Conkle Mountain Bike Trails

Special shout out to @Mully and his group for keeping the trails minty and to @headspacej for keeping the Trailforks data up to date!

This multi-use trail network is accessed from the Trans Canada Trail that runs along the northern flank of Mount Conkle. Parking is available at the end of Fenwick (east trailhead) or just off Bathville between the rodeo grounds and the Steam Train station (west trailhead). Both entrances have trail kiosks for the TCT, but don't offer much info on the mountain's trail network. Most of the trails are within Mount Conkle Park and administered by the District of Summerland. There are no washroom facilities, and motorized use is not permitted.

Although the Trans Canada Trail is well established and signed, most of this section has two parallel tracks that connect at several points. The lower, graveled path is the official Trans Canada Trail, while the Upper TCT winds just above it to the south. If you're accessing from the east (Fenwick) side, keep left at junctions to stay on the Upper TCT.

Conkle Bonk is the gem of the network, climbing up the west side from from the TCT near the rodeo grounds and accessing the summit ridge from the north. It can be used in both directions, and gets significant hiking traffic, so cyclists must be careful while descending. The views are incredible.

On the east side, the main climb is Full Frontal, winding up from Upper TCT to a couple of false summits before emerging on the south side of the summit ridge. The main eastern descent is called Frontline, which starts at the north end of the summit ridge and eventually crosses Full Frontal on the way down.

The Midline trail traverses the north face of the mountain above the TCT, and helps make for some longer singletrack loops without having to go all the way down to the TCT.

The most common routes from the Fenwick trailhead are:
Upper TCT --> up Full Frontal --> north on summit ridge --> down Frontline
Upper TCT --> up Full Frontal --> north on summit ridge --> down Conkle Bonk --> east on Midline
Upper TCT --> up Full Frontal (bottom third) --> west on Midline --> up Conkle Bonk --> down Frontline

The most common routes from the Rodeo Grounds trailhead are:
Up Conkle Bonk --> down Conkle Bonk
Up Conkle Bonk --> south on summit ridge --> down Frontline > west on Midline
Up Conkle Bonk --> down Frontline > west on Midline
East on Midline --> up Full Frontal --> north on summit ridge --> down Conkle Bonk

All of the trails on Conkle are multi-use. Watch for horses -- riders are more common on lower/wider trails, but can be encountered higher up too. Hikers and dog-walkers use all of the trails, so careful while descending and approaching blind corners. The District of Summerland is working on a new parks and recreation plan that should include formalizing the trail system with signage and management planning.