Out and About the Slocan and Arrow Lakes Valleys

Denver Canyon to Three Forks Hill: a good early season workout

2005-03-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

I sure prefer Daylight Savings Time, with the chance to cram in some activity after supper during that special twilight time. Evening riding becomes easier to arrange, and now the lower elevation trails are open and the roads clean and dry. I do a lot of trail and road rides east of New Denver, following Carpenter Creek canyon.

I set out on my hybrid for a tour up Hwy 31A to Three Forks, which is a good climb with a ton of scenery and almost zero traffic at day’s end. From the village on out, this is a fairly relentless ascent, with a couple of steeper hills, and only some level road towards the end. The pavement isn’t perfect, and I’m less inclined to take my fussy, skinny road bike just yet…

All these valleys coming down to the lake tend to have a noticeable downdraft breeze most nights, which adds to the effort of the ascent, but really speeds up the return ride. I guess the railroad got first choice in right-of-way location, and follows the creek all the way to Three Forks, forcing the highway to climb high above the canyon for the entire route. This does offer more open views, though, and is dry and snow-free much sooner.

The highways department and YRB undertake regular avalanche controls over the winter here by flying over the upper chutes of Goat Mountain and dropping explosives from helicopters. This must be hugely entertaing to do, and pretty neat to hover there as a wicked snow slide rears on down, maybe reaching the road during planned closures. There is a vivid example of shot-down debris right at the highway for about five km out from town, and that alone is worth the ride to see. It won’t melt away for a while yet.

After seven km of riding, you come to the summit of this ride, before the road drops down to cross Kane Creek and the pass the Sandon turnoff. Here at the summit, there is a new rock-cut to allow a more open corner for traffic. I really hope Highways will simply make the retired paved corner into a scenic pullout. It’s a low-speed place anyhow, and as a rest stop for cyclists or drivers, offers a tremendous view to the west, and a scary look down into Carpenter Creek from the edge of the bank. This is not an avalanche run out zone either, so I think it would sure be swell to retain its as a pullout.

The other neat place to see is Jeff and Sue’s micro-hydro plant at Three Forks. This is private land, and not necessarily meant to be visited, but the facility is right below the road just before the Sandon junction and harness the waterpower of Seaton Creek. It’s very gratifying to see small, efficient and unobtrusive hydro production.

The round trip ride to the turnoff at Three Forks from New Denver can take one to two hours, depending on bike and ability. This is a most historic area, and suggests a visit to the local museum some time soon. The road skirts the lower flanks of Goat Mountain the whole way, with enough curves, views, dashing deer and hills to impress any rider.

The season’s early, and drivers may not expect to encounter cyclists farther out from town yet, so always be aware of traffic approaching and wear bright clothing to be more visible. There is still some grit on the corners and those rocks roll right down onto the road, so be alert and enjoy your evening.

Paddling the Lake Loop From Silverton

2005-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Monday February 23 was one of the nice and milder days last year , so some time out on the lake seemed like the best way to do another Kootenay day. I acquired one of those smaller whitewater kayaks last fall, and have found it to be stable and pretty fast on flat water, and it even just fits inside my van. I connected three friends from Silverton who shared one of the Silverton Resort rental canoes, and we set off in the morning sun. People tend to think it's kind of crazy to be out on the lake in the winter, but there are many days when conditions are quite ideal. Nobody's going to head out in a blizzard or windstorm these days, but there are a couple days each week that are fine. Funny thing is that in April there will be plenty of people out paddling away, yet the water temperature then is barely any warmer than mid-winter, so the potential hazard remains even then. As with any undertaking, self preservation is the idea, not rescue reliance.

The paddle time to Sandy Point, right across from Silverton in Valhalla Park , takes 30-odd minutes and with the complete calm of the lake, you could see the whole valley reflected in the water all around us. You can view 30 km of open water, from Hills in the north to the Slocan bluffs way to the south.

