JET has lots of hoof marks from horses. Lots of erosion from water running down the trail which causes 2" to 5" deep cracks. There are many extreamly fast downhill sections. Some flat section and some nice views.

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I would recomend starting at the bottom of this trail and climing it then going down either Bald Hill or Packhorse trails which are connected using North Escarpment trail. The only reason I say this is due to the very ruff downhill sections due to horses and rain. Bald hill seemed more smooth on the way up and I believe would be a little safer going down then JET.(I fell and bent my front wheel going down JET)

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Ochre River is a nice trail to ride as well as Clear Lake trail.

The Jet trail is one of those trails you love to hate, but still manage to have fun for a day. Basically it's an up and down trail, (45 min up, 10-15 min down with 15 minutes at the top). The ascent is one of the longest you are going to find in Manitoba. Its fairly wide(not quite a fire road, but darn close) , but does have some rocky technical sections which are much more fun going down than up. There are oppertunities to catch your breath at scenic look outs which show off quite a view. This is a national park, which means black bear and moose country. Watch for scat dropping and keep aware of your surroundings. Hikers also utilize the trail, so watch out, especially on the downhill part. This trail is a good test of your leg strength, but not one I'd ride every week.

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The good thing is that you can decide if you want to take the climb first, or take the downhill, depending where you park. My advice, take the climb first. Park on the east side of the park (just south of McCreary and down 2 miles of gravel)

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The "gorge" is considerd a hikers trail, but is great after labour day when everyone goes home for the year. 1st half is very rooty. 2nd half is very technical (steps, etc.) the consequences can be dire if you make a mistake ( "it IS in a gorge you know") Again 25 minutes to the top by gravel road or you can park at the top then climb. which ever you fancy.

Sweet downhills - great scenery and serious leg burning uphill riding. If you have a knack for speed, you'll easily burn the rubber off your backbreaks. When I viewed the speed on the computer - maxed out on the downhill at 34Km/hour. Don't forget, I was using my back break. Some nice areas where the riding is straight but whatchout for the moose as they like the open trail as well. Defenitely recommend this trail as it offers long downhills and requires endurance and concentration. Bring lots of water and some energy food. You'll need it!!!

Me and the boys ride this route a few times from May to October. JimyD from Vancouver has the advantage because he can ride 24-7 and find a hill back home anytime. Us flatlanders can hold our own though.

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Ride from parking lot just off Highway #19. The trip to the JET trailhead is on a fireroad. When you hit the JET have fun. Make sure the binders are functional, this is no time for a brakedown! Happy trails on the descent and remember what goes down has to go back up. If the trail is wet the challenge is greater because the water will wash a 2-5" wide gap down the trail, just enough to gobble up your rubber. The ride is exhilerating so enjoy. The recommended route back up the escarpment is the Bald Hill Trail. This trail sort of plateaus along the way with some steep climbs that will raise the heart rate. An 8 cassette cog will make the climb for a good endurance rider. Watch for wildlife and don't forget the water and a snack. Excellent scenery. Good trail map showing elevations and distances at the parking lot. Thank you Parks Canada.

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Ass kicking and gut-wrenching! (No,it is not Mom's magic meatloaf) I'm talking about The Gorge! Further on up the road (Highway #19) is the Gorge Creek Trail which also follows the eastern escarpment.The sign says 'no bikes' but sometimes you blink and miss a sign. You're on your own on this ride on the wild side.

The JET trail is a fantastic downhill, with a few level sections. There are some fairly technical single track areas. I must confess, I used my brakes ALOT. If you do the route that I outlined above, it is an approximately 23km loop. The JET trail itself is 7.5km, with 800meters of descent. The problem for me was the fact that I had to ASCEND (baldhill trail) to get back to my car. I'm a bit of a weekend rider, so I had to dismount several times on some of the steeper uphills. I have some buddies who are in much better shape that I; they can spin their way to the top.
TIPS: 1)be a decent rider; the downhill can be hairy, and the uphill is gruelling 2)be sure to take the 1km "scenic lookout" trail about halfway down JET, you get a nice view of the surrounding countryside.3)bring bugspray.

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This is a series of trails in loops. The best way is to take the fire road for a few kms, PAST the jnxn to Baldhill trail, until you reach the JET trail (there are signs). Go right at this sign. Just keep following the trail. You have a choice to go back (up!) on either packhorse or baldhill trail. I opted for baldhill.

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The Clear Lake trail is fun. It is technical single track (watch out for hikers), along the north shore of clear lake

The Jet offers a nice combo of winding flats and steep descents with a technical twist in the rain gullies. There was some nice size rocks and roots to keep you on top of picking a good line. It can be quite overgrown in the summer on the opening few k's but don't get discouraged it starts to drop in a hurry (800m over 8K). Check out the scenic viewpoint near the bottom where the trail opens up. There is an amazing view of the valley and shale. If you are in for a little hike back up, the steep shale hills offer an interesting change of pace in an off piste environment. Beware though--the shale is sharp and if you do get bucked off you can roll a long way with gravity. For those who are in shape and are looking for a workout the BaLD HILL trail is the quickest way back up and a challenge to most. My buddy puked and had an out of body experience he claims because he was so exhausted. This is balck Bear country and although there was no sightings-there was alot of scat on the trails.

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#10 into Riding Mountain National Park. Get there from the parking lot off of the #19 highway past the golf course. If you are coming from the south you may want to take the back way into the park by McCreary to avoid any nature chargers (gate costs). Head down the double fire trail and get the legs warmed up and take the second loop in. There are signs everywhere and you really cannot miss it. We ran into a rather nasty moose that had no problems running through the bush at us. Once you are on the JET trail set the cruise and away you go. Return via the Baldhill ( a rather nasty 8K climb) or bring out 2 vehicles and park one at the bottom by the East gate and take a lift up.This way you can run it 2-3 times if you want to.

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The Gorge (Gorge Creek) is a definate must for all who haven't conquered it. Although there is a hikers only posting people have been known to be checking out the scenery when it comes up.