Open in App
Get this trail on your phone instantly.
more stats
4,980 ft
Distance
9 ft
Climb
-403 ft
Descent
00:11:33
Avg time
-396 ft
Altitude change
992 ft
Altitude min
1,387 ft
Altitude max
1,387 ft
Altitude start
991 ft
Altitude end
-7.9%
Grade
-17%
Grade max
5.5%
Grade min
213 ft
Distance climb
4,304 ft
Distance down
463 ft
Distance flat
00:11:33
Avg time
Gatekeeper Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaSouth Benson / Wolf Mountain
Nanaimo, British Columbia -
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (1 vote)
-
Local Popularity75 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 65 in E-Biking
- 40 in Trail Running
- 25 in Hiking
-
Global Ranking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeDH, AM, XC
-
DirectionDownhill Only
-
Physical RatingModerate
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
-
TTFs on TrailBerm, Bridge, Gap Jump
-
Year Opened2016
Flow type trail with nice berms and fun small jumps. Please use E&M Express to climb.
This trail is unsanctioned.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 2 rides
- 8 miles average
6 Months
- 52 rides
- 9 miles avg distance
All
- 1,097 rides
- Last: Sep 19, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Gatekeeper Trail Reports
more »
close
-
Layers w
- Weather Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- More Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
-
Upgrade to
3D
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.
?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
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.
Save
Directions to gatekeeper trailhead
(49.113480, -124.015810)
Photos
11 more »
Videos
4 more »
mtb
19:15 |
130 |
May 4, 2025 , Nanaimo
mtb
5:29 |
570 |
Oct 20, 2020 , Nanaimo
mtb
3:24 |
558 |
Oct 20, 2020 , Nanaimo
mtb
3:31 |
898 |
Oct 10, 2016 , Nanaimo
Routes with this trail
★ 5.0 • 10 miles • 1,197 ft • 22 • Loop •
A route that combines a good mix of climbing and downhill covering the Runner and lower South Benson trails.
★ 3.0 • 17 miles • 2,461 ft • 11 • Loop •
THIS ROUTE IS FROM EXTENSION TO FULL GATEKEEPER. WHAT A CLIMB
5 Reviews & Comments
tdeems
Pretty tight and rocky, very few chances for air time. Good for beginners, otherwise everything else here is better.
lostlunchbox
Kudos to the builders, this is an awesome example of "natural flow" and use of grade. So much bang for buck and arguably fun for any skill level. Wish there were more like it!
dirtworship
Trail is in great shape right now, perfect dirt. Rode down the trail, there are a few fun kickers to hit. Seems like a decent climbing trail as well. There is a sign at the bottom to warn climbers to watch for oncoming riders, so I'd say its a 2 direction trail. The other climbing option, E&M, is also nice but requires much more fire road climbing as well. Both are good options IMO.
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view all trail reviews and much more.
Nearby Trails
- E&m Express 1,037 ft
- Poobags 1,086 ft
- Wagon Wheel 1,545 ft
- Malted Milk 1,657 ft
- Custard Cream 1,677 ft
South Benson / Wolf Mountain
- #55435 - 5,762 views
- Follow/Subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.
Hit the Trail
Download Trail
Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
Find Related Routes
Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
You must enter a description before submitting.