Poboktan Creek to Waterfalls CG

As part of a long day trip into Quartal Peak above Poboktan Pass in Jasper National Park, I used my bike on the first 11 kilometers of trail up Poboktan Creek. TrailForks indicates that the section after the Waterfalls Campground to McCready’s horse camp and beyond is NOT a sanctioned bike trail but I am unsure of this. I certainly saw evidence of bike tracks long after the campground.

As mentioned in the linked trip report above, this is a rough trail and you should go in expecting some level of pain and suffering on your 2-wheel steed. It still beats walking though - especially on exit. 

I remembered (from a previous hiking trip) that the trail starts from the warden complex along a fence in a very understated, inconspicuous manner and sure enough – my bike barely fit the first 100 meters or so. Very soon after starting along a lively Poboktan Creek the trail turned uphill and when I say “up” hill, I really mean it! It’s always surprising to me how different a bike approach feels compared to hiking. I knew from the stats at TrailForks that I had to gain around 500 meters on the 2-wheel steed but there’s a huge difference between knowing the stats and doing the stats. I was very happy to be on the light gravel bike for the approach, it made several lengthy uphill sections 100% rideable whereas with my heavier mountain bike setup there’s no way I could have made it without walking.

The trail was in pretty good shape but there are a lot of uphill sections – I gained around 500 meters to the Waterfalls Campground. It was quite technical in places with unbridged stream crossings, roots and rocks. At some point I realized the ride down was going to be almost as adventurous as the ride up was. As I rode up a long hill I met my first hiker of the day. We chatted briefly, he didn’t quite believe I was going all the way to Poboktan Pass and above as a day trip but he came around eventually. He mentioned that folks regularly bike to the warden cabin (beyond the Waterfall Camp) and even further but gave no indication whether it’s actually an offense or not. It took me just under 2 hours of steady pedaling to finally descend a large hill to the Waterfalls Campground and the end of my ride.

This is the end of the ride and it's a lovely place to either camp (with reservations obviously) or simply enjoy the atmosphere of the falls before heading back to the trailhead.