderate tires handles it comfortably. Save it for May to October, when the singletrack is dry and the valley is at its best. A stretch of protected bike lane links downtown to the trailhead, so stock up on food and water before you leave the city, because services thin out fast once you are deep in the valley. It is a long day, but with a clear rhythm of climb then descend it stays very manageable, and the Fisherman's Trail finish guarantees you end on a high.