RAZORS
EDGE TRAIL
The Razor’s Edge Trail is one of the most technical trails in the Bow
Valley and considered a crown jewel for mountain biking in Kananaskis Country. Hikers
have long enjoyed the route for its stellar views and rugged terrain as it
winds along McConnell Ridge. In recent years, the trail has evolved into a
popular mountain bike trail for advanced riders who are drawn to its highly
technical nature.
Razor’s Edge is accessed from the Heart Creek Day Use Area by following the Quaite
Valley Connector trail east, then following the Quaite Valley trail to the
Prairie View/Jewell Pass Junction. Razor’s Edge branches left off Prairie View
approximately 450m from the junction, weaving in and out of Bow Valley Wildland
Provincial Park and Public Lands.
Although popular, this trail is undesignated/unsanctioned which means it
is not formally recognized or maintained by Alberta Environment Parks
(AEP). In 2017, AEP, the Friends of Kananaskis Country and the Canmore Area
Mountain Bike Association partnered to address the trail’s use,
safety, and options to formally designate this multi-use trail. For
example, the existing Razor’s Edge alignment descends a steep slope off
McConnell Ridge to Highway 1. One of the key elements to completing this trail
is building a new 1.9 km section of trail that will direct users off McConnell
ridge and offer a loop route back to the Quaite Valley Connector trail
(and avoid travel along the highway ditch and shoulder).
The new trail section is primarily descending, with a few short climbing sections to enable the trail to traverse across the slope and utilize nature features. The point at which this new trail leaves the original trail was carefully chosen to allow users to experience the majority of the technical sections that Razor’s is famous for. The new trail aligns with the style and character of the original trail, and will enhance the user’s experience. This phase of the project is critical to provide users with a better quality, longer and more enjoyable trail experience over the original line and offers a safer route back to the Quaite Valley Connector trail.
We’ve completed 600m of trail (yellow line on map) and aiming to build 500m in 2019 (within purple circle on map).
If you like building new trails, you will really enjoy working on this project which has a flare of slab and technical terrain, grade variation, and interesting flow.
