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Whistler is one of the top mountain bike destinations in all of North America. It has a well deserved reputation for having some of the best downhill trails in the world. But what if you’re not a world class athlete and want something tamer? Whistler has something for you too, and here I’m going to show you some of the best beginner bike trails in Whistler.
Our family just got back from an incredible 10 day biking trip to Whistler, and we really did find something for everyone. However, while everyone could tell us about their favorite jump lines and technical trails, no one was talking about beginner trails. In our family of 7, our skills range from beginner to expert, so I’m going to highlight some of the best easy bike trails in Whistler.
Easiest Bike Trail in Whistler: Whistler Valley Trail
If you’re new to biking or just want to have a mellow ride while soaking in the scenery, then the Whistler Valley Trail is for you. The Valley Trail is a network that’s over 40 km long connecting trails, neighborhoods, stores and just about anything you can think of around town. The trail is paved, and every section that we rode was in great condition. Many of the popular destinations will have signs pointing to them as well as estimated times to reach them.
The Valley Trail in Whistler makes the entire community very bike friendly all summer long. When you factor in finding a parking spot, in many cases, it’s faster to bike than it is to drive a car.
The Whistler Valley Trail is perfect for families with kids, casual bike riders, or anyone else looking for a smooth and mellow bike ride.
Best Easy Trail System in Whistler: Lost Lake Trails
If you’re up for a bit more adventure and ready to try your hand at some dirt trails, then head over to the Lost Lake area. Here, you’ll find a large trail system that has many trails that are good for learning to mountain bike on. Starting on wide dirt/gravel roads, and taking you all the way up to expert trails, there’s a little bit of everything.
Lost Lake feels like the best family-friendly mountain biking in all of Whistler. I can be riding a green beginner trail with my younger kids, while my teens can be riding an expert level black diamond, and it’s so easy for us to meet up multiple times along the ride. At Lost Lake, the trails are all cross country bike trails, which means that you’ll be doing a mix of climbing, downhill, and flat riding.
The hardest part of riding at Lost Lake is keeping all of the different trails straight, as it can feel like a bit of a maze. There are tons of trails out there, and many of them are short segments less than a mile long. This means that you could be riding 7-8 trails just to do one loop all the way around Lost Lake. Looking at the map in advance, as well as having a downloaded version of the Trailforks app on your phone is the best way to avoid getting lost.
Here are my top recommendations for easy bike trails at Lost Lake
Lost Lake Trail South
0.6 miles, 40 feet of elevation gain
This trail is a wide gravel road from Passive House Lodge all the way up to Lost Lake. It’s incredibly popular both with walkers and casual bikers. If it’s your first time riding a bike on dirt, this is a good place to start so that you know how your bike will roll on dirt.
Lost Lake Loop
1.2 miles, 50 feet of elevation gain
Lost Lake Loop is a full width gravel trail that circles around Lost Lake. It has a little more elevation than the south trail but still, very beginner friendly.
Donkey Puncher
1 mile, 125 feet of climbing
Donkey Puncher is a great little trail that connects off of Tin Pants. It’s an easy trail to get you around to the back side of the hill, and deeper into the forest. Donkey puncher has lots of little ups and down, but none of them are very major. It’s a true singletrack trail and is pretty straightforward to ride.
To get to Donkey Puncher, the easiest way is to ride to Lost Lake Trail North and then ride the trail, or as a cut off from Tin Pants.
Tin Pants
2 miles up, 425 feet of elevation gain
Tin Pants is one of our favorite beginner trails, and a good introduction to actual mountain biking. It’s on a wider trail, but not a full width gravel road like the previous 2 trails I shared. It’s wide enough that you won’t need to be nervous, but at the same time, there are also plenty of places to easily pull over.
The most difficult part of riding Tin Pants is the amount of climbing. It’s a steady and gradual climb, but it might be a little more difficult for younger kids. If you’re riding it with kids, a Tow-Whee, would be a life saver to help get them up the hill.
Tin Pants ends on the far side of a large hill, where you will have options to connect to several other mountain bike trails (or to ride back down if you want). Once you start to descend down the hill, Tin Pants turns more into a true single track, so it’s a good starter trail.
