more stats
6.0 miles
Distance
697 ft
Climb
-274 ft
Descent
00:40:31
Avg time
423 ft
Altitude change
4,594 ft
Altitude min
5,093 ft
Altitude max
4,594 ft
Altitude start
5,016 ft
Altitude end
1.3%
Grade
-22.3%
Grade max
20.4%
Grade min
3 miles
Distance climb
2 miles
Distance down
3,986 ft
Distance flat
00:40:31
Avg time

Spray River West Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Gravel Bike
    • Adaptive Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
    • Snowshoe
    • Nordic Ski
  • Riding Area
    Banff National Park
    Banff, Alberta
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Local Popularity
    85 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 60 in Trail Running
    • 65 in Hiking
    • 5 in Snowshoeing
    • 90 in Nordic Skiing
  • Global Ranking
    #38712 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #91524 in Trail Running
    • #82016 in Hiking
    • #1681 in Snowshoeing
    • #631 in Nordic Skiing
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Mixed
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat, Adaptive MTB, CX, Gravel
  • Direction
    Both Directions[+]
    • Both Directions for Horseback
    • Both Directions for Winter Fat Biking
    • Both Directions for Adaptive Biking
    • Both Directions for Gravel Biking
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
  • Land Owner

This multi-user trail starts from just south of the Banff Springs hotel, and runs along the side of the Spray River, crosses the river and comes back on the other side. The Goat Creek trail starts near the crossing point. This should really be described as 2 separate trails to conform to Parks Canada usage. Spray River West (on the west side of the river) allows bikes most seasons, but restricts bikes (not even fat bikes) during winter. Spray River East remains fully multi-use including fat biking in Winter.

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 4 rides
  • 22 miles average
6 Months
  • 33 rides
  • 28 miles avg distance
All
  • 242 rides
  • Last: Aug 15, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
update trails status or condition

Spray River West Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Jun 15, 2026 @ 10:54am (America/Edmonton)
Jun 15, 2026
A section of the Spray Lakes Road/Highway 742/Smith-Dorrien Trail on the Canmore Hill is closed in both directions between the Grassi Lakes...
May 27, 2026 @ 8:53pm (America/Edmonton)
May 27, 2026
No trees down, a few puddles.
Feb 4, 2026 @ 11:42am (America/Edmonton)
Feb 4, 2026
Excellent hard pack to ride on even in the mild temperatures. Great ride.
Sep 10, 2025 @ 11:33am
Sep 10, 2025
Trail is in great condition!
May 25, 2025 @ 1:48pm
May 25, 2025
more »
Status:
on Jun 15, 2026
Avg: 4.05 (12 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (1,746)
close
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.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
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
cell carrier 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

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.

map legend
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Enable
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 spray-river-west trailhead (51.160780, -115.559530)

        Photos

        33 more »
        mtb
        127 |
        Oct 6, 2023 @ 7:19pm
        Oct 6, 2023
        mtb
        126 |
        Oct 6, 2023 @ 7:19pm
        Oct 6, 2023
        mtb
        157 |
        Feb 14, 2023 @ 1:27pm
        Feb 14, 2023
        mtb
        118 |
        Feb 14, 2023 @ 1:27pm
        Feb 14, 2023

        Videos

        2 more »
        Spray Trail Mountain Bike Ride Time Warp...
        mtb
        4:43 | 1111 | May 20, 2019 , Banff
        Spray Trail Mountain Bike Ride Time Warp...
        mtb
        4:43 | 446 | May 20, 2019 , Banff

        Routes with this trail

        3.2 2,707 miles 61,804 ft 12 Point to Point
        This is mostly a dirt route from Banff, AB to Antelope Wells, NM. The annual Tour Divide typically follows...
        1.0 162 miles 19,314 ft 106 Loop
        Think you've got what it takes to tackle this monster ride? This is the ultimate link-up of single track...
        27 miles 2,524 ft 18 Loop
        Park at Nordic center and ride up to Goat creek or shuttle if you have friends, downhill all the way to !...

        3 Reviews & Comments


        We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

        Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

        • By canadakaTF Pro Trailforks & contributors
        • #8565 - 19,439 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Spray River West

        Where is Spray River West located?
        Spray River West is located in Banff National Park, Banff, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Banff National Park trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 51.16078, -115.55953.
        How hard is Spray River West?
        Spray River West is rated as Green difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 1.3%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        What is the elevation gain for Spray River West?
        Spray River West has 697 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 274 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 4,594 ft to 5,093 ft.
        Is Spray River West a point to point trail?
        Spray River West is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is mixed.
        How long is Spray River West?
        Spray River West is 6.0 miles long. The trail type is mixed.
        Are dogs allowed on Spray River West?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Spray River West. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        When is the best time of year to ride Spray River West?
        Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Spray River West are:
        • July (60 activities)
        • August (19 activities)
        • June (14 activities)
        Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
        How do I access Spray River West? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Spray River West are: View all parking locations in the area.
        How long does it take to ride Spray River West?
        Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 43 minutes to ride Spray River West. The trail is 6.0 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
        How busy is Spray River West?
        Spray River West is a very popular trail. There have been 1,731 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 1,727 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

        Hit the Trail

        Open in App

        Get this trail on your phone instantly.
        open trail in app

        Download Trail

        Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
        save the trail

        Find Related Routes

        Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
        find routes for this trail

        You must enter a description before submitting.