fbpx

Hiking & Biking Spotlight

Posted at 14:20h in McKinley Beach, News by
0 Likes

The vision for McKinley Beach is to bring about a sincere and authentic community that fuses modern urban living within a natural rural setting. It offers a chance to return to nature and the life values that come along with it. As such, there are many opportunities to take advantage of when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle at McKinley Beach.

There are over 20 kilometres of hiking and biking trails throughout the McKinley Beach community spread across 872 acres of land with varying terrain and picturesque locales. Whether you’re looking for a quiet scenic walk or want to bike a more challenging trail network, McKinley Beach has options for all fitness levels to enjoy.

There are clear advantages to your physical and emotional wellness when it come to hiking and biking but here are a few highlights that you may not know:

HIKING

When undertaken on a regular basis, hiking has a great many health benefits:

  • Improved cardiorespiratory fitness (particularly in heart, lungs, and blood vessels)
  • Improved muscular fitness levels
  • Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
  • Reduced depression and increases quality of sleep
  • Lowers the risk of early death (Being active for 7 hours per week reduces your risk of early death by as much as 40% lower than someone who is active for less than 30 minutes per week)
  • Enhanced weight control. Hiking burns up 370 calories per hour!

BIKING

Hitting the trails on a bike is an ideal activity for all ages. Thanks to child seats and trailers, biking can easily become a family activity and also represents a great opportunity for couples to spend time together. Here are some of the benefits of biking:

  • Improves and builds leg strength (particularly quads, calves, glutes, and tendons)
  • Improves weight control and works the cardiovascular system
  • Increases blood flow which in turn increases oxygen distribution
  • Biking is a non-load bearing exercise meaning there’s less risk of physical injury
  • Improves joint mobility
  • Reduces stress, inspires calm (unless you’re venturing down a steep trail)
  • Inspires a sense of adventure, allows you to explore new places, and gives you access to nature and wildlife

Whether you’re hiking trails or taking the bike out for a spin, remember above all else to enjoy yourself and be safe.

Visit McKinley Beach and try out the trails for yourself. Site tours are also available throughout the summer. Contact the Discovery Centre for details at 250-980-5555.