Bike in my left hand, dog leash in my right, I make my way into Hyatt Place – thank goodness for automatic doors. The air-conditioned atmosphere was a welcome treat after just sneaking in a pre-hotel check-in mountain bike ride. A gentle and warm hello from behind the check-in desk that was aimed at Rubble – my 3-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback was chased with a question for me, “Can we offer your dog a treat? Does he have any allergies?” – Rubble and I certainly felt the instant northern hospitality.
A little bit dusty and content after our ride in the Otway trail network, Rubble and I settled into what would be our home base for the next few nights. Extra spacious, the Hyatt pet friendly rooms graciously had enough hooks to hang gear, space to stow bikes, and ample room for Rubble to lounge around in. No doubt about it, recharging here would be easy. Quick shower, dinner for the doggo and off to a patio in the evening sun. It’s important to set the holiday routine right away, isn’t it? More on dog-friendly patios later.
RIDING IN PRINCE GEORGE
Riding mountain bikes in Prince George has always been something I prioritize when making my way up north from my home base on Squamish. Whether on route to break up the drive or as a destination on its own, the trails always beckon me. With five main riding at your fingertips, the question is always, “Where to ride first”?
University Hill
Some of the trails here go through an off-leash park (Ginters) – can you say doggo paradise? Bike rides, k9 socialization time and their best human all in one place? As someone who loves enduro and downhill, the offerings of University Hill are an absolute treat! The playful poppy jumps mixed with the classic hard-pack dirt found in Prince George’s trails is a perfect combo in the dry. It’s designed with great progression for endo/downhill in this zone offerings. Get to know the style of trail and push your riding one trail at a time.
Pidherny
My personal favourite zone and probably Rubbles too. Pidnherny has over 100 trails accessible via a variety of climb trails or forest service roads, it’s easy to create enduro loops as big or as small as you have time and energy for. The bulk of the trails are a sliding scale of blue making this a crowd-pleaser of a zone, but don’t let that fool you – there’s some pretty hefty black trail here too. Large wood features are a signature feature for the more challenging trails here, all of which are well documented on the trail forks trails – worth noting as some of these features are not for the faint of human or dog heart. Overall, Pidherny is a zone where you can lap back to the truck for lunch, keep adding on trails if you have juice or go for a quick one while passing through.
Ottway Trail Network at Caledonia Nordic Ski Club
A quick hop or ride over the Nechako River and you’ll find yourself in the Otway trail network at Caledonia Nordic Ski Club. Ottway is primarily cross-country riding – 33km of it to be exact. Consistency is the name of the game for this zone. Trail maintenance is top notch and there’s a loop for every ability and time constraint. It’s a great spot to run the dog without crunching their joints on big descents. Bonus – for a multi-zone day you can link Otway to Greenway/Forests and then to University Hill if you and your pup have the juice.
Greenway/Forests
Nostalgic trails mixed with some new woodwork, drops and berms. Remember those techy cross-country trails from the 90s? That vibe lives on here. Those blues? They aren’t modern flow, but heck they’re fun! It induces a slower human pace and gives your pup a chance to cruise at a nice speed through the woods. Easy to mix it up with some downhill pre or post-ride from the connected University Hill mountain bike network
Tabor Mountain
Downhill riders rejoice! The trails at Tabor are epic. Essentially the offerings of a full bike park without the life – downhill primary and shuttleable – a fun mix in a week full of biking. Usually, shuttle laps are easy on the human and hard on the hounds so keep that in mind. Give them some breaks hanging with the driver to not overdo it. They have trail descriptions, rates and trail maps here for your planning purposes.
OTHER GOOD SPOTS FOR GOOD DOGS
Part of travelling with your dog is bringing them into all aspects of the fun. Here’s a little roundup:
- Cross Roads downtown has a special pet-friendly patio with epic evening sun. Enjoy local craft beer, and woodfired pizza with the whole crew.
- Northern Lights Winery lets you stroll through and enjoy the patio with your well-behaved pup. A pretty special experience unique to Prince George – the fruit-based wine is unique and dangerously thirst-quenching after a ride.
- Trench Brewing & Distilling and Nelly’s Pub and Pizza also offer dog-friendly patios for you to enjoy great food and drinks while soaking in the sunshine.
- Check out any of the off-leash parks while in town.
- Pet stores? There are lots of them! Don’t worry if you forgot Fido’s bed, food, or just need to up the treat supply – Prince George has you covered.
- My favourite pet + mountain bike friendly hotels are: Prestige Treasure Cove, Hyatt Place, Best Western Plus (that hot tub hits really nice after riding), and for something super different, you can rent out a private cabin at Woodhouse Cottages and Ranch just out of town for ultimate serenity.
And let’s not forget that the Hyatt lounge in the lobby is pet-friendly for a well-trained pup. Rubble and I capped off our trip with content legs, a slow sipper in a lounge chair for me and an extra big dog treat for Rubs – already scanning the calendar for when the work schedule will allow another visit.
Photos and text by Abby Cooper (IG: @abbydells).