Happy Creek Trail
General Information
Amenities
- 6 km of hiking trails
- 6 km of mountain bike trails
- Must be accessed off of the Town of Hinton Trails
Information
The Happy Creek Trail consists of a six-kilometre loop that travels parallel to Happy Creek, crosses the creek near its headwaters and then travels back downstream on the other side of the creek. The surrounding area is mostly mature lodgepole pine forest, with some lowland black spruce areas and some mixed wood. Further upstream, the trail follows high ridges and eskers and the hiker or biker can look down into the creek valley and see the creek as well as beaver ponds and dams, which provides for excellent wildlife watching opportunities. Moose, elk, deer, bear, beaver, ducks and many kinds of songbirds call this forest home. There is a primitive picnic/rest spot on the west side of the creek, close to where the trail crosses the creek and also one on the east side of the creek, almost straight across the creek valley from the west side picnic spot. The trail makes for a pleasant walk, run, or mountain bike ride. There are numerous boardwalks and small bridges and the trail sees use all year.
As of 2026, the official Trail Manager for the Happy Creek Trail under the Trails Act is the Hinton Mountain Bike Association (HMBA); however, West Fraser is still heavily involved in its management and continues to work closely with HMBA when upgrades to the trail can be made. The Company has been involved in the ongoing maintenance and upgrade on this trail for decades. West Fraser will still look for opportunity to partner with HMBA on trail upgrades.
Trail maps
The Happy Creek trail can be found on the popular “Trailforks” app and information about the trail can also be found on the Bike Hinton website (www.bikehinton.com).
How to Get Here
To get to the Happy Creek trailhead from the Hinton Visitor Information Centre, travel east on Highway 16 and turn right onto Switzer Drive (first set of traffic lights). Proceed until the next set of lights (Robb Road intersection) and turn right (south). Follow this road past the intersection with Mountain Street (150 m) – shortly after this, the paved road turns to gravel. Several 100 meters up the gravel road with bring you to the bike park (on the right). Get onto the main town trail and travel for about one km will bring you to the Happy Creek trailhead kiosk, where the adventure begins.
The trailhead can also be accessed by travelling east on Highway 16 and turning right onto Switzer Drive (first set of traffic lights). Proceed until the next set of lights (Robb Road intersection) and turn right (south). Follow this road to the next intersection (Mountain Street) and turn right (west). At the intersection of Mountain Street and Collinge Road, turn left and proceed to Sutherland Avenue, where a left turn brings you to a Town of Hinton trailhead. From here, proceed to the other side of Maxwell Lake via the Town of Hinton trail. The Happy Creek trail begins at the information kiosk.
Safety
This is a wilderness trail. Please be prepared and use the trail at your own risk. Remember- YOU are responsible for your own safety. As in all wilderness settings, bears and cougars may be encountered at any time. To reduce the chance of an animal encounter, make plenty of noise to alert animals to your presence and carry bear spray. NEVER feed or approach a bear.
Contact
For Information please e-mail: sharon@fcda.ca