My thermometer sensor indicated 3.5 Celsius at surface, and the same two metres down, and silverton Creek was 2.8. With the lengthening days, the sun now lingers on the west shore into early afternoon, but it still only really gets warm on the south and west aspects. We found a patch of nice dry snow-free sand for a snack break, then headed south towards Nemo Creek and the beach there.

There are a number of parcels of private property, water access only, on the west side of the lake, with cabins or cottages that get some use in the summertime. Although it doesn't seem in keeping with the provincial park status, these places were around before the park was proclaimed in 1983, so you can certainly gawk at them but respect them as the private property that they are. There is an old homestead just north of Nemo Creek with both an attractive original frame house, and a new log house, too.

The beach at Nemo was mostly snowbound, so we took a short hike up to the waterfalls, got some photos, and beachcombed a bit on the margin of exposed shore. From here south to Slocan village there are many pocket beaches and creek mouths and scenic rocky points along the west shore. This west side is my preference from Silverton heading southwards, but I find the east shoreline more varied and interesting from Silverton going northwards.

The shade was starting to stretch out from the trees as we loaded up to set out back across the lake to visit Bannock Point. On the way across, we could just make out the fencing up at the Highways rest area viewpoint far above. There are some huge rock faces on this side of the lake, and the water has the real dark, deep look. There is a small Forest Service site here at Bannock Point, and a trail down from the highway gravel pit. The big feature here is the rounded, flowing sort of rock faces that front the water for a long way. These rocks are great picnic spots and diving platforms, and this is a popular place.

However, it was a real drag to see some graffiti painted on a couple of those exotic rock walls,and we discussed ways to brush off or mask over the mess. I think well done graffiti can make a cold concrete wall look better in some inner city location, but it is a great insult to bring that kind of blatant expressionism to the wilderness.

The sun was losing strength and some high cirrus clouds were spreading so we began the homeward paddle up the east shoreline back to Silverton. The lake was still dead calm, and no other boat had come into sight all day. The last leg seemed to be longish, but the map suggested 3 km. It can be hard to guess distance over water, and I always like to plot out on the map how far it is and how much stuff may be needed. This entire loop is around 10 km in length, and makes for a perfect short day or long afternoon. In season, you can rent canoes or kayaks at Silverton Resort, or book a day tour if you want the full experience.

The cold but clear days of fall, winter and early spring make for some delightful kayak touring. Shorter daylight hours mean tighter timetables, and you do need to take more gear like jackets, thermoses and mitts. There is much less risk of those crazy storms that erupt so suddenly on summer days, but you should never get too complacent. Watch the sky as much as the water, and head for any close shore if things blow up. Better to endure a cold campfire night on the shore, with a cold morning paddle home, than to risk swamping. The real big winds tend to blow out after an hour or two, so have a book to read, and sit it out, go beachcombing, or start making camp for the night.

Rolling out the Two Wheeler for the New Season

2005-03-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

At last winter seems to have receded enough to allow for some springtime thoughts about outdoor hobbies around the house and town in general. People are definitely looking out the window now with greater inspiration.

I’ve gotten in some nice rides on my old reliable hybrid, with its semi-wide tires, soft front shocks, and even fenders to keep me less dirty…The highways are pretty clear for riding, except for grit and dust remaining on most hills and long grades. Best idea seems to be to wear colourful sweaters or jackets, to be visible in traffic, and when you get home, just hang up the stuff to air, don't shake out the dust, because if you try to be too clean these days, the laundry efforts will drive you crazy!

I was in Nelson the other day, and saw tons of people out riding, most just doing the Baker St. cruise scene, but also several hard cores out on Hwy 3A, getting in some road mileage. Maybe half these riders had helmets on, and for sure a toque is warmer at this time of year, but a helmet combined with headband is also quite warm and sure a lot safer if you do wipe out in a patch of sand. I feel that bicycling exists as much as a social activity as a physical one, with all the good environmental aspects as well, and it was fun to see all the various types out and about, pedalling and parading.

