Horseshoe/G8 Loop route

Name: Horseshoe/G8 Loop
Address: Canmore, AB
Rating: 4.5

near Canmore, ab

6.3 miles

Distance

943 ft

Climb

-934 ft

Descent

4,917 ft

High Point

9 ft

Altitude change

4,505 ft

Altitude min

4,505 ft

Altitude start

4,514 ft

Altitude end

-42.4%

Grade max

35.8%

Grade min

3 miles

Distance climb

3 miles

Distance down

2,562 ft

Distance flat

Start from Parking Lot area across from Iron Goat Restaurant in Canmore at Benchland Tr and Elk Run Blvd (SE corner of the traffic circle)
- Go south on the Elk Run Blvd bridge to access the Cougar Creek East access
- Go northeast on Cougar Creek East access until you get onto Horseshoe Upper
- From there, these are the trails:
- Horseshoe Upper to Horshoe Slabs, then back onto HS Upper
- HS Upper to G8 Access
- G8 Access to G8, then cut left onto G8 Bonus, which cut back onto G8
- Loop around on the G8 lower section to get back onto G8 Access
- Instead of going back onto HS Upper, go left and get onto HS Middle
- Continue on HS Middle back to HS Upper
- Continue finishing HS Upper back to Cougar Creek to the parking lot.

Detailed Description

Horseshoe/G8 Loop is a 6 mile popular intermediate route located near Canmore Alberta. This mountain bike primary route can be used both directions and has a moderate overall physical rating. This route includes 12 trails. This route climbs 943 ft with a max elevation of 4,917 ft then descends -934 ft.

Trail Issues on Route

Minor Issue / Yellow: 3 trails (newest: Jun 24, 2026)

Stats

Distance

6 miles
Avg time

1 hr 3 min
Altitude min

4,505 ft
Altitude start

4,505 ft
Altitude end

4,514 ft
Climb

943 ft
Descent

-934 ft
Grade max

-42.4%
Grade min

35.8%
Distance climb

3 miles
Distance down

3 miles
Distance flat

2,562 ft

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Trails in Route

	Cougar Creek East				1,903 ft
	Horseshoe Upper				597 ft
	Horseshoe Slabs				4,820 ft
	Horseshoe Upper				3,540 ft
	Horse Meadows Connector/G8 Access				1,217 ft
	G8				3,645 ft
	G8				1 mile
	Horse Meadows Connector/G8 Access				1,217 ft
	Horseshoe Middle				1 mile
	Horseshoe Upper				597 ft
	Cougar Creek East				1,903 ft

Details

Riding area

Horseshoe / G8
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Other Activities
- E-Bike
Difficulty rating

Blue
Route Type

Loop
eBike Allowed

Yes
Direction

Both Directions
Physical rating

Moderate

Distance (Trails & Routes)

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Collections

Trail Conditions

1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
All Time

Unknown
Snow Groomed
Snow Packed
Snow Covered
Snow Cover Partial
Freeze/thaw Cycle
Icy
Prevalent Mud
Wet
Variable
Ideal
Dry
Very Dry

Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)

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> 96%
> 90%
> 80%
> 70%
> 50%
< 50%
bi-directional trail
no data

Trail Last Ridden

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< 2 days
< 1 week
< 2 weeks
< 1 month
< 6 months
> 6 months

Trail Ridden Direction

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Downhill Only
Downhill Primary
Both Directions
Uphill Primary
Uphill Only
One Direction

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Trail Popularity ?

Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.

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ATV/ORV/OHV Filter

ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
Jeep - 72 inches

Max Vehicle Width

inches

Ridelog Year

Radar Time

Activity Recordings

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mountain biking recent
mountain biking (>6 month)
hiking (1 year)
moto (1 year)

Activity Recordings

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Downhill Ski
Backcountry Ski
Nordic Ski
Snowmobile

Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

trail	date	description
Horseshoe Middle	Jun 24, 2026 @ 2:37pm (America/Creston) Jun 24, 2026	Tree down
Cougar Creek East	Jun 24, 2026 @ 2:37pm (America/Creston) Jun 24, 2026	Tree down
Horseshoe Upper	Jun 23, 2026 @ 4:05pm (America/Edmonton) Jun 23, 2026
Horseshoe Slabs	May 7, 2026 @ 6:31pm (America/Edmonton) May 7, 2026
G8	May 1, 2025 @ 3:43pm May 1, 2025	Multiple signs posted for bombing and logging activity—trail is now out-and-back. Everything from the G8 shortcut onward is marked closed.