XC Ski

XC SKI

Bragg Creek Trails welcomes everyone from the first time skier to the more experienced. It’s a family and dog friendly ski centre that welcomes skiers of all ages and abilities.

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About our Ski trails

Bragg Creek Trails features 58.7 km of groomed beginner and intermediate xc ski trails, including 20 km for multi-use which includes both classic skiing and skate skiing.

Bragg Creek Trails is unique from any other trails in Kananaskis Country in that dogs are permitted on the trails and may be off leash on much of the trail network.

With 17 different XC Ski trails, Bragg Creek Trails offers wonderful views of our Albertan landscape and an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in the wintertime!

Skate Ski Trails

Skate Skiing Trails

West Bragg Creek offers 17.5 km of groomed trails for skate skiing, with scenic routes and varying terrain.

East Crystal Line (2.8 km): A few narrow spots but great for skating.
West Crystal Line (2.4 km): Includes several short, narrow sections.
Middle Crystal Line (0.7 km): Compact and skate-friendly.
Sundog (3.0 km): A well-groomed, popular option.
Mountain Road (4.1 km): A multi-user trail with classic tracks on the north side and space for hiking, biking, and snowshoeing along the south edge. A few narrow sections near the parking lot.
Moose Connector-South (0.7 km): Connects Mountain Road and West Crystal Line, with several narrow sections.
Mountain View West (3.8 km): Mostly wide enough for classic and skate skiing, though the 1 km narrow section in the middle may require adjustments. Alternate summer alignments may be groomed but can melt quickly during Chinooks.

*Ski trails must be 6 metres wide to accommodate two classic tracks (1.5 metres each) and a 3-metre skate ski lane. Most WBC ski trails are around 4 metres wide, making them suitable for classic skiing only. However, some trails are largely 6 metres wide, though they may have narrow pinch points, particularly on hills or bridges. In these cases, we either groom one classic track or none to maintain the 3-metre skate lane.

Crystal Line - East

Distance 2.8 km, Elevation 45 m, Rating Easy/Intermediate
East Crystal Line is the core access trail for a variety of loops south and east ofthe WBC parking lot. The initial 100m is an access route for all XC and all-season trail users. After turning east to parallel the access road, the wide, undulating trail is double track-set and groomed for ski skating. About .5km east are two junctions. The first leads onto the steep hill portion of Sundog Loop, the second is along the south perimeter trail and up east Sundog Loop. East Crystal Line continues east, then curves around the north end of Boundary Ridge and up to a higher junction with Sundog Loop.

Crystal Line - Middle & West

Distance 3.6 km, Elevation 65 m, Rating Easy/Intermediate

West Crystal Line encircles a group of linked trails that allow you to make an amazing variety of loops south and west of the parking lot. Starting just south of Mountain Road, Lower West Crystal Line heads west and immediately provides the option of going around the easy Chickadee Loop or through the practice grid. After crossing Bragg Creek on a lovely new bridge, you come to the first of 4 connector junctions. Crystal Link #1 (intermediate) takes you up a short hill to Middle Crystal Line. Crystal Links #2 and #3 (easy) connects to Middle Crystal Line and then loops back to Lower West Crystal Line for an enjoyable, novice loop. Crystal Link #4 is a steep hill that makes an exciting intermediate loop with #1 and Middle Crystal Line. Lower West Crystal Line rolls up and down a few times to a major junction with Moose Connector, the new Mountain View trail and a bridge that marks the start of upper West Crystal Line. The upper trail features a several hills and brings you back east to Sundog Loop. Along the way, you have the option of connecting onto Loggers Loop, or Middle Crystal Line or any of the links in between.

Elbow Trail

Distance 6.0 km, Elevation 120 m, Rating Intermediate

Elbow Trail connects Sundog Loop and the West Bragg Creek trail system to the Fullerton trailhead at Highway #66. It runs along the shady east side of Ranger Ridge, before heading southwest to the Elbow River. Elbow Trail is usually combined with Iron Springs to make a loop that includes Sundog, Loggers or Crystal Line.

You can also start from the Fullerton Trailhead on Highway #66, but check Nordic Pulse first, as the first 2 km is groomed infrequently for XC skiing. The first kilometer of trail from Highway #66 is a brand new replacement for the portion of trail that was lost in the June 2013 flood. The new trail winds across a gentle bench, passing through pine forest, aspen groves and meadows up to the junction with the Fullerton Loop.

multi-use trail – South Elbow Trail

Hostel Loop

Distance 3.7 km, Elevation 45 m, Rating Intermediate

Starting from the centre of the north side of the parking lot, the Hostel Loop begins with a short, steep uphill climb, which is shared with the Telephone Loop. It levels off and curves north to a junction 0.3 km from the start. The east half of the Hostel Loop passes through sunny aspen groves and several meadows, then curves north over rolling terrain to the second junction with the Telephone Loop. The west half of the loop includes a steady uphill and a long, sweeping downhill glide back to the first junction.