Once you get around to digging the bike out for the season, it’s a good idea to spend some time giving it a soapy wash down and rinse off. This takes just a couple minutes and is a great way to identify any small or large problems that may lurk. For sure the tires will need to get pumped up after sitting for more than several weeks, and you can check the tread condition and decide if they’re okay, or if you want to try a new tread pattern to suit a more specific cycling style. Tires come in an infinite variety of types.

If you’re so inclined, you could also now take a little oil and apply it to any dry-looking places where things turn, pivot, and articulate or just plain squeak. Wiggle things to see if they’re loose or busted, and consider getting them dealt with. You can’t likely do anything wrong, but if you’re not real sure, contact your local professional bicycle facilitator for definitive-well, you get the idea!

This column doesn’t actually go anywhere specific or new that you haven’t heard about-the goal is more to get you off your behind and out riding the bike for any good reason that you may have. Unlike so many other sports, bicycling has no monthly dues, no membership fees, licences or even insurance. Rules of the road and traffic laws do apply, but are not always enforced. However, all riders aught to be courteous when riding in traffic and when encountering pedestrians. Stifling rules and regulations appear only when people do dumb and thoughtless things for a long enough time.

The rides that I’ve been doing out of New Denver have been north and south on Hwy 6, and east on 31A to the Fish Lake summit. The 18 km ride to the Fish Lake rest area is largely uphill, but with very little traffic and very much scenery. The neat feature to see right now is the enormous piles of avalanche debris that have flowed right down to the highway just west of Bear Lake. Helicopter control work released some wet slab slides that stop just short of the road, with one that had crossed the road to a depth of five metres.

Hwy 6 north is nice and open, with more traffic, but offers the reward of good lake views and afternoon sun, and the water pipe beside the road north of Rosebery makes a fine turnaround point. The highway south past Silverton involves, of course, the climb up the Silverton hill for about six relentless km, with the reward at the famous viewpoint. Only drawback here is that for now the road is real dusty, and the seal coating applied two summers ago is still rough to ride on until traffic beats it a bit smoother.

Finally, the days are getting noticeable longer. As the spring equinox approaches, the rate of daily daylight gain totals nearly five minutes, then the rate of increase lessens as the weeks continue by approaching the summer solstice. To actually figure out the dynamics of daylight gain rate, you’d need to have on hand a light bulb, and a world globe so you’ll simply have to take my word for it for now!

Enjoy these lingering spring evenings on your bike and in your gardens, keeping things sunny side up.

Capella Mine Route Gives Off-Season Hikers a Reason To Climb Goat Mtn.

2005-03-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Over this past winter, I’ve spent as much time hiking as I usually would on my skis!

On the south side of Goat (or Carpenter) mountain, overlooking New Denver and Slocan Lake, the Capella Mine is a great destination for early and late season hikers because of the southerly exposure and the low elevation. The trail is a short, steep walk to one of the hundreds of historic mine sites of the Kootenays, offering a lovely viewpoint about halfway up.

The trailhead is easy to locate. Drive towards Kaslo from the main junction in New Denver for exactly 3.21 km. Park in the pullout on the right side of the highway, where you will see a cute little yellow and black sign on a tree trunk identifying this exact distance from New Denver.

The trail ascends from the north side of hwy, 31A to a flat spot just above the highway. Beyond here, the trail is narrow and very steep. The forest is quite open and airy because enormous fire that swept up Carpenter Creek about 1910. As you gain elevation, there are many pockets of stately old fir trees that escaped the fire.

About one-half hour up this route, there is a beautiful open meadow on the right, above the steep pitch that you’ll be on at that point. Look for the small path that leads up into this meadow and get a super view of New Denver, the lake, the glacier and on down past Red mountain.

After a rest, strike off further up the road as it grinds upward, swtchbacking for a while until it arrives at the lower workings of the mine. There are some ruins here. I have heard that Capella was a gold mine that didn’t make anyone rich. An excellent foot trail across a slide chute to some a few relics and mine portals can be easily found from here. The trail is a beautiful piece of work, but stay tuned as you cross the cute. You need to climb over some tree trunks that have fallen with the slides over the decades.

