While Mont-Sainte-Anne may have been the birthplace of mountain biking in Quebec, the development of mountain bike trails at Vallée Bras du Nord (VBN) singlehandedly kickstarted a mountain bike trail building boom in the Quebec City region. Gilles Morneau, local trail advocate and current President of the VBN Board, first proposed trails in VBN in 2005, and construction began in 2007. Today, the expansive network is one of the most renowned trail systems on the East Coast.
If you want to pedal down lengthy backcountry trails in the middle of nowhere, VBN is the place to go. VBN boasts 162km (100 miles) of singletrack spread along the banks of raging rivers and curling around the steep flanks of towering mountainsides. Sheer rock faces popular with local rock climbers loom over the valleys below.
"What I did at the beginning was just pinpoint every really [great] spot — this big rock or this waterfall or this river, and after that, just link those points... big sceneries everywhere," said Morneau.
For legendary backcountry riding, the Three Neilsons reign supreme. Combining Neilson Est, Nord, and Sud into a black diamond backcountry loop will take you on an epic adventure through the mountains and river valleys of VBN's Shannahan Sector. The trails are rugged and old-school, filled with technical challenges. But more than anything, the beauty is unparalleled! You'll pass thundering waterfalls and pedal along the whitewater rapids of the Neilson River, which are popular with whitewater kayakers.
If you still have legs, go pedal the Légende. This renowned trail features a brutally technical but unbelievably beautiful rockwork downhill along the banks of yet another raging mountain stream. The technicality and beauty of this trail make it an iconic photo stop and a filming location for numerous YouTubers. Just don't try to ride it in high water, as the trail gets flooded out.
While VBN is best known for its backcountry singletrack, it's now making a name for itself with its gravity sector, too. The Godzilla jump trail features A-Line size jumps built by the renowned Gravity Logic crew. For those who don't want to send 40-foot tables, the adjacent Octopus and Kraken trails offer intermediate-level flow trails. These lines are decidedly not jump trails, but the perfectly sculpted terrain, massive berms, and flowing rollers through a beautiful forest made this downhill one of the best flow trails I've ridden anywhere in the world.
Finally, VBN also boasts an additional network of trails that's rideable from nearby downtown Saint-Raymond. While these trails don't offer the remote backcountry experience that VBN is known for, the convenient access and high-quality trail building shouldn't be overlooked.
An adult day pass costs $23.40 CAD.
-Greg Heil
 | Grande Ourse |  | 4 mi |
 | La Boréale |  | 1 mi |
| Legende | | 1.4 mi |
| Neilson Nord | | 4 mi |
| Neilson Sud | | 2 mi |
| Octopus - Kraken | | 1.6 mi |
I would say the best trails in the world. Two Neilson loops must be done if you are ok with technical stuff and have a good cardio. There is nothing there that is super technical but expect rocky and rooty descents and climbs. The double track climb to get to Neilson is the worst but after that it gets easier.
| ThankAs with Neilson Nord, Neilson Sud continues down the same river and was also loaded with wooden features, rock gardens and roots. Sud is more mellow, not as much elevation gains or losses and it has places to stop and view a couple of water falls. Even though the trail is chill, there are technical sections to make it challenging and keep things interesting. It was a perfect closing trail before we ended our ride.
| ThankNeilson Nord in Vallée Bras-du-Nord St. Raymond Quebec Shannahan Sector is a epic trail. Meandering along a river this XC trail is packed with wooden features, rock slabs and spines with a great mix of technical terrain and smooth fast flowey trails. Neilson Nord is a testament to the high level of trail building going on in these regions, just amazing! The trail has lots of climbing and descending, i cut a lot of the climbing out and tried to show features that I enjoyed.
| ThankAwesome Trail, so much fun, berms, jumps, rock chutes, log rides, rock gardens
| ThankBest I have ridden in Canada so far. This trail almost kicked my !$!W$%, but it was EPIC!
| ThankAwesome variety here. There's smooth and flowy trails with sweet berms that anyone can do (Beurre d'erable) and technical trails like Petit Ourse that are more challenging. Coulee douce is a must. I did about 20 miles overall and didn't repeat much and still had trails left over that I didn't do. The scenery is very nice here and the area is quite neat. My only real gripe is the cost - $15 to do XC mountain biking seems a bit much, but I suppose that's how it is with such vast trail systems that are on private land. If you're looking for somewhere to eat the Hotel Le Roquemont restaurant in St Raymond is pretty good, and Pizzeria Paquet is a solid choice as well.
| ThankNeilson, Sucre D'orge et Grande Ourse sont à ne pas manquer. Must ride tracks.
| ThankGreat place to ride, trails for everyone, from beginner to advanced. Trails are added every year, lots have been added since Mudhunny's visit in 2011. trails network totals now 40 miles singletrack 40 miles doubletrack.
| ThankTwo sectors to visit: - Shannahan,(41km singletracks) in a beautiful wild surrounding with rivers, waterfalls, bridges, etc. must ride: Neilson, Beurre d'érable, Sucre d'Orge, Chute à Gilles, Grande Ourse.
- Saint-Raymond downtown (23km singletracks) Amazing new network of trails on two mountains, nice fast and flowy trails, more rural scenery.
Very nice network with something for everyone. Beurre d'érable ans sucre d'orge trails are defenatly beginner friendly, but are also Very fun for the advanced riders. Grande ours, petite ours ans chute a Gilles are must-go for intermediate and advanced riders, offering both flowy and technical challenges. Be sure to check the new Nelson trail. Its better to use the dirt road to climb up and then do the Nelson as a DH.
| Thank