13.0 miles
Distance
3,289 ft
Climb
-3,282 ft
Descent
1,985 ft
High Point

A great loop that covers some of the best trails of the region. The climbing is taxing but not ferocious, and one is well rewarded by some incredible downhilll trails.

Detailed Description
Diamond Head Loop is a 13 mile popular intermediate route located near Squamish British Columbia. This mountain bike only route and has a moderate overall physical rating. This route includes 18 trails. This route climbs 3,289 ft with a max elevation of 1,985 ft then descends -3,282 ft.
Local Trail Association
Local trail association
Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (www.sorca.ca)
Please consider joining or donating to the local riding association to support trail development & maintenance.
donate to earn trail karma!

Trail Products

82 Reviews & Comments

  • + 1
wake-n-rake (2 days ago)
Trail Angry M
I rode this trail and OMG I was so outraged! The trail had some roots and even rocks on it. These clearly have no place on a mountain bike trail. I fell off 15 times, and I was fuming when I found that I scuffed my Ridewrap. The Mayor Of Squamish is going to hear about this!
[Reply]
  • + 0
garrettrouser (Mar 21, 2023 at 7:54)
Trail Angry M
I feel like the comments here are a bit misleading. From Seattle I-90 corridor, this trail felt like a classic tech black to me. Most of trail fall line, with steep top section and flatter lower. No huge berms, but the turns have plenty to dig into to maintain speed. Creates an absolutely sweet trail where you can haul, using roots as doubles and taking alternate lines to hop over tech. Though there are no super technical features (no rock rolls or big jumps), I thought it was an amazing “flowy tech” trail through super pretty woods.
[Reply]
  • + 0
drummer604 (Nov 9, 2022 at 14:22)
Lots of snow today!
[Reply]
  • + 0
Hankgrillz (Sep 29, 2022 at 23:30)
Trail Half Nelson
truly one of the best trails ive been on. they really put a lot of care, love, and thought into this trail.
[Reply]
  • + 0
iMruKh (Sep 27, 2022 at 20:20)
Trail Half Nelson
Sooo good. Better than full Nelson
[Reply]
  • - 1
joemyers COTA (Sep 20, 2022 at 8:05)
Trail Angry M
felt like riding down a fish ladder. Constant short drops but no real flow. DH bike would Not really “fun” but fairly challenging
[Reply]
  • - 1
dangernoodle92808 (Aug 26, 2022 at 21:07)
Trail Angry M
The first half of this trail has very steep tech. My rear tire was sliding everywhere, to the point where I nearly crashed into a tree twice. The second half has fun bridges and was mostly chill. If you are intermediate I suggest doing Half Nelson and cutting over to the second half first before committing to the entire thing.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Gavla (Jun 25, 2022 at 15:19)
For those that don’t the area - this is not an easy climb trail. Took it thinking it was an access road but without an e-bike it’s Very difficult.
[Reply]
  • + 0
maggiedurkin (Mar 21, 2022 at 20:25)
A climb you can enjoy as much as the descent. Description matches to a a T. Fantastic build.
[Reply]
  • + 1
xaibeeh (Dec 21, 2021 at 9:12)
So, can I trust the last reports? Is the trail in good conditions or there is too much snow to ride?
[Reply]
  • + 1
canadaka Trailforks (Dec 21, 2021 at 9:47)
No, look at the date. Trail is under snow
[Reply]
  • + 1
xaibeeh (Dec 21, 2021 at 10:31)
Thank you. I looked at the date, that’s exactly why I asked.
[Reply]
  • - 1
Fishrock123 (Nov 18, 2021 at 15:02)
This is a service road that accepts all forms of traffic. The elevation cart is very obviously very wrong. The road is reasonably mellow and could be driven by car.
[Reply]
  • + 1
Sun2306 (Nov 18, 2021 at 16:46)
Well, the elevation map is correct. Small data ranges skew.
[Reply]
  • + 2
djbuilder (Nov 18, 2021 at 16:50)
There's vertical exaggeration which is usually shown on profiles so you can see it more easily.
[Reply]
  • - 3
twodeesquared (Nov 2, 2021 at 9:37)
It's a road. Why can't you shuttle it?
[Reply]
  • + 5
djbuilder (Nov 2, 2021 at 17:04)
Well it's a logging road so you can do whatever you want. It's also an incredibly highly trafficked road for pedaling that's too narrow for a vehicle to pass someone pedaling without them pulling over. It's also faster to pedal if you're in mildly decent shape.