I’m still feeling pretty new in New Denver, even after 25 years living in Nakusp. If you have any trail suggestions that you’d like to see highlighted, or kept sworn to secrecy, please let me know.

There are so many fabulous walks and rides in this region that would be nice to share with friends guests and visitors.

Why Should the Bears Be the Only Ones to Enjoy It?

2005-03-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

One of my many road rides in February was following the shore of Slocan Lake northward towards Summit Lake. Because road rides are a little less demanding of your attention than, say, steep single-track trails, there was plenty of time to gawk at the scenery as I cruised along.

I stopped at the turnoff to the new refuse transfer station just off the highway about one kilometre north of Rosebery. After looking over all the construction efforts on site, I gazed upslope to a spot about 400 metres up behind the main transfer station clearing. What attracted me was a completely clear and open rock bluff, although small, seemed like it would offer great views, for the effort of a short hike up to it…

Several days later, I returned with some friends to scope out a trail up and to see if the views had any merit. We walked a little way south along the power line, and then just bee-lined up what was actually a pretty steep and windfall-laden route. Pretty soon we got up to the first openings, and before long walked out onto a delightful, flat, open, mossy out cropping. The scenery down the lake and eastwards was fine, and there was a good view of Valhalla Park’s northern boundary straight across the lake.

The neat thing is that the refuse transfer site, directly below is masked by trees. All you really see is the highway down below, and some of the entrance. This seems to be a favourite deer and elk picnic site as well, judging by the maze of game trails, and profusion of pellets everywhere! The flat spot is maybe ten by twenty metres, and fades back into the forest for shade on hot days. This could be a pretty dry spot in summer, with breezes typical and no water anywhere.

The land status is Crown land, coming down the mountainside to meet RDCK land, where the refuse station is located. There are tons of places to park either along the wide highway shoulder or anywhere near the station entrance, if not blocking traffic. An established trailhead could easily be made right by the perimeter of the transfer site.

I made a subsequent visit here with Jorg Becker, and we located a good access route from the corner of the site via an old road and a well-beaten game trail. During an afternoon work party, this route could be improved a lot. It goes through a stand of birch and fir, and nicely leads out onto the rocky point after about 20 minutes.

This is definitely an easy front country kind of experience, likely anti-climactic for some, but available and visible to everyone. Although the transfer station site seems an odd location to have it, at least this short hike allows some consolation.

Stop for a look anytime, or a hike up with some bushwhacking. Once the snow goes and things dry out a little, I’d like to set up a work bee to rough out the trail to the top.

Rolling It On Out for a New Riding Season

2005-02-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

That very mild and rainy weather of late January has left an iron hard crust on all the snow in the valley and up to the 1500 metre elevation at least. Although I found some excellent powder last week way up Carpenter Creek above Cody, that hard base is always just beneath, and makes mid elevation skiing pretty hairy on the steeps.

All of which inspired me to get mobilized on the bicycle last week and I decided to do some semi off road riding along the popular Galena Rail Trail going north from New Denver. I’d heard that the snow had melted back off most of the trail bed, and that the hard crust was easy to walk on, so would likely support a bicycle more or less.

I’m still riding my faithful, simple hard tail that I ordered new in 1995 and am still very partial to after effecting a few changes to gearing and personal fit. The front shock is a basic idiot-proof elastomer-spring affair and the brakes are still cantilever. Wide tires give that added float over soft ground and cushion some of the nasty bumps, but I make a habit of keeping them pumped real hard, like 50 psi, for much freer rolling on hard pack trails and if on pavement. Oh yeah, plus I have a pretty comfy saddle…

I turned onto the Galena Trail just north of New Denver at the road crossing, and was able to easily rattle over the odd section of snow and ice that lingers. Some local band of riders had already busted through days earlier and had done just fine. They may well have cut out some of the small downed trees, too, as there was freshly cut and cleared brush in a number of places. Where the trail is dry and firm, the going was fast and easy, so it didn’t take long to emerge at Rosebery, with the log dump working full blast.

