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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
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Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
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Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
![map legend]()
Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
SaveBowser trails and routes are listed on Trailforks with interactive trail maps, difficulty ratings, photos, and user-reported trail conditions. The Trailforks community has shared hundreds of photos from this region. Supported activity types include Hiking, Trail Running, Mountain Biking, E-Biking, Gravel Biking, Dirtbiking, Adaptive Biking, ATVing/Offroading, Snowshoeing and Backcountry Skiing. Trails here are often faint trail. Scenery includes summits, alpine terrain and creeks. Common trail features include jumps, berms and bridges. Many trails are family friendly. Amenities include restrooms. Popular destinations include Bowser Trails, Cook Creek OHV Rec-Site and Horne Lake Caves Provincal Park.
This is an auto-generated description of Bowser.
Login or register to submit a custom description.
Links
- Vancouver Island Trail: Section 3 Beaufort Range
- Comox District Mountaineering Club
- Vancouver Island Dirt Riders Association
Trail info last updated
Activities Click to view
- Mountain Bike
53 trails
- E-Bike
34 trails
- Gravel Bike
23 trails
- Adaptive Bike
12 trails
- Hike
64 trails
- Trail Running
63 trails
- Dirtbike/Moto
23 trails
- ATV/ORV/OHV
6 trails
- Snowshoe
5 trails
- Backcountry Ski
4 trails
Region Details
- 11
- 2
- 11
- 22
- 6
- 1
Region Status
Open as of Sep 18, 2026Local Trail Association
Stats
- Avg Trail Rating
- Trails (view details)
- 93
- Trails Mountain Bike
- 53
- Trails E-Bike
- 34
- Trails Gravel Bike
- 23
- Trails Adaptive Bike
- 12
- Trails Horse
- 2
- Trails Hike
- 64
- Trails Trail Running
- 63
- Trails Dirtbike/Moto
- 23
- Trails Observed Trials
- 1
- Trails ATV/ORV/OHV
- 6
- Trails Snowshoe
- 5
- Trails Backcountry Ski
- 4
- Total Distance
- 101 miles
- Total Descent
- 17,816 ft
- Total Vertical
- 5,056 ft
- Highest Trailhead
- 5,077 ft
- Reports
- 650
- Photos
- 233
- Completed Counter
- 29,408
Sub Regions
-
Bowser Trails
- 1
- 8
- 17
- 3
-
Horne Lake
- 1
- 1
- 2
- 1
-
Horne Lake Caves Provincal Park
Popular Bowser Mountain Biking Trails
• 80 ★ 3.4 • 1 mile • 84 ft • 185 •
Popular white difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail. On average it takes 11 minutes to complete this trail.
• 70 ★ 3.5 • 4,899 ft • 110 ft • 172 •
Popular blue difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail can be used both directions. On average it takes 12 minutes to complete this trail.
• 85 ★ 5.0 • 6 miles • 555 ft • 149 •
A gentle gravel path/road that runs along Big Qualicum River which links Horne Lake caves road to Little Qualicum fish hatchery.
• 70 ★ 0.0 • 931 ft • 26 ft • 145 •
Popular green difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail can be used downhill primary. On average it takes 1 minutes to complete this trail.
• 65 ★ 3.5 • 4,882 ft • 152 ft • 140 •
Moderately popular blue difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail. On average it takes 11 minutes to complete this trail.
• 70 ★ 4.5 • 1 mile • 107 ft • 139 •
Popular blue difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail. On average it takes 15 minutes to complete this trail.
• 60 ★ 4.0 • 2,098 ft • 76 ft • 137 •
Moderately popular blue difficulty singletrack. This mountain bike primary trail can be used both directions. On average it takes 6 minutes to complete this trail.
Bowser Mountain Bike Routes
★ 5.0 • 33 miles • 2,501 ft • 0 • Loop •
This route begins at the Big Qualicum Fish Hatchery. Heading West on Cochrane Road, then via Horne/Bowser...