[Reply]
  • + 0
mtnranger (Sep 12, 2021 at 15:33)
Trail Half Nelson
Fantastic trail. Well built, beautiful flow and well maintained
[Reply]
  • + 0
sjckennedy (Aug 15, 2021 at 13:40)
Super dry conditions have made this trail a bit slippery right now. Fun though!
[Reply]
  • + 0
sjckennedy (Aug 15, 2021 at 13:38)
Conditions are super dry right now making the trail a bit slippery. Super fun and flowy though!
[Reply]
  • + 1
Sun2306 (Apr 28, 2021 at 14:09)
Trail Flat Alley
Could be a fun jump line
[Reply]
  • + 1
djbuilder (May 3, 2021 at 7:18)
Trail Flat Alley
Well if used to be a jump trail back in the day but considering it crosses 2 of the most popular trails in Squamish and is an old road grade, probably not.
[Reply]
  • + 0
vinnie03 (Apr 23, 2021 at 11:05)
I don’t have a e-bike and I love it. Gets you straight up, none of that switchbacks BS.
[Reply]
  • + 0
sully24 (Jan 23, 2021 at 21:18)
Is this closed right now?
[Reply]
  • + 0
bigredted Dream Wizards (Nov 16, 2020 at 15:30)
Tree work. Closed!
[Reply]
  • + 0
bigredted Dream Wizards (Nov 16, 2020 at 15:29)
Tree work happening. Please avoid the lower section of the Legacy Climb.
[Reply]
  • + 1
mtnranger (Oct 8, 2020 at 11:51)
Nice climbing trail and beautiful waterfall.
[Reply]
  • + 1
mtnranger (Oct 8, 2020 at 11:48)
Very well built climbing trail
[Reply]
  • - 1
Si1versmith (Sep 12, 2020 at 19:43)
Do not attempt this if you are not good at riding uphill. It will take 2-3 hours if you have to walk bits of it.
[Reply]
  • + 1
bigredted Dream Wizards (Sep 6, 2020 at 7:45)
Trail Half Nelson
Thanks for all the positive feedback on the trail work. So many people have asked how to contribute directly to the Half Nelson improvements. This is a link to a goFundMe page. gf.me/u/ywg66u
[Reply]
  • + 1
flipfantasia WORCA (Sep 6, 2020 at 8:06)
Trail Half Nelson
done and done, thanks for all your efforts over the years and to come, Ted!
[Reply]
  • + 1
Shafto (Aug 24, 2020 at 9:28)
One of the best climb trails. Enjoyable to mash the pedals up this one!
[Reply]
  • + 1
liamdubs (Aug 22, 2020 at 21:56)
Trail Angry M
Running great even after the rain this week. Lots of fun!
[Reply]
  • + 0
ttrrr21 (Aug 22, 2020 at 17:54)
Berms are well built and flowy and trail is super smooth. Would like to see some more jumps
[Reply]
  • + 1
eresc (Aug 4, 2020 at 15:28)
Trail Half Nelson
I was there on Sunday, and there was a sign saying that the trail is closed for construction. Asked to use Recycle instead.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Samuryan (Jul 31, 2020 at 13:20)
Trail Your Mom
Super fun trail but there are a few spots that are very steep and technical and would probably rate as black, I had to walk those but still totally worth riding the rest, also a good trail to build up skills to the black trails.
[Reply]
  • + 1
whyapinkbike (Jul 10, 2020 at 15:43)
Trail Half Nelson
Just when I thought it could not get any better, SORCA and Dream Wizards have added even more! IIRC it was last year when they bermed a tight turn which had, till then, a caution sign of some sort; I'd found myself slowing to a stop, on some occasions. Now, the area after that (which IIRC is near the covered bridge) has been turned into a maze of berms, a la the new additions to Pseudo Tsuga III. Great work. Positively orgasmic!
[Reply]
  • + 1
whyapinkbike (Jul 10, 2020 at 15:23)
Trail Your Mom
Great trail to improve my skills on. Much of it seems easy, except when you realize that, to clear the several tricky/difficult features, you have to _speed_ through the rest (to generate sufficient momentum). But, there are enough tight turns to make it difficult for me to sustain the speed. And the bridge & the rock-face are too challenging for my current skill-level.
Beautiful area.
[Reply]
  • + 1
whyapinkbike (Jul 18, 2020 at 11:46)
Trail Your Mom
The bermed, wooden bridge is just a traction fear for me.
A higher drop (30+ cm, without a good landing) would've been fine, had I had more speed.
There is a rock-face-ish section, just before the intersection to Phil & Cam's, that is narrow and steep.
There is a 0.5 m drop, after a turn-at-a-crest, followed by a steep, which is definitely a Black section.
The mini rock-face which follows a ladder ramp & a slow turn is a problem I need to work on.