The nightly outflow of colder air from Wilson Creek leaves a surprising lingering snow pack around the delta and the trail was still kinda deep. I pedalled across the open sorting area and then simply walked the bike over the hard crust across the train bridge to Rosebery Bay, where the trail doubles as a driveway to the point and thereafter was again nearly snowless. From Rosebery northwards the route it’s in fine shape in the form of abandoned railroad bed without any park designation. Occasional truck and ATV traffic keeps it in good shape, and fallen trees seem to get bucked up and hauled off regulary.

There’s a bunch of beaver action going on here with chewed-off tree stubs along the sides of the trail for nearly a kilometre. I suppose those ones are cousins to the beaver family that have bee plaguing the marina in New Denver and decimating the trees along the shores beside the creek. Beavers at first seem cute and even entertaining, but they can be a real pain in the ass if you have them deciding to move in on you…

Several spots along the way have littered deer fur, and one intact and well-polished rib cage lays on the trail at one spot. Deer get whacked by most of us sooner or later and manage to crawl down to expire near the water, then the carcasses are very well received by ravens, eagles, coyotes and lesser forms as nature more or less planned it.

There are many choice pocket beaches along this stretch, especially at low water, and I saw some nice driftwood that I’ll get with the boat some time when it’s warmer. Stopped at Shale Beach for a snack and break at the picnic table, then decided to head up the steep road that goes up to the highway from here to begin the ride home before the rush hour traffic got too thick. Just kidding. But it’s true that until the bicycle season is more established, highway traffic may not be expecting slower moving objects so I really stress the need to be seen easily, whether by the time of day you choose to ride or by the visible clothing you wear or better, with a strobe light or two to make you more evident.

Even with another dump of snow probable and more skiing well into spring, the riding has begun, and here’s hoping for a long season of adventure, exercise, playtime and form the less fortunate of us, commuting.

Paddle-Powered Visit to Evans Beach

2005-02-15T08:54:00.000-08:00

My relatives back east are always amazed by the fact that these big southern interior lakes don’t freeze up, and further amazed that I enjoy being out paddling all year ‘round. I do remember the winter of 1978 though, when Slocan Lake did freeze up, and because the train could not be barged up the lake from Slocan City, the still active railroad to Nakusp from Rosebery, became totally snowed under. I like these milder waters…

November 4 was a hazy sun sort of day, and not too cold, so I drove to Slocan to try the paddle up to Evans Creek beach on the west side of the lake, in Valhalla Park, about 7km by water from the boat launch by the mill. This is a nice sheltered put-in place, just beside the public beach, and you can wave to the guys slaving away in the mill as you set off for another merry, carefree day on the water.

There are several private land holdings along the west side of the lake, within the park but legally alienated from it. This whole side of the lake is prone to early afternoon shade in the autumn, so you really ought to be underway by mid-morning or sooner. I did this tour as a loop, and after reaching Evans Creek, headed over to the east shore, right below the Slocan Bluffs for the return leg, catching those elusive late afternoon rays.

Nice thing with the kayak or a canoe is that you can go along right against the rocky shore to see all the features in minute detail. There’s a faded old highways sign on a tree that says simply ‘HILL’, which sorta applies to the whole park, right? An immense nest on a high tree top will be home to either eagle or osprey, depending who gets to it first. Scattered groups of ponderosa pines appear, and I saw some really healthy-looking white pine specimens, seemingly unaffected by the common blister rust affliction.

Almost at Pebble Beach, there are a couple of boat-sized boulders perched on basketball-sized rocks, leaning down to the water, but I suppose secure enough. Why these rocks tumbled down from above and ground to a stop in this position is a wander. Just a bit farther along, a rock face coming down to the water features some real nice Indian pictographs, in several styles and shapes, with some sort of veiled meaning, I suppose.

After stopping at Pebble Beach, about halfway there and one hour along, I paddled onward past several open rocky slopes where the lack of soil and surface seepages have made moss gardens, with small juniper or white cedar trees arranged around. The smooth rock shore from here to Evans is very attractive, and there’s even a beaver lodge squeezed into one of the crevices at the waterline.

