Outdoor Report: Mountain biking without leaving the city

It seems Calgary is getting the sunshine now that it was supposed to get in the summer — but it's November.

So the Calgary Eyeopener's own Paul Karchut says that means there's even more to see and do outside.

"We're in that sweet spot here where we could go skiing one day in the mountains, and then mountain bike in the city the next."

For his latest Outdoor Report, Karchut suggests a great mountain bike trail that's not too far off the path.

The "12 Mile Coulee" is in Tuscany — right in the heart of suburbia.  

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It's not actually 12 miles long, rather the coulee is located 12 miles from Fort Calgary, as marked by the mail coach delivery route in Calgary's early history. 

Karchut says the area was once used as a hunting ground for Indigenous peoples as well.

The trail itself is not too challenging and appeals to the whole family — kids and dogs included.

It gets shady in the treed areas, Karchut warns, which can stay snowy well into the spring.

So the time is now to catch the best of riding without snow. But with a healthy dump of white on the nearby ski hills, Karchut says that's worth checking out, too.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener