Best gravel ride near Calgary
Overlooking the Badlands near Rosebud, Alberta
August long weekend has been hot and smokey, so we made plans to get out of the city and go for a gravel adventure around Rosebud, Alberta. I installed tubeless challenge gravel grinder tires on Sunday and I was glad to have them as the ride was spicy. We mapped out a 48 km route of gravel roads that starts just outside of the town of Rosebud. Check out our strava map here. Park right in town and be sure to check out the shops when you go. It's a super charming rural town with live theatre and artists galleries. The route begins with a climb out of the valley and rewards you at at every turn with fantastic farmland and badland views. As of August 2, 2021, the roads have all been freshly graded. It took me a while to get confident on the loose stuff, but once I did, I was all smiles. We filmed a lot of drone footage and video which we are excited to share. The route dips into the badland valleys a few times and the climbs back out are intermediate to difficult with all the gravel goodness. I think I noticed one climb at 16% grade for longer than is reasonable or comfortable. We really enjoyed these quiet roads with almost zero traffic. A couple of large trucks passed us at extremely respectful slow speeds so we waved thank you with extra enthusiasm. I highly recommend this ride. Check out our instagram feeds for reels and more photos.