50 Shades of Green is an ascent-only trail, connecting Jacks near Alice Lake to Mike’s Loop. It climbs 136m over its 1.1km distance. There is nothing technical to worry about here, although the grunt of the climb will have you panting like a dog at the top. You’ll be relieved to find a few flat sections here and there that breathe life back into the legs. An easier alternative is following the gravel road up from the top of Alice Lake Road to where the 4 Lakes Trail meets the Bob MacIntosh Memorial Trail. It climbs over a greater distance that makes the ascent easier, but certainly does not come close to the beauty of 50 Shades. Unless you consider yourself astonishingly unfit, take 50 Shades. If you need to walk your bike up the steeper parts here, you’ll only have more time to enjoy the surroundings anyway. You can extend the climb from the top by taking 50 More Shades of Green after turning left on Mike’s Loop.
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On the Long Ride 