Moose Mountain: The Best Downhill Biking Trails Near Calgary and Banff
If you’re searching for downhill mountain bike trails near Calgary or Banff, Moose Mountain has exactly what you need. Moose Mountain offers a ton of terrain for expert, advanced, intermediate, and beginner downhill mountain bikers.
Getting to the Trails
Moose Mountain is located in Kananaskis on Alberta Highway 66. There are three different parking lots in the area, and where you park depends on which trail you’re riding. So, pay close attention to which lot you need based on the trail you plan to tackle. Also, Google Maps isn’t super helpful—searching for “Moose Mountain” might take you several hours out of Calgary. Instead, search for Station Flats Parking Lot, Ings Mine Parking Lot, or Moose Mountain Base Parking Lot.
How to Access the Trails
These trails are accessible through two uphill climb trails (which I’ll describe in a moment) or via shuttling up Moose Mountain Road. You can either pay for shuttling services through Alberta 66 or grab a group of buddies with multiple vehicles and bike racks to shuttle up and down the mountain for free.
Alternative Options
If you don’t want to climb, pay for a shuttle, or don’t have any buddies to shuttle with, there are usually folks out there who are happy to shuttle with you. Or, you can join the Facebook group “Moose Mountain Shuttling” to find someone to ride with.
Expert-Level Terrain to Check Out (Not Included in This Article)
This article focuses primarily on the beginner and intermediate trails at Moose Mountain. However, if you’re looking for crazy terrain packed with mandatory gaps, big drops, rock faces, wood features, and steeps, definitely check out Jean Guy, Puma Grande, the upper section of Flight 66, or T-Dub on Trailforks.
Retrieval Spots for Shuttling
As mentioned above, there are three parking lots in the area, and each trail starts at the top of Moose Mountain Road but may spit you out at a different lot altogether. I’ve noted this after each trail, but keep Trailforks handy just in case you miss that bit.
Downhill Mountain Biking is an Advanced Mountain Bike Activity
I recommend getting some cross-country trail riding experience before jumping into downhill, or take a lesson to learn the basics. Downhill mountain biking is a more advanced activity, so make sure you have basic trail riding skills first. I’ve taken lessons from Shred Sisters and Alberta 66 and enjoyed both of them.
Warning: Cross-Country to Downhill Rating Scales Are Not Equal
The difficulty level on downhill sections of a downhill trail is not equal to the downhill sections of a cross-country trail. If you’re comfortable on the downhill sections of a blue (intermediate) cross-country trail but you’ve never done downhill before, I recommend warming up on a green (beginner) trail to get a feel for it.
Beginner and Intermediate Downhill Trails at Moose Mountain Near Calgary and Banff
Uphill Climbing Trails
There are two uphill-only trails called Pneuma and Shattered. These trails are designated for climbing only and are not for downhill.
Pneuma (Climb)
- Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced
- Description: Lots of people complain about Pneuma, but I kinda’ like it. It’s a technical climb with a couple of meadows along the way. It’s not overly steep in any sections, but you do have to watch out for tree roots. I’ve only ever climbed this to the top of 727, so I can’t speak for the rest of it—haha.
- Trailhead: Moose Mountain Parking Lot. Pick your run carefully if you want to end up back at the right lot. You can go all the way up and choose runs that take you to Ings Mine, so be aware of that.
Shattered (Climb)
- Difficulty: Advanced (Blue)
- Description: This is a climb trail only. It’s the only machine-cut climbing trail. However, don’t let its smooth surface fool you—it takes skill to get up this trail, as it’s steep with tons of corners. The beginning is definitely the steepest, but it does mellow out as the switchbacks become longer.
- Trailhead: You’ll park at Ings Mine, then travel north on Canyon Creek Road. You’ll need to cross the canyon, which can sometimes have a lot of water in it, especially in the spring. Make sure you’re picking a trail that ends at Ings Mine on your descent.
Downhill Trails
Hot Laps
- Difficulty: Beginner (Green)
- Description: This is a nice, short introduction to downhill mountain biking. If you’re brand new to downhill biking and have limited cross-country or trail riding experience, this is exactly what you need to ride. If you have trail riding or downhill experience and want to get into a bit more gritty riding, I’d probably skip this run. To exit, you can go right onto Moose Mountain Road to the parking lot or exit onto the lower section of Flight 66. It’s rated black, but it’s a flowy jump trail that you can roll over everything (trust me, it’s easy if you’re not trying to get air).
- Closest parking lot: Moose Mountain Base Parking Lot
Family Guy
- Difficulty: Beginner for 90% of it, Intermediate for the end
- Description: Before Shattered was built, Family Guy was the uphill trail to get to the upper section of Moose Mountain. I believe it is still designated as cross-country, but personally, I wouldn’t climb it. Family Guy is a pretty chill run with long, straight sections and acts more like a cross-country trail. You can get going really fast, and it can be a super fun ride. The bottom has a few technical sections and corners, but they are easily walkable if you’re not comfortable with them. Caution: Because you can gain so much speed on Family Guy, it’s easy to get hurt. So chill out, lol.
