I went for a good, decently long ride this weekend, only the second one since I returned from Ontario last week.  Summer in the Yukon is so sweet, but so short, that leaving even for a few days makes me nearly twitch with anxiety that summer will be gone by the time I get back.  I had a wonderful week in Ontario visiting family and attending a friend’s wedding but it was 10 days without my bicycle and I added another two at the end by going to the Atlin Music Festival as soon as I got home.  I had a great vacation but it has been nice getting back into a regular routine.

For me, a regular routine includes riding 2-5 times per week.  My original plan for this weekend was to head out to Carcross with a friend and complete a couple of laps of lower Montana Mountain.  But when I woke up it was rainy and forecast to get worse as they day went on.  Later this summer I’m hoping to write about the amazing trails that have been built in Carcross but, for this post, I’m keeping it in my backyard.

The Yukon has been getting a lot of positive press about its trail network lately.  Outside Magazine gave the nod to Whitehorse and Carcross as their best biking destination in 2013.  Last summer Whitehorse had a visit from the IMBA trail care crew and both Ryan Leech and Dan Barham  – renowned in their respective fields of mountain biking – have been teaching courses here for a few summers now.  Given all of this new attention on my backyard, I thought I would share what a typical Whitehorse ride looks like.Warm
In the summer, it’s usually warm (20C), dry, and sunny.  Today was a bit of an exception as we experienced some light rain while we were riding and the clouds poured rain later in the day.

Buff
Our trails are pretty buff and the majority of the riding here is cross-country singletrack.  Roots and rocks certainly exist but the predominant characteristic of the terrain here is hard-packed dirt.

Dog-inclusive
It’s not really a Yukon ride without a canine friend or two… or four along for the fun.

Scenic
I always say that 30% of the reason I mountain bike is for the views.  [The other reasons are fitness, skill development and time with friends, if you are curious].  There is a lot of great scenery to be had when riding a bike in Whitehorse.