Photos of Bowser Mountain Bike
Videos of Bowser Mountain Bike
Recent Trail Reports
Activity Feed
| username | action | type | title | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydenladru | wishlist | trail | activity #105382682 and 1 more | Oct 6, 2026 @ 7:39pm Oct 6, 2026 |
| Lexa77 | wishlist | trail | activity #105201931 | Oct 4, 2026 @ 8:26am Oct 4, 2026 |
| kjaaYfyx | wishlist | trail | activity #104157171 | Sep 19, 2026 @ 1:30pm Sep 19, 2026 |
| Anne-Lii | add | report | activity #104095319 | Sep 18, 2026 @ 11:04pm Sep 18, 2026 |
| mattmalabanan | update | trail | activity #103469766 | Sep 10, 2026 @ 5:50am Sep 10, 2026 |
Recent Comments
| username | type | title | comment | date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trail | Woodwork completed, rideable! | Sep 8, 2026 @ 4:42pm Sep 8, 2026 | ||
| trail | this is not a trail. please remove | Jul 16, 2026 @ 6:00pm Jul 16, 2026 | ||
| trail | Overgrown, use the highway | Jul 6, 2026 @ 11:05am Jul 6, 2026 | ||
| trail | Trail just got top to bottom buff, climb and... | May 3, 2026 @ 6:11pm May 3, 2026 | ||
| trail | I would rate this tail as a blue not green,... | Apr 24, 2026 @ 10:28am Apr 24, 2026 |
Local Badges
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10 Blue Trails359 awarded -
Epic Ride Climb 2k12 awarded -
Climbing 10k Badge45 awarded -
Climbing 100k Badge0 awarded -
Epic Ride Descent 2k11 awarded -
Descent 10k Badge45 awarded
Bike & Skill Parks
| name | type | city | rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lions Bike Park | skill park | Bowser |
Activity Type Stats
| activitytype | trails | distance | descent | descent distance | total vertical | rating | global rank | state rank | photos | reports | routes | activity logs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Bike | 53 | 48 miles | 5,764 ft | 18 miles | 1,342 ft | #1,243 | #56 | 163 | 637 | 1 | 11,884 | |
| E-Bike | 34 | 36 miles | 3,087 ft | 14 miles | 1,335 ft | #3,624 | #88 | 3 | 592 | 777 | ||
| Gravel Bike | 23 | 32 miles | 4,111 ft | 15 miles | 2,602 ft | #1,817 | #73 | 2 | 47 | 1 | 43 | |
| Adaptive Bike | 12 | 13 miles | 879 ft | 4 miles | 614 ft | #2,806 | #75 | 121 | 2 | |||
| Horse | 2 | 16 miles | 1,453 ft | 8 miles | 1,335 ft | 23 | 2 | |||||
| Hike | 64 | 84 miles | 15,876 ft | 32 miles | 5,056 ft | #651 | #42 | 49 | 645 | 1,627 | ||
| Trail Running | 63 | 83 miles | 15,358 ft | 31 miles | 5,056 ft | #2,050 | #72 | 638 | 1,331 | |||
| Dirtbike/Moto | 23 | 24 miles | 2,943 ft | 12 miles | 1,112 ft | #211 | #31 | 16 | 53 | 559 | ||
| Observed Trials | 1 | 2 miles | 16 ft | 1,509 ft | 817 ft | 1 | ||||||
| ATV/ORV/OHV | 6 | 15 miles | 1,594 ft | 9 miles | 1,112 ft | #602 | #46 | 21 | 71 | |||
| Snowshoe | 5 | 34 miles | 8,245 ft | 16 miles | 4,826 ft | #602 | #50 | 2 | 3 | |||
| Backcountry Ski | 4 | 33 miles | 7,726 ft | 15 miles | 4,826 ft | #416 | #28 | 15 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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What are the best places to ride in Bowser?