- Closest parking lot: Ings Mine Parking Lot
727
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Description: 727 is typically what I warm up on, and it’s every intermediate rider’s favorite. It’s primarily flowy with a few mild technical bits, mostly from erosion. There are a few short, steeper sections, but each one is followed by a ramp or berm, so you won’t catch too much speed. Near the end, there’s a trail option to turn right, leading to a black section of 727 where you’ll find a 4-5 foot wood drop. The landing is a bit sketchy, and if you go in hot, you can end up sailing quite a few feet down. Full disclosure: my husband broke his collarbone into six pieces on this. Haha! However, it’s totally optional and a bit off-trail, so you can ride completely around it or just beside it. They come out to the same spot.
- Closest parking lot: Depends on which way you turn at Sulfur Springs Road.
- If you continue on, you’ll eventually reach Moose Mountain Parking Lot.
- If you turn onto Sulfur Springs Road, you’ll end up at a clearing on HWY 66 between Station Flats and Moose Mountain Base Parking Lot.
Race of Spades
- Difficulty: Rated Advanced, but if you skip the features, it’s Intermediate
- Description: Race of Spades is rated advanced, but only because it has some amazingly built wood features. The entrance is technical but not overly challenging, so any intermediate rider can handle it. Then you get to the wood park section with some pretty incredible features built into it, none of which are mandatory. The worst part of Race of Spades is the end—you have to climb, unfortunately. It doesn’t take long, and there are two options: you can either go straight up or take a bit of a ride-around if you want to stay on your bike. It’s a 5-minute steep climb, and you’re likely going to be pushing your bike up otherwise.
- Closest parking lot: Station Flats Parking Lot
SHAFT
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Description: SHAFT is definitely on the more advanced side of intermediate. However, it doesn’t have anything too steep, or any crazy jumps or wood features. It’s a more technical run with lots of cornering. Everything is rideable, and there are no drops that you can’t roll over. There are two steeper pitches at the very end; otherwise, the pitch is fairly mellow. Watch out for rocks and roots, as they are no stranger to this run. The end is super loose, so be careful there. You’ll reach a T at the very end; to stay on SHAFT, go left. Otherwise, you end up in this gnarly section that I believe is part of T-Dub.
- Closest parking lot: Ings Mine Parking Lot
Brakeless to Flight 66 (Bottom)
- Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced (but see description)
- Description: About halfway down 727, you’ll find a turnoff that takes you to Brakeless. Brakeless is a short, flowy trail that lasts a few minutes, and then you can turn off onto Flight 66. If you stay on Brakeless, you end up in a weird spot for shuttling. Turn off onto Flight 66, which is rated advanced, but it’s a jump line. Jump lines are usually rated more difficult because you could get air; however, everything is totally rollable if you’re not ready for that.
- Closest parking lot: Moose Mountain Base Parking Lot
Shuttle Math
If it’s your first time shuttling – something always happens where a person, vehicle, or keys are forgotten. So I’ve put together a quick chart so you can do some quick shuttle math.
Here’s a chart that breaks down the shuttle math for Moose Mountain, showing the strategy for different vehicle and rider combinations:
Setup | Trip 1 | Trip 2 | Trip 3 | Trip 4 | Result |
2 Vehicles, 4 Riders | All 4 riders drive up to the top with 2 vehicles. | 2 riders drive Vehicle 2 back down, leaving Vehicle 1 at the top. | 1 rider drives Vehicle 1 up to pick up the other riders and bikes. | N/A | One full ride with only one additional trip up the mountain. Both vehicles are back at the bottom. |
2 Vehicles, 6 Riders | All 6 riders drive up with both vehicles. | 3 riders drive Vehicle 2 down, leaving Vehicle 1 at the top. | 1 rider from Vehicle 2 drives Vehicle 1 back up to pick up the other riders and bikes. | N/A | Both vehicles end up at the bottom with only one additional trip. |
3 Vehicles, 6 Riders | All 6 riders drive up in the 3 vehicles. | 4 riders drive Vehicles 2 and 3 back down to the bottom. | 1 rider from Vehicle 2 and 1 from Vehicle 3 drive Vehicle 1 back up to pick up the other riders and bikes. | N/A | All vehicles end up back at the bottom with minimal extra trips. |
3 Vehicles, 6 Riders (Alternative Method for Efficiency) | All 6 riders drive up in the 3 vehicles. | 2 riders take Vehicle 3 down, leaving Vehicles 1 and 2 at the top. | 2 riders take Vehicle 2 down, leaving Vehicle 1 at the top. | 1 rider from Vehicle 3 drives Vehicle 1 back down, leaving all vehicles at the bottom. | Full ride with only two extra trips, ensuring all vehicles are at the bottom. |
4 Vehicles, 6 Riders | 6 riders drive up in Vehicles 1, 2, and 3, leaving Vehicle 4 at the bottom. | 2 riders drive Vehicle 3 back down, leaving Vehicles 1 and 2 at the top. | 1 rider from Vehicle 4 drives Vehicle 1 down, leaving Vehicle 2 at the top. | 1 rider from Vehicle 4 drives Vehicle 2 down. | All vehicles are at the bottom with minimal extra effort. |
If you’d like to add a comment, or trail i’ve missed please comment below – or join our group for more tips or answer any questions you have! (see below).
You forgot the alternating driver method of shutting. Everyone piles into one vehicle and goes to the top. One person sits out and drives back down. The next trip up someone else drives down. This ends up working really well with groups of 5-8. It also allows riders the chance to rest if they need a brake after a few laps
Oh, absolutely. But let’s face it – if it’s not early season there’s a 100% chance one of your buddies has a broken bone and is shuttling everyone anyways. Haha!