The city, in partnership with the Cariboo Regional District and the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium, is offering free mountain bike shuttles every weekend in July this year.
The shuttles will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every hour on the hour on Saturday and Sunday of each weekend.
The current shuttle dates scheduled are as follows:
July 5 — River Valley Parking Lot to Snakes and Ladders trailhead
July 6 — Fox Mountain — OV parking lot and bottom of Fox Mountain
July 12 — South Lakeside — Paxton Road to Dog Creek Road
July 13 — River Valley parking lot to Snakes and Ladders trailhead
July 19 — River Valley parking lot to Snakes and Ladders trailhead
July 20 — Fox Mountain — OV parking lot to bottom of Fox Mountain Road to Hillbilly and Mason Road trailheads
July 26 — Paxton Road to Dog Creek Road
July 27 — River Valley Parking lot to Snakes and Ladders Trailhead
Shuttles will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis with 25 per cent of the seats reserved for visiting riders.
These seats, if not filled by five minutes to the hour, are open to locals.
All participants will be required to fill in a short questionnaire and sign a waiver.
Youth 18 years or younger will need a parent or legal guardian with them to sign a consent form for each shuttle.
A volunteer will be available on all shuttles to help direct riders to the biking route best suited to their style.
Full details will be online at www.ridethecariboo.ca as they become available.
Over the years, Williams Lake has built a reputation as a great place for every type of riding.
From gnarly and steep to playful and flowy Williams Lake has it all.
From the heart of the city it is easy to access three distinct trail networks: Westsyde, Fox Mountain and South Lakeside.
These networks are made up of multiple legal trails offering something for everyone.
The Westsyde is the largest and most diverse network in Williams Lake and has been built up over a number of years.
The downhill trails range from fast and flowy to rough and gnarly and most offer a progressive style of trail building that allows newer riders to roll over or ride around stunts and jumps.
Although there are many aggressive routes down the mountain, downhill trails are more suited to newer riders. Epic cross-country trails zig zag back and forth and up and down the hillside and connect to create interesting loops.
The trail network on Fox Mountain is the oldest in Williams Lake, but revisions and maintenance from the local bike club and a hardcore group of trail builders and dedicated volunteers keep them fresh and new — even to seasoned local riders.
The shuttles will drop riders off at one of two locations accessing legal trails.
One side is smooth and flowy with optional jumps and stunts, tight corners and deep gullies, and the other is steep and rugged.
Choose your side and enjoy the ride.
Although thought of as a cross-country mecca, South Lakeside also offers flowy downhill, challenging drops and teetering side hills through a Douglas fir forest dotted with lilies.
For more information on riding in Williams Lake visit www.ridethecariboo.ca.
For more information on the shuttles project call 250-392-1771, e-mail bholden@williamslake.ca or visit ridethecariboo.ca.