Iron Creek

Distance 1.9 km, Elevation 69 m, Rating Intermediate

Iron Creek is a lovely, windy, wooded trail that connects South Iron Springs to Range Road 54. For skiers starting from the West Bragg Creek parking lot this is an out-and-back trip.

multi-use trail – Remember that this is a shared trail so expect to possibly encounter walkers, snowshoers and fat bikes.

Iron Springs

Distance 4.3 km, Elevation 100 m, Rating Easy / Intermediate

Iron Springs is a lovely wide, rolling, winding trail that traverses along the west base of Boundary Ridge and Snagmore Hill. It starts at the southeast corner of Sundog Loop and connects near the south end of Elbow Trail. It includes sunny viewpoints, aspen groves and pine forest. It is usually combined with Sundog and Elbow to make a larger loop.

Loggers

Distance 1.9 km, Elevation 105 m, Rating Intermediate

Loggers is a scenic, hilly semi-circle that connects West Crystal Line with the south edge of Sundog Loop. This is one of the best trails for snow quality. It allows you to make a bigger, more interesting ski out of any loop that combines Crystal Line and Sundog.

Moose Connector

Distance 1.3 km, Elevation 45 m, Rating Intermediate

Moose Connector is an important link between the south XC trails and the trails north of Mountain Road. The south half of Moose Connector is a lovely rolling link between West Crystal Line and Mountain Road. The hilly north half of Moose Connector takes you to Moose Loop and the west side of Telephone Loop.

Moose Loop

Distance 6.3 km, Elevation 80 m, Rating Intermediate

The north half of Moose Connector meets Moose Loop at the top of a short hill. The east half of the Moose Loop begins with a short downhill S-curve, but is mainly gentle, with a few short, steep dips. It is quite open, with views across the broad moose marsh towards Moose Mountain. Because of the exposure to sun and wind, this half may have some areas of thin snow cover. At the north end of the loop is a picnic table, marking the start of the west half of the loop. The west loop is more forested, twisting and rolling. It is sheltered and holds the snow very well. After following the edge of a low escarpment, with views to the east, the trail descends to the marsh, before re-entering the pine forest for the final roller coaster portion back to Moose Connector.

Mountain Road

Distance 4.1 km, Elevation 60 m, Rating Easy / Intermediate

The Mountain Road starts from a gate near the SW corner of the parking lot. It is a wide, gentle route that is shared by skiers, dog walkers and other users. (The adjacent Snowy Owl trail now provides a more appealing option for snowshoers and hikers.) Mountain Road is sunny, with good views, but it is also exposed to Chinook winds, so it may have the thinnest snowpack in the trail network. After 1.7km, the trail climbs a short hill to meet Moose Connector and then continues gently west for 2.4 km to the Mountain View West junction.

multi-use trail

Mountain View

Distance 1.5 km, Elevation 70 m, Rating Intermediate

Mountain View extends the XC ski network west from West Crystal Line. It curves through alternating forest groves and cut-block openings and goes up, over and around a set of small hills before connecting with Mountain Road. As the name implies, this trail provides some of the best views in the area.

Mountain View West

Distance 3.8 km, Elevation __ m, Rating Intermediate

Mountain View West follows a former logging road and a pipeline right of way to connect the western ends of Mountain Road and Moose Loop. It is an enjoyable undulating trail, with great viewpoints.

Sundog Loop

Distance 3.8 km, Elevation 60 m, Rating Intermediate
Sundog is a fun loop on it’s own that also serves as the start/finish of longer loops, including the new skate ski loop. From the trailhead, go east on the south perimeter trail, past the equestrian parking lot to the start of east Sundog. Cross a bridge and go up a short hill. Cross East Crystal Line and go up a daunting looking hill. The hill crests at a large meadow and then continues up to the end of East Crystal Line. The rest of Sundog Loop is wide, double trackset and groomed for skate skiing. Going south for .5km brings you to the Iron Springs Trail junction. Turn west to meet Elbow Trail and Loggers Loop junctions, then turn north for the curvy, rolling final leg of Sundog Loop.

Telephone Loop

Distance 15.5 km, Elevation 230 m, Rating Intermediate / Difficult

Telephone Loops start at the centre of the north side of the WBC parking lot. This is a challenging multi-user trail that is best suited as a “light touring” loop, unless it has just recently been trackset. Check Nordic Pulse to confirm the grooming status. The east half of Telephone Loop cuts through the centre of Hostel Loop and you can take either side of Hostel Loop to take advantage of “skier-only” tracksetting to start your tour. North of Hostel Loop, the trail becomes increasingly challenging, with plenty of climbs, descents and sharp curves to the Long Distance trail junction. On the west side, Telephone Loop eases off to an intermediate character to the Moose Loop junction. You can return directly via Moose Connector and Mountain Road, or extend your loop by adding Moose Loop, Mountain View West or West Crystal Line.