You can get choppered to the top of a trail in Europe, New Zealand or Australia but the Pacific Northwest is the only place you can use a floatplane. Here’s what you need to know.

Why not just ride up to the trails?

You get access to more trails, just like on a regular uplift. But unlike a regular uplift you don’t just gain height in a floatplane, you gain distance: a popular floatplane trip from Tyaughton Lake in the Chilcotins, BC, to ‘nearby’ Lorna Lake, takes just 20-30 minutes by air.

The ride back, however, is nine hours of singletrack goodness through some of the most wild and beautiful scenery Canada’s interior has to offer.

Float plane riding shot

Where can I jump on a floatplane and how much will it cost?

Tyaxadventures.com in the Chilcotins, five hours’ drive from Whistler. You can get a charter flight to a range of destinations or they do guided tours too. The plane takes four people with
bikes comfortably… or five uncomfortably.
Prices from C$600.

Sell it to us then

It’s a real adventure — the plane ride alone is stunning, with mountains around and sometimes above you. Then be prepared for the remotest trails you’ve known: beautiful singletrack with no need to share, save for the odd grizzly bear.