The Whistler Book. Jack Christie

cycling with a minimum of steep terrain. Chose from a half-dozen single- and double-track routes, such as Reefer Rip and Cracked Patella. Or, if you’re looking for something more laid back, try the paved trails in the Brackendale Family Bike Park on Ross Road, just east of Don Ross Secondary and Brackendale Elementary Schools.

      Paul Ridge, Diamond Head

      The main Cheekye Fan route, the Ray Peters Bike Trail, circles around the Fan beside Government and Squamish Valley roads. You’ll frequently see vehicles parked at a series of entrances to the main trail and its offshoots, such as the Rusty Pail Trail off Squamish Valley Road, where the trailhead is marked by a corroded coffee can suspended from a tree. Rusty Pail offers a carefree ride with fewer rocks and roots to deal with than elsewhere on the Fan. It’s a spongy trail that twists through a sheltered stand of Douglas fir; the forest floor is carpeted with moss and sword ferns and studded with cedar stumps, evidence of the old-growth forest’s glory days.

      Signage in the Cheekye Fan is sparse, but some trails are marked with colored ribbons. It’s up to you where to turn when the trail divides. The trails cover a relatively small, contained area, so getting lost isn’t likely, particularly if you have a copy of the Squamish Trail Recreation Map. A cleared BC Hydro right-of-way crosses the Fan and Farmers’ Institute trails. Following the trail and service road that leads through this land reserve will return you to a main road no matter which direction you choose. The joys of cycling the Cheekye Fan include more than just the fun of twisting your handlebars. The sheltering forest also offers cool relief on hot days in summer and a dry ride on wet ones.

      > ALICE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK

       Access: For directions to Alice Lake, see chapter 4.

       Ability Level: Novice to intermediate

      Bike trails around Alice Lake (see map, page 49), on the east side of Highway 99 opposite the Cheekye Fan, are wider, smoother, and less technical. They also enjoy more daylight. The most popular is the Four Lakes Loop Trail, open to cyclists from September to May.