The best MTB trails around Surrey

The Burnaby Mountain Biking and Hiking Trails span a total of 28 kilometres across 576 hectares of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area. The best place to park is the park at the Mountain Air Bike Skills parking lot, but there are smaller lots around the university as well for accessing different areas of the forest. Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area can feel quite wild sometimes, with wildlife sharing the trails and forests like blacktail deer, coyotes, bald eagles, black bears and cougars. However, you can also find quiet areas of the forest that feel totally removed from urban life.

Upper Cut Trail is open to mountain bikers, hikers and trail runners. Mountain bikers can enjoy some fun corners and a few wooden features, while hikers can enjoy this lush green forest, with lots of shade and small stream crossings. It's a singletrack trail, which means it's narrow and bikers may only ride from north to south.

A well-known part of Burnaby Mountain's trail network, Gearjammer is one of the area's most popular mountain biking routes. The trail winds through dense coastal forest, with the lower section featuring a series of tight switchbacks that zigzag down the hillside. These turns help manage the mountain's elevation while adding character to the route for both riders and hikers. Along the way, short ladder features and the surrounding rainforest scenery offer a glimpse into Burnaby Mountain's long-established mountain biking culture while still making for an enjoyable forest walk.

Much of Burnaby Mountain is covered by the temperate rainforest typical of British Columbia's south coast. Towering conifers, moss-covered logs, and a dense understory create a distinctly Pacific Northwest atmosphere, while the forest canopy provides shade throughout much of the year.

Unlike the surrounding forest trails, Powerline Trail follows an open utility corridor across Burnaby Mountain. The cleared route creates wider views and a greater sense of space than the densely wooded sections nearby, offering a different perspective on the conservation area.

This is a fast, flowy trail shared by hikers, mountain bikers, and trail runners. This was the second trail designed by a group called Starz, and it includes wooden skinnies and some other technical biking features.

Many of the trails near the entrance of the park are wide crushed gravel, but there are plenty of windy singletrack paths to explore further in. Dogs must be leashed once you're off the main road.

The park is shared by hikers, dog walkers, and mountain bikers. The trails have some technical features for mountain biking but are a very family-friendly walk, and the bikers are used to looking out for kids and dogs.