At Evans Beach, it’s worth getting out for the short walk up through the campsite to the impressive steel bridge and catwalk that crossed over the creek right at the falls and which then gives way to the long trails going up to Evans, Beatrice and Cahill lakes. There’s a small picnic shelter here and some good campsites by the beach. At one time there was a mill here, and some relics remain both on shore and in the shallows.

The Slocan Bluffs are right across the lake from here, just over a kilometre away and very impressive to behold. The sawmill is visible back down at the launch site and slightly audible without being obtrusive. The paddle down the east shore is best done a little ways off shore, so that you can see way up the natural and manmade cliffs to the ridge top far above. In the spring there are some thin cascades of water that spill down from the very top of the cliffs from snowmelt, and really add to the spectacle.

Getting back closer into town, the original route of Hwy 6 angles down from above and follows the water’s edge, including the tunnel section that is close to the mill. You’ll need to be farther out to avoid the numerous log booms tethered here, and if there’s any breezes developing through the day they’ll tend to strengthen through here. There’s a fine overview of the mill, of course, and all the scurrying that goes on.

This is a really nice end of the lake to visit. Despite the presence of the mill, it is fairly relaxed place to launch from, with no need to rush, and a good beach to sample at the end of a hot day. There’s entertaining speculation that eventual closure of the mill here will to a frenzy of condominium development and the end of the lake as we know it, but for now and the foreseeable future, it sure works for me.

Skiing the Kuskanax

2005-02-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

Many people tend to think of the Kuskanax Valley, near Nakusp, as the place where Nakusp Hot Springs is, and where the heliskiers fly out from. There is also some pretty nice ski touring up there when road access allows.

The Kuskanax Creek logging road leaves the Hot Springs Rd. about one km before the pools, and continues up the valley form some 35 km to the divide. There are some guys doing some shake blocking, I think, up at about eight km and even if they shut down, the ploughed road will offer easy access to a rather pretty part of the drainage. I drove up one Sunday early in February to get above the valley cloud, and had some real fine snow and sun. The main Kuskanax climbs very moderately as you travel inland from Arrow Lake, but the many side creeks come down a lot more steeply so any of those roads will gain you some good elevation.

Shortly before the end of the plowing, the road crosses the second north fork creek, and that large drainage is roaded right to the back end, about six km to the north. I didn’t do that tour that day, as the valley was all shaded in, but about two hours effort would get you to the base of some of the heleski’s stormy-day ski runs. You’d need to skin up and have full touring packs to go beyond the road’s end, but it may be nice tour to try in early April with a few friends and lots of sunscreen.

Back to the end of the plowing, however, you can sample a number of rambling sort or creek side forays. The area has been logged a lot, but with regrowth, a good snow pack and many pockets of remaining timber, you can do a nice bird watching, wandering little trip, with the Kuskanax flowing along beside you and some dramatic views up the valley, including Mt. Hohenleitner, which is a classic jutting peak visible even from out on Arrow Lake.

Certainly you can ski farther up the main valley bottom road, but check your map to decide how much trail blazing you have time for. On a sunny calm day, you may be content right here.

A short side trip can be undertaken if you park back down around the four km sign and ski up the road signed ‘Cedar Grove’ for maybe a kilometre. This is a patch of really big trees that are one to two metres in diameter, and date back some 450 years.

I you’ve only skied into Cedar Grove on this trip, you can add some more challenge to the outing by trekking up the new road to the steep cut blocks on the north side and get good views back down towards the hot spring and Nakusp. As you drive out, be aware that the helskiers stage from the parking lot at the fuelling facility about ½ km up from the road. Don’t park around here, and don’t linger as you drive by, as the helicopters come in several times a day for fuel, food or whatever and cannot land or load easily with onlookers to avoid.

The Old Railroad Has a New Look

2005-02-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

Last year I spent part of Remembrance Day down the valley attempting to ride some of the abandoned railroad grade around the Winlaw area. Parts of it were pretty good, but many otherwise good sections were choked with willows and alders, and much of the rail bed was very tough to ride due to the residual leftover ballast rock layer.

