The Best Mountain Biking Trails in Vancouver Island

If you're a new mountain biker and are looking to dip your toes into the sport, Cumberland can be a great place to learn! This short 2-mile loop provides the perfect beginner-friendly taste of mountain biking right next to the trailhead....

Mount Tzouhalem's most popular trails are easily its fantastic downhill flow trails. The longest and most popular of these is also the easiest jump trail on the mountain, and it is known as Double D....

Cumberland's trail system is famous for its fun, flowy, jump-filled blue lines. While many mountain bike trails in British Columbia feel like they're filled with gnar and challenge all the time, in Cumberland you can actually enjoy some approachable swoop and flow....

This lesser-ridden loop in Cumberland Forest is an absolute gem of a ride that leads to one of the best views in the region! The route begins by climbing a part of the Sobo No Michi climbing route before splitting off onto Midway....

This superbly-fun, flowy mountain bike romp accesses two of the best views in all of Cumberland Forest—a rare treat! The route begins by climbing the Sobo No Michi climbing trail all the way to the top....

This pedal-forward mountain bike ride in Cumberland Forest traverses through the heart of the forest then heads over to the little-ridden Eastern Bloc area of the trail system. The ride begins by ascending the easy Spanker and Shaker trails near the dirt road....

This figure-8 route anchored by the Missing Link trail is a great progression loop for newer riders looking to build their mountain bike skills. From the trailhead, pedal up the dirt road a short way to pick up the Missing Link trail on the right....

Mount Tzouhalem's most popular trails are easily its fantastic downhill flow trails. This route ratchets up the difficulty a notch from the intermediate-friendly Double D by adding in the black diamond Resurrection trail....

Even by BC standards, Cumberland Forest is a vast, intricate, and dense trail network. Strands of singletrack run in every direction imaginable, and at some junctions, you'll find yourself choosing from 5 or 6different paths to take....

This pedal-forward mountain bike ride in Cumberland Forest traverses one of the oldest tech trails in the forest and then heads over to the little-ridden Eastern Bloc area of the trail system....

This loop running all the way to the top of Mount Tzouhalem is one of the highest-value routes that you can pedal on the entire mountain. The climb begins on the forest service road, but instead of following the gravel road all of the way up, it climbs through a series of interconnected singletrack trails....

"Loam Line is a feature-filled trail with gap jumps and drops. It is a great ride for riders wanting to pick up extended air time," writes [RideCowichan.com](https://www.ridecowichan.com/tzouhalem). Loam Line is the most difficult jump trail on the mountain, ranking as a double black according to some sources....

If you want to begin sampling the chunkier goods in Cumberland Forest, this is a good loop for mixing advanced black diamond trails with some approachable-yet-challenging double black diamond trails. After climbing the Sobo No Michi climbing trail and some road sections, you'll begin the descent by dropping into Blockhead....

Anchored by the famous Cupcake Trail, this top-to-bottom run is one of the most renowned double black diamond challenges in Cumberland Forest. Connecting Lost Wood to Blockhead, Cupcake, Baker's Dozen, and Knuckers, you'll be challenged by a veritable onslaught of gnar all the way down the mountainside! The ride warms you up with a long climb to the top of Lost Wood....

This top-to-bottom tech run is anchored by the Blockhead and Numbskull trails, but it also incorporates Lost Wood, Gravity, and the bottom half of DCDH. After climbing to the top and getting warmed up on Lost Wood, Blockhead is a challenging single black diamond trail that begins fairly moderate with some berms, launches, and drops....

This double black diamond run consisting of Further Burger -> Chunder -> Prohibition is one of the most famous tech runs in all of Cumberland Forest. The climb to the top follows the Sobo No Michi climbing route to Above and Beyond, then turns up the forest road to finish ascending to the very top on Grunt & Grind....