Most of this run is Green or Light Blue, with about 3 Dark Blue spots.
FYI. Full disclosure/honesty!
[Reply]
  • + 0
vinnie03 (Jul 7, 2020 at 9:58)
Trail Flat Alley
Friendly climbing trail
[Reply]
  • + 0
Timpowers (Jun 18, 2020 at 15:02)
Trail Half Nelson
One of the funnest trails I have ridden
[Reply]
  • + 1
twowheeledwanderer (Nov 14, 2019 at 11:13)
Trail Half Nelson
Half Nelson is in my top 8 favorite trails in Squamish. Fast, flowy, and super fun! The other seven are:
twowheeledwanderer.com/posts/my-8-favorite-mountain-bike-trails-in-squamish-bc
[Reply]
  • + 0
toriwood (Nov 13, 2019 at 10:00)
Trail Half Nelson
Trueeee down !! Half way after the new section and before the big bridge
[Reply]
  • + 0
aaric08 (Nov 2, 2019 at 17:58)
So much flow in these berms. Amazing work trail crews! Thanks for all your hard work.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Jeffob1 (Sep 5, 2019 at 17:25)
Ebike shortcut to get to full Nelson. Not a good trail otherwise.
[Reply]
  • + 0
gnarls11 (Jul 28, 2019 at 22:16)
Trail Angry M
What does the M stand for?
[Reply]
  • + 2
Sun2306 (Jul 29, 2019 at 6:24)
Trail Angry M
Midget
[Reply]
  • + 1
nash89 (Jul 28, 2019 at 22:11)
Trail Angry M
Couldn’t mind angry midget, somehow the trail had vanished. So rode this instead. Not as good as angry midget!!!
[Reply]
  • + 1
Sun2306 (Jul 29, 2019 at 6:24)
Trail Angry M
Are you trolling?
[Reply]
  • + 0
erikober (Jul 24, 2019 at 12:22)
Not meant to drive up, shuttle access via Girabaldi Park Road.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Trailblazer99 (Jul 16, 2019 at 22:58)
It’s a tough climb but very beautiful
[Reply]
  • + 0
Trailblazer99 (Jul 16, 2019 at 22:56)
Trail Half Nelson
A must ride trail in Squamish!
[Reply]
  • + 0
Rmeritz (Jun 14, 2019 at 21:27)
Trail Flat Alley
Truely horrible. Like biking up a creek bed. Don't do it.
[Reply]
  • + 0
tmorto (May 21, 2019 at 15:55)
Just epic fun! Those berms keep you on your toes and give you an ear to ear grin!
[Reply]
  • + 4
gramboh (May 16, 2019 at 16:30)
Trail Angry M
Why is the trail name changed from Angry Midget to Angry M?
[Reply]
  • + 2
Sun2306 (May 16, 2019 at 20:06)
Trail Angry M
To be more “politically correct”
[Reply]
  • + 0
DHscott20 (May 4, 2019 at 22:44)
Trail Half Nelson
Super fun hard pack fast conditions, hats off to the trails crews
[Reply]
  • + 1
sogomtb (Mar 21, 2019 at 2:48)
Trail Half Nelson
To safe time and to maximise the time that we have(4 days), what are the best trial combination?
[Reply]
  • + 1
sogomtb (Mar 14, 2019 at 6:38)
Trail Half Nelson
Does the ride up to the Half Nelson trail head takes 1 full hour?
[Reply]
  • + 2
DMal SHORE CORPS (Mar 14, 2019 at 7:21)
Trail Half Nelson
www.trailforks.com/trails/ring-creek-access-road - Average time if you climb the road looks to be about 30 minutes.

