Gold Creek, which lies to the southeast of Cranbrook, B.C., is a very popular area for ATVers, dirt bikers and other off-road users. There are plenty of forestry roads, ATV routes and single-track trails in the area and they are easy to access. Many of the trails here offer rewarding views of Fisher Peak—the highest peak in the region—and the Steeples mountain range.

A good afternoon ride to try in the Gold Creek area is the Mount Baker ride. There is a rough backroad that winds its way up the mountain, and it begins at about four kilometres off the Baker Cut-off Road. It’s a casual, straightforward ride, but it’s best to wait until June or July when all the snow has melted; any earlier and you may not be able to reach the top.

Last year, my husband and I tried riding to the top of Mount Baker on May 30—with him on a dirt bike and me on a quad—but we ran into snow about three-quarters of the way up. Turning around was not an option at the time, so I parked my quad and jumped on the bike with him. Some fancy riding and a couple of wipeouts later, we had chewed our way through the snow and made it to the top. We spent a few minutes taking in an incredible panoramic view of the city of Cranbrook and the beautiful mountains that surround it from our vantage point at 2,205 metres before beginning our descent back down the mountain.

For more information on ATVing around Cranbrook, contact the Kootenay Rockies ATV Club.