Ride Statistics
Ride Difficulty Rating: Intermediate. There is not much of a shoulder on the main Hwy 40 portion of this ride. Traffic can be heavy on the weekends.
Distance: The total distance including side trips is 82Km. The ride excluding the side trips ( Beaupre Creek Rd and Richards Road) is 54 Km.
Estimated time: Based on cycling speed of 20 km/hr the entire ride is about 4 hours.
Elevation Gain: 726 m
Maximum Elevation: 1421 m
Maximum Grade: 6.3%
Best Parking Option: The best option is to park off the road at the junction of Hwy 40 and the 1A.
Points of Interest: Throughout the ride there is stunning scenery of the Rocky Mountain Eastern slopes and ranchlands. In addition, you will pass a sign for The Crossing at Ghost River which is a beautiful country retreat and event centre situated along the Ghost River. Continuing on you will see the community of Benchlands and Waiparous Village. The route passes over a wooden bridge where the Waiparous River and Ghost River merge. Finally, at the end of the of the ride you will see the famous Bar C Ranch house.
Amenities: There are no amenities along this route so please take all of your layers and food plus repair equipment in case of an emergency. Don’t forget to carry bear spray. You will be out of cell range once you pass Waiparous Village.
Comments from our test riders:
Beginner Road Cyclist: I made sure to do this ride during the week when there is minimal traffic and went with a group of cyclists. We enjoyed traveling up the Beaupre Creek road since it was quiet and then just went as far up the Forestry Trunk Rd (Hwy 40) as time allowed.
Intermediate Road Cyclist: We did the entire route on a weekday and found this ride to be a challenging mix of rolling hills with sweeping scenic views of the Eastern Slopes.
Expert Road Cyclist: This was a fantastic opportunity to cycle a different route with enough topography to keep it interesting and a nice training length. It is much more relaxing to do this route on a weekday!
What to expect from this ride
When cycling the Forestry Trunk road (Hwy 40) you need to be aware that this is the main access road for those people who want to recreate in the Ghost Watershed. It is especially busy on weekends in the summer when people are heading up to camp, ride OHV trails, mountain climb etc… The best time to cycle up here is during the week.
This road is an out and back that encompasses the paved portion of Hwy 40 (Forestry Trunk Road) from the intersection of Hwy 1A to the end of the pavement. At the 2 Km mark there is an optional side trip up and down the Beaupre Creek Road which is very quiet and has great views of the Wild Cat Hills.
As you continue down the Forestry Trunk Road it is interesting to know that this countryside is part of the Ghost Watershed that covers almost 1000 Km2. The Ghost River is a tributary of the Bow River and supplies an incremental 7 percent of water to the Bow River. The ecosystem here is critical to the health of fish including the Westslope Cutthroat Trout which spawn in the tributaries of the Ghost River and are endangered. The Ghost Watershed Alliance Society (ghostwatershed.ca) is responsible for maintaining this area and has many projects that both monitor and enhance this special area. Check out their website and get involved in some of their initiatives such as bioengineering and water monitoring.
After traveling 24 Km there is another optional traverse of Richards Road that adds 14.6 Km to your ride. This is another quiet interlude on smooth pavement. Finally as you head back enjoy the gradual decrease in elevation after about 55 Km. You can finish feeling strong!
Cycle Alberta 