www.trailforks.com/trails/climb-trail--stl-lhalem-sintl-3075 - 40 minutes if you take the climbing trail.
[Reply]
  • + 1
sogomtb (Mar 21, 2019 at 2:45)
Trail Half Nelson
Thank you so much. We’ll be there end July spending four days trailing the world renown Squamish Trails
[Reply]
  • + 1
blanshard16 (Feb 7, 2019 at 7:59)
Trail Angry M
I re-routed the GPS track as it was showing Angry finishing via the connector into DP - which barely gets used except by those afraid of rocks!
[Reply]
  • + 0
bakersdontbake (Dec 17, 2018 at 13:50)
Trail Full Nelson
Few trees down today on the trail, Dec 17th. One on high speed corner. Marked above it on the trail with some wood.
[Reply]
  • + 1
moxiematt (Dec 7, 2018 at 8:21)
Man, they knocked the new berms out of the park. Nice job trail crew!
[Reply]
  • + 0
Jase-the-ace (Sep 5, 2018 at 11:41)
Great to have an alternative to biking up the forestry roads. As a whole though, I think there's a bit too much descent for a climb trail. Enough to add 280m vertical up to half Nelson seems like a bit too much. Some people may enjoy it, personally I think a climb trail should be designed to efficiently get you to the top of the trails
[Reply]
  • - 2
Jase-the-ace (Aug 25, 2018 at 11:53)
Trail Angry M
Steep, rutted, not much flow. There were some nice loamy sections switchbacking down the middle section, but everyone seems to just straight line it down and miss these out
[Reply]
  • + 0
webermtb (Aug 22, 2018 at 20:44)
One of my favorite trails in Squamish! A piece of art in trail making! Flooooowy
[Reply]
  • + 0
webermtb (Aug 22, 2018 at 20:42)
Very good flow
[Reply]
  • + 0
webermtb (Aug 22, 2018 at 20:41)
Trail Half Nelson
Awesome trail! Very flowy but with some step sections. The berms si good. Recommended!
[Reply]
  • + 1
szed3 (Aug 1, 2018 at 8:30)
Trail Phil & Cam's
Dunno what's with the low ratings but it was a fun, flowy and clean rip. Rad alt line!
[Reply]
  • + 1
szed3 (Aug 1, 2018 at 8:24)
Didn't know climb trails could be so fun! Lots of tech to keep things interesting: roots, rocks and a few tight switchbacks. Not super steep. I dig it!
[Reply]
  • + 0
Flow-Ryder (Jul 27, 2018 at 8:49)
Trail Phil & Cam's
Great trail old school chunder
[Reply]
  • + 0
jacqueschoquette (Jul 5, 2018 at 0:26)
Trail Angry M
T..
[Reply]
  • + 0
JGATBC (Jul 4, 2018 at 12:54)
Trail Half Nelson
Amazing!! 10 out of 10!!!
[Reply]
  • + 0
michaeladasilva (Jun 9, 2018 at 13:32)
awesome trail for any rider level. lots of berms, small jumps and fast flow. 5 stars!
[Reply]
  • + 1
disruptiveone (May 28, 2018 at 13:12)
Trail is awesome. Some few blown out bits on berms near the top. Donate to SORCA if you're riding here is it helps fund these awesome trails. Thanks builders for awesome times.
[Reply]
  • + 0
Idunnoman (Oct 28, 2017 at 13:35)
22 minutes to get up this
[Reply]
  • + 1
blackcombterry (Aug 25, 2017 at 16:04)
Trail Angry M
A fun descent and a great option to add into longer loops. Difficulty level is be dark blue/light black.
[Reply]
  • + 0
davolt13 (Jul 6, 2017 at 12:00)
So fun and flowy, especially the final section.
[Reply]
  • + 1
j-rawk (Feb 27, 2016 at 12:17)
Trail Your Mom
Fun trail. Mostly DH, nice mix of flow and tech with a couple of interesting features. Definitely the standout of the Fred-Tinder-YM loop.
[Reply]
  • - 3
zestylife (Nov 15, 2015 at 8:41)
Trail Phil & Cam's
No good.
[Reply]
  • + 2
JCKrahn (Aug 14, 2015 at 13:59)
Trail Half Nelson
Fun and flowy
[Reply]
Deleted threads/comments are hidden





Login or Sign Up to Comment

Details

  • Riding area
  • Primary Activity
    Mountain Bike
  • Difficulty rating
    Blue
  • Route Type
    Loop
  • Bike type
    AM
  • Physical rating
    Moderate
  • Ridelogs
    134
More Stats for Diamond Head Loop mountain bike route
  • Altitude min
    675 ft
  • Altitude start
    675 ft
  • Altitude end
    679 ft
  • Grade max
    -56%
  • Grade min
    66.1%
  • Distance climb
    7 miles
  • Distance down
    5 miles
  • Distance flat
    3,540 ft
Avg: 4.35 (3 votes)
close
3D
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Inadequate
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs 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 riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs 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 ridelogs 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 rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches

Radar Time
x Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public ridelogs from the past 6 months.
  • mountain biking recent
  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
Trailforks users anonymized public skilogs from the past 12 months.
  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with NO bikes.
enable

Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

Save
Trail transparency
253
826
2,622 | 2 faves
550
youtuber Half Nelson | Squamish, B. C.
Half Nelson | Squamish, B. C.
2:58 | 103 | comments: 0 | favs:
Dec 14, 2022

Recent Trail Reports Along Route

statustraildateconditiondescription
Angry M
Mar 24, 2023 @ 6:45pm
18 hours
Perfect conditions ! Picture is from the top
Ring Creek Access Road
Mar 22, 2023 @ 3:13pm
3 days
Climb Trail - Stl'lhalem Sintl' (mid)
Mar 22, 2023 @ 3:12pm
3 days
Half Nelson
Mar 20, 2023 @ 3:04pm
Mar 20, 2023
snow on access, trail has one or two patches that are ridable
Legacy Climb Trail - Stl'lhalem Sintl'
Mar 20, 2023 @ 7:18am
Mar 20, 2023
Clear & great to Ring Creek Access Road
more reports »
  • By waldverloren & contributors
  • #5168 - 7,821 views