Big White Nordic & Wilderness Trails

Away from the chairlifts, Big White keeps 25 kilometres of Nordic and Wilderness trails winding through the forest and meadows around Happy Valley — cross-country skiing from beginner loops to advanced climbs, a separate set of Wilderness trails for snowshoeing where leashed dogs are welcome, and the Trapping Meadows trail set aside for fat bikes. The trailhead is at the bottom of the beginner slope in the Happy Valley Adventure Centre (take Lara's Gondola from the Village Centre and cross the bridge, or park in the Happy Valley lot; there is a second access from the Black Forest lot), and the resort grooms and patrols the network daily, posting grooming updates online. Access is included with any Big White day lift ticket or season pass; otherwise a trail pass is sold at the ticket offices, and Nordic ski and snowshoe packages can be rented at the Village Centre Mall. If you would rather be shown around, the resort runs two-hour guided snowshoe tours twice daily — an interpretive group tour for ages 16 and up ($64 per person, less booked in advance) that mixes local ecology with big views, and a private Family Adventure tour for ages 8 and up ($164 for a group of up to eight) — with small groups, a local host and the trail pass sold separately. Warm up afterwards in the Happy Valley Day Lodge, and if you are here after dark, the Twinkling Trail begins on the same trail system.