Bowser has 6 areas to explore for mountain biking. The top rated areas are:
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What are the highest rated mountain biking trails in Bowser?
The highest rated mountain biking trails in Bowser are:
- Big Qualicum Trail (4.3/5)
- Pipeline (4.1/5)
- Holly (4.1/5)
- Nile (4.1/5)
- Lost Runners (4.1/5)
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Where can I park to ride in Bowser?
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What is the longest trail in Bowser?
The longest trail in Bowser is Big Qualicum Trail at 6.1 miles. View all trails sorted by distance.
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What are the best & highest rated hiking trails in Bowser?
The best hiking trails in Bowser are: View all hiking trails sorted by popularity score.
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What are the best & highest rated trail running trails in Bowser?
The best trail running trails in Bowser are: View all trail running trails sorted by popularity score.
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What are the best & highest rated dirtbiking trails in Bowser?
The best dirtbiking trails in Bowser are: View all dirtbiking trails sorted by popularity score.
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How many trails are in Bowser?
Bowser has a total of 93 trails. Of those, 53 are designated for mountain biking. Browse top mountain biking trails in Bowser to find detailed information including difficulty ratings, distances, and trail conditions.
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Which trail has the most elevation gain in Bowser?
The trail with the most elevation gain in Bowser is Big Qualicum Trail with 555 ft of elevation gain. View all trails sorted by elevation gain.
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Which trail has the most elevation descent in Bowser?
The trail with the most elevation descent in Bowser is New Buck with 608 ft of elevation descent. View all trails sorted by elevation descent.
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What activities are most popular in Bowser?
Bowser supports the following activities: Mountain Biking, E-Biking, Gravel Biking, Adaptive Biking, Hiking, Trail Running, Dirtbiking, ATVing/Offroading, Snowshoeing, Backcountry Skiing.
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What bike services are there in Bowser?
The following bike services are available in Bowser:
- Other (1)
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What are the steepest mountain biking trails in Bowser?
The steepest mountain biking trail in Bowser is Nile Connector with an average grade of 15.1%. View all trails sorted by grade.
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Are the trails open in Bowser?
The overall region status for Bowser is Clear / Green. Out of 70 trails:
- Clear / Green: 64
- Minor Issue / Yellow: 4
- Significant Issue / Amber: 2
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Can I ride an ebike in Bowser?
Yes, Bowser supports e-bike riding. There are 27 trails in Bowser that allow e-bikes. Check the e-bike trails listing for specific trail access details and any local regulations.
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What are the most popular mountain biking routes in Bowser?
The most popular mountain biking routes in Bowser are: View all mountain biking routes in Bowser.
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What is the highest summit in Bowser?
The highest summit in Bowser is Mount Joan at 5,102 ft elevation.
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What are the top sights to see in Bowser?
There are 4 notable sights in Bowser. Some of the top sights include: Explore all points of interest in Bowser.
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What are the most popular Strava Segments in Bowser?
The most popular Strava segments in Bowser are:
- Little Qualicum Climb (349 athletes)
- Bridge to Bridge (214 athletes)
- Hatchery to Horne (192 athletes)
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Are there accessible or adaptive trails in Bowser?
Yes, there are 12 accessible/adaptive trails in Bowser. View all adaptive trails in Bowser for specific accessibility information.
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What are the most popular mountain biking trails in Bowser?
The most popular mountain biking trails in Bowser are: View all mountain biking trails sorted by popularity.
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What are the best beginner ride trails in Bowser?
The best beginner mountain biking trails in Bowser are:
- Big Qualicum Trail (5/5)
- Million Dollar Tr. (3.4/5)
- Donkey (4/5)
Activities
Trails
Points of Interest
- By tbone8 & contributors
- Admins: Dubnyk, Bowser, Stasher
- #13630 - 10,830 views
- bowser activity log | embed map of Bowser mountain bike trails | bowser mountain biking points of interest
Downloading of trail gps tracks in kml & gpx formats is enabled for Bowser.
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