Gypsy Drum
0.4 miles, 84 feet of descent
Gypsey Drum is a small little trail that connects to Tin Pants and basically gets you back down to where you started riding Tin Pants. It’s a very easy and very short section.
Molly Hogan
1 mile, 183ft of climbing
Molly Hogan is a great singletrack trail that traverses the north, and is probably my kids favorite beginner trail at Lost Lake. It’s a little more technical than some of the other trails, without being scary or overwhelming. It has more climbing and descent than some of the other trails around the lake, and it’s a good introduction to some of the more challenging blue trails that you can step up into next.
Fitzsimmons Skills Park and Pump Track
Located on the edge of parking lot #3, you’ll find a pump track and a skills park. This is a great place to practice a few skills or to build up your confidence on the bike.
Whistler Pump Track
The pump track is a little bit hidden, but can be reached if you follow the Valley Trail to the west past the skate park. At the next trail junction, you’ll find it on the northwest corner, tucked into the pine trees.
The pump track in Whistler is really great, with several different options for lines and even some gaps that can be taken inside of it. We were there all throughout Crankworx (the busiest week of the summer), and I was shocked that there were rarely any people here. It’s a great pump track and is especially great for beginners and kids to learn how to move their bike on bumps and hills.
Whistler Bike Skills Park
To get to the bike skills park, head to the skate park and directly south is the skills park. It’s meant to be ridden from south to north, so you’ll start farther away from the skate park. The bike skills park is divided up by difficulty, with the easiest lines on the west (riders left), and the hardest lines on the east (riders right).
The first skills areas have a few small bumps and some easy wooden features and small rainbows. As you look further right, the trail goes down the hill where the jump lines are. The easiest jump line is fine, but all of the other have gap jumps, so make sure you really know what you’re doing before you attempt those. The gap jumps are not beginner friendly at all, so we recommend avoiding those until you feel more comfortable with difficult skills.
Whistler Mountain Bike Park – Beginner Trails
If you’re ready to dip your toes into the world of downhill biking, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park has several trails designed with advanced beginners in mind. After spending a good chunk of time in the bike park, I do think that you need at least some mountain bike experience before you ride here. The easiest green at Whistler Bike Park is closer to a blue that you would find in most other places, so keep that in mind before purchasing a lift ticket.
EZ Does It
This is the easiest trail on the mountain and is accessed by going right at the top of the Fitzsimmons lift. It starts out pretty mellow, but there are a few steeper turns that will have true beginners nervous. All of the other green runs come off of EZ does it, so this is where you’ll need to start. The trail is very wide, and flowy for most of the way down, with very few technical features. While I don’t think it’s a trail for true beginners, it’s a good introduction to bike park riding for riders with a little bit of mountain bike experience under their belts.
Beginner Flow Trails at Whistler Bike Park
EZ Does It
Crabapple Turns
A short trail off to the side of EZ Does it that goes next to the massive Crabapple Jumps that the pros do. It’s fine, but nothing exciting and our whole family preferred to keep riding EZ Does It.
Golden Triangle
You can connect with Golden Triangle about ¼ of the way down EZ. It’s pretty similar to the EZ trail, but quite a bit less crowded.
B-Line
If you’re feeling comfortable on all of these, then the next trail you’ll want to try is B-Line. It’s the easiest blue flow trail, but it has some difficult sections (the steep entrance is probably the most intimidating part of the trail).
Beginner Technical Trails at Whistler Bike Park
Rod and Todd
Located partway down EZ on the right, you’ll see a sign tucked away for Rod and Todd. They’re both pretty short, but Rod is the easier of the two, with Todd having some steeper technical features.
Shady Acres
You’ll come up to Shady Acres about ½ way down the EZ trail. It’s a good little technical trail where you’ll encounter rocks and roots, but it’s manageable because it’s not very steep.
Del Bocca Vista
This is the most technical beginner trail at Whistler Bike Park, and we love it because it’s a longer trail, but with several areas where you can get on and off. Generally speaking, the easier parts of Del Bocca Vista are closer to the top, and the last section is significantly more difficult with more technical features and a steeper trail as you go down further.
As you can see, there’s something for every rider in Whistler, even the beginners. Remember to start off small, and work your way into harder trails as your skills and confidence increase! Happy riding!
