Star Wars and mountain biking both provide a form of escape from the day-to-day. Sometimes escaping to the local woods can look and feel a lot like escaping to another planet in another galaxy. Where you ride might call to mind the lush green forests of Endor or the jagged rocks punctuating a Tatooine desert. Or just the blur of trees whizzing by feels like riding a speeder bike.
We previously picked out eight trails in Canada that take inspiration from George Lucas’s iconic films. As the Star Wars universe expands, more trail builders are transporting riders to an alternate reality. Endor-like forests or jumps to lightspeed, these trails are good any day but riding them on May the fourth adds a little something special to the singletack sensations.
Here 18 trails where you can try tap into the force in Canada.
Endor
Endor is, understandibly, a popular refrence for trail names. In Canada, you can access Endor in Parksville, Pender Harbour (Sunshine Coast) Kelowna, or Nanaimo in B.C., where the deep green forests are similar to the fictional planet. There’s also one in Edmonton, where the river valley is a little oasis in the middle of the city.
Ewok Village – Burns Lake, B.C. / Ewok – Fernie Alpine Resort
Elevated ladder bridges and woodwork are a common theme for mountain bike trails named for the Ewok villiages in Star Wars.
Yoda – Matane, Que. / Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
One Yoda is a short blue trail that gets you into the Sentiers de l’Igloo trails near Matane Quebec. Another Yoda exists in the Hiawatha Highlands near Sault Ste. Marie.
Hand Solo – Roberts Creek, B.C.
If you want to leap like you’re entering warp speed in the Millennium Falcon, Hand Solo above Roberts Creek will do the trick. And, if anywhere in Canada feels like it could be on Endor, it’s the coastal rainforests on the Sunshine Coast.
Dagobah -Parksville, B.C.
Dagobah on Little Mountain outside Parksville leads to one of the Endor trails. It’s a lesser ridden network, for from the well-travelled parts of the galaxy.
Edmonton, Alta.
The force is strongest in Edmonton, though. There are two riding areas that carry a strong connection to Lucas’s fictional galazy. You can connect from Alderaan to Endor and Chew-Barka via Death Star in the Mill Woods area. In Forrest Heights, Upper and Lower Ewok are connected by Master Yoda on one end and Knights of Ren on the other.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…