-Michelle and Jason enjoying the view on Merlin View trail at West Bragg Creek.-
I had one of the best days ever on my bike today at West Bragg Creek. For the first time ever, I biked Merlin View and thought it was amazing, even for a sissy mountain biker like me. A Gold Medal to the trail designer.
The best feature of today’s ride was meeting the cattle drive and seeing the cattle as they were being moved out of their summer pasture.
It brought back memories of my days on the farm when we drove the cattle 16 K from the community pasture to home. Did you know that a cattle drive often will have a lead cow that knows exactly where she is going, and all the other cattle will follow?
Merlin View is accessed from Braggin’ Rights which is also a trail that would fit the criteria for sissies. Below is a video of the descent from the high point on Merlin View.
Merlin View
To reach Merlin View, I rode for 3.7K on Braggin’ Rights with an elevation gain of 105 metres. Merlin View climbs for the first 2.6K, with a net elevation gain of 145 metres. I had to dismount three times on the way up and walk the bike briefly.
The scene from Moose Connector
As I neared the high point, I could see in the distance a couple bikers who were relaxing at the viewpoint and I’m sure they could hear my intense huffing and puffing from 100 metres away. I had a nice chat with Michelle and Jason, getting tips on the other trails at West Bragg.
Three other bikers rode past while we were yakking, including Steve Riggs’ brother.
Braggin’ Rights
After a bit more uphill, it’s 3.5K of fantastic downhill on Merlin View. I didn’t consider any of it to be dangerous, just lots of fun. When I reached the bottom, I decided to check out the Moose Connector and was rewarded with more spectacular views of the large meadow.
Heading home on Mountain Road was the ultimate reward. The cattle which have made such a mess of the parking lot were on their way home!
All the trails were dry and in good shape. The fall colours at west Bragg are spectacular right now, with the aspen trees’ golden leaves shimmering in the sun.
This is my favourite trail out there. It’s a bit of a slog in the winter on a fatbike, but still fun. Seeing the xc skiers out there while I was fatbikig was what convinced me to try skiing.