Well, what a difference a year makes! The determined and devoted efforts of the Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society have resulted in funding to resurrect this beautiful 50 km route to be suitable for non-motorized use, and the improvements to date are dramatic. Evidence of this work is visible from the highway, and some recent news article help to explain just what it’s all about.

Sort of like déjà vu all over again, I had breakfast at the Harold St. Café in Slocan same as last year, coincidentally with the same people as last year, then set out to do the ride, the one difference being that I stated from down at Winlaw and rode the rail grade down to the Passmore Bridge, then returned via the Slocan West Rd.

Parking down by the bridge at Winlaw, right by the school, I was immediately impressed with the smooth and well-packed surface of the freshly improved trail. Just along the way at Cedar (Winlaw?) Creek, there was material to build a new bridge, with concrete abutments in place, and timbers and decking all set to install. The creek was down to a small enough stage to step-stone across with my bicycle, and then I resumed riding past Oma Rd. and southwards onto the excellent wide and well-packed rail bed. It seems the ballast rock has been largely removed, and the big Selkirk Paving packer was used to squish all the remaining matter down into a firm, uniform riding surface.

At Pedro Creek, the same nearly finished sort of bridge appeared, which I detoured past through the low water level. I’m sure by now these bridges are all completed and wonderful to zip across, but they deserve a stop to admire the handiwork. South from Pedro Creek the rail grade crosses some low wetland and marshes, with old river channels all grown in with sedges and reeds. This must be great bird habitat, and at this point you are farther from the highway sounds. The river itself meanders here, and seems pretty relaxed.

Along the way I was puzzled at first to see piles of boulders and tree trunks dumped beside the river in various places, but then realized that this would be for that other project now underway, which is to create a bunch of log jams and barriers in the riverbed to enhance fish spawning. Sure hope it works, and really sure hope it doesn’t screw thing up too much for people who have enjoyed the river as a kayak tour…

Near Passmore, you can see the remains of one of the quaint older bridges that went across the river, one that I recall crossing in the late 70s. From here, the river gets narrower and faster, with steep banks and a change from flatter, marshy terrain to the sandy hillsides with fir and ponderosa pine trees. The Little Slocan River joins in as the valley opens up again, and the scenery right around here is particularly pleasing.

At the odd road crossings are small signs indicating the trail status; the wide firm trail bed could easily fit a vehicle, and I imagine this width will make ongoing maintenance in the future a lot more manageable. There is a lot of private land that you go past and some homes are right beside the route, so it’s important to respect these residents. The trail does bring you close to the river in a lot of new places, and I’m sure the value of the Slocan River, as a navigable recreational waterway will become more apparent.

The trail passes right beside the Passmore fire hall, and although I pulled off at the bridge, the trail continues to the Plamor junction. The part I from Winlaw to Passmore was about 12km, and the same distance back via the back road or the highway. I guess two to three hours ought a do it for most folks, but there are lots of distractions to enjoy along the way. This is a superb, easy, family-type ride that should include even the youngest riders, and there are many places to return to the highway it you only want to do a little short loop.

There are a great number of riders who are perhaps too young, too old, or just too busy to pull off longer day rides that demand more planning, so this newly reclaimed rail grade will be perfect fit for a lot of less extreme riders. This route can be regarded as excellent easy riding for day-trippers, or as a great alternative route for those riders travelling through the valley who want a change from the pavement and traffic.

This is an admirable achievement to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

Going Against the Current in the Kootenay

2005-02-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

The way the weather’s been with the great meltdown and all, the skiing has been lousy and even dangerous in many places, so I figured I’d likely stay drier and see more from the cockpit of my kayak. With the days getting longer and the recent daytime temperature nearing 60, it’s really easy to bundle up a bit and be out on the water.

