Trail Difficulty: Blue
Trail Accessibility: A3 Trail Access: There are gravel parking spots located along North Rd. right at the beginning of the trail access path with room to easily offload. The gate at the parking lot is a bit too tight to ride around so it is recommended that you get into your bike on the other side of the gate (a typical wheelchair can bypass this gate). There is also road side parking along Gaglardi Way. The climb up to the trail head is along a wide gravel path. There is a long, steep, straight section of climbing that could be challenging for some and assistance may be required. Sidewinder can also be accessed from the top of Burnaby Mountain via Watermelon Trail which is a gravel path that begins at University Drive East. Parking is limited and we have not explored this option yet, however, it appears shuttling may be possible. The Trail:This trail is one that can be ridden up or down. It is nice and wide, well-groomed with few rocks or roots, and has a few wider wooden bridges with bumper rails on the sides. There is a gate between Lower Sidewinder and Sidewinder where a service road cuts through the trail. This gate is challenging to ride through, however there is a option to ride around it. Is it aMTB friendly? Yes it is. Since it is a machine built trail, it is more than wide enough to ride an aMTB on and has a good quality, solid tread surface. The corners are wide enough to turn through with the exception of one tighter corner that may require a realignment. While climbing Sidewinder, the grade is consistent but not too steep and traveling down, riders can keep speed with minimal effort. This is an excellent trail for practicing cornering on downhills and improving your climbing on uphills.
Note: this trail is also popular with dog walkers and hikers, always yield to pedestrians and riders who are climbing. As well, we want to thank Brian, with the BMBA, for showing us this trail and for his ongoing interest in creating additional aMTB-friendly trails on Burnaby Mountain.