These resort towns and parks feature fat bike designated trails, guided rides, rentals and more.

Fat biking—essentially riding a bicycle with over-sized tires and rims on soft terrain, like snow or sand—is picking up in popularity as Canada’s newest must-try winter sport. Although monster tires and low gearing means you can ride a fat bike on almost any snowy trail, the following places are especially accommodating to both newbie and experienced fat bikers, featuring designated fat bike trails, guided rides and fat bike rentals.  

 
Fernie Alpine Resort (Fernie, BC)
Clear signage, well-built berms and easy access from town makes Fernie Alpine Resort an ideal place to fat bike. The resort features 12 km of groomed multi-use trails, which fatbikers are welcome to use. Fat bike rentals, guided tours and even a fat bike “ride and dine” program are also offered.
 

Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park (Canmore, AB)
Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park offers miles of snowy single-track fat bike routes on select groomed and ungroomed trails within the park. Riders can check out the park’s handy fat biking map ahead of time to know where to go, or just keep an eye out for fat bike trail signage within the park. Fat bikes can be rented in town at Trail Sports.
 

Horseshoe Resort (Barrie, ON)
Just $15 will get you access to 20 km of epic alpine single-track trails for fat biking at the Horseshoe Resort. Fat bike rentals are also available, as well as a Discover Fat Biking package, which includes a trail pass, fat bike rental and 90-minute guided ride.
 

Mont-Sainte-Anne (Beaupré, QC)
The fat bike trail network at Mont-Sainte-Anne offers 26 km of multi-use and fat bike-exclusive groomed trails for all levels of riders. Bring your own fat bike or rent one of the three fat bikes available for park riding in the cross-country ski shop at the resort.
 

Kouchibouguac National Park (Kouchibouguac, NB)
Fat bike riders in New Brunswick, rejoice! Beginning this March, fat bikes will be available to rent and use on a new 16 km section of groomed trails within Kouchibouguac National Park. During spring break, the parkway between Pijeboogwek and La Source shelters will be groomed to accommodate fat bikes, and special fat bike activities will be held during the week.

Our reporter tested out Fat Biking at Hardwood Ski & Bike in Barrie, Ontario. Here’s the result!

Lead photo: Tourism Fernie