I wanted to see the place where the Slocan River finally merges with the Kootenay River between Nelson and Castlegar. Just west of the highway bridge over the Slocan on Hwy 3 is Glade Esso gas station and general store, and opposite that is the Glade Ferry access road. Down this road maybe on metre is the cute little Glade ferry, which dependably shuttles folks and several cars at a time over to the bedroom community of Glade. They probably have kitchens and living rooms too, but the inference is that this is a detached ’burb of Castlegar.

The ferry guy was quite cheerful and said it’d be OK to park in the staff section so that I needed to pack my gear only a few steps to the water. Here the Kootenay River is wide and flat and looks lazy, but I was surprised how much current I had to buck to go upstream the 3 odd kms to the mouth of the Slocan. In fact, I criss-crossed a couple times to be in eddies instead of the mainstream. The left shore was littered with fallen and broken trees that seem poorly anchored in the sandy soil. Higher up is the CPR railroad and higher up over the brow is Hwy 3, so traffic noise is minimal.

At Shoreacres there is a broad point formed by the delta of the Slocan, and a couple houses and a farm lay amongst the trees here as the shoreline now becomes attractive. I had to paddle extra hard to finally get around this point and into the lesser flow of the Slocan. There is a distracting but impressive suspension cable crossing for the gas pipeline there that I passed under, and was amused to see a huge osprey nest plastered onto the tower at one end of this structure. That osprey must have been an engineer in some past life, ‘cause the tower is totally guy wired and anchored to stand any storm or flood, I’m sure!

There’s a perfect sandy beach here on the Slocan River, and some sort of park with staircase up to the parking lot above and table right below the train bridge. I swam here a few times last summer, and the white water kayakers complete their runs here as well. Locals love this spot and daredevils leap down from the train bridge on hot days into a deep pool. I paddled up past the train and highway bridges to the base of the first rapids and after resting in an eddy, caught the wave for the return cruise to Glade.

Some odd pans of ice and shelfs of shore ice remained from the cold weather of the weeks before, and some of the ice here likely crunched its way downstream from the jam that had developed up at the mouth of the Little Slocan at Passmore. Also of note at the first rapids were the remains of an earlier highway bridge, from a simpler and slower time…

The drift back to Glade was just right. The sun finally busted out from the high fog and I pulled off hat and mitts. Saw an eagle after it saw me, and then admired some fine driftwood jams along the sandy shores of the Kootenay. Water levels here are controlled by dams at Bonnington and Brilliant, but I think the variance is only a metre or so annually. This stretch of river has that uniform kind of appearance of all reservoirs, and the shore didn’t seem really inviting and would offer even less at high water.

Going with the current of the Kootenay river is certainly much nicer that going against, and I plan to go downstream from Balfour to Nelson One day this spring, then hitch back to Balfour to retrieve my van. River touring, while not too exciting, can be a delightful way to see another aspect of our valleys, and could be a good way to spend time once you’ve had enough time on the lakes, if that could ever be done.

It is a Small World After All

2004-12-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when there are fewer choices of thing to do outside, play-wise, in that the days are short and dark, the weather can be less inviting, and the snow may not yet be great for skiing, but there’s enough of it to limit hiking or biking.

Interestingly though, I went up to Sandon December 1 with a snowshoer friend to check the conditions and was impressed by the quality of snow right in downtown Sandon, and the perfect fresh powder present, compared to the slushiness of New Denver. Precipitation for November has been 70 per cent of normal, and indeed there was maybe just a half metre of snow on the roofs and roadside, but it’s a good base, and the powered surface was excellent. Locals who have been above the tree line already have had some great days…

The ‘small world’ aspect of this column is n regards to a global aspect that I kept noticing last year while out on the lake, and I’ll dwell on this now in lieu of any ideas for local outing which I haven’t done anyhow. This aspect is the well-accepted fact that the world is not flat, but in fact is a globe, some 40,000 km in circumference.

Here’s an illustration of how this becomes apparent. I was at Rosebary, kayaking at the mouth of Wilson Creek on a dead calm day, thinking how great life is. The view down the lake was lovely, and when I got back to shore, I walked up to the van to get my binoculars to have a better scan around. As I closed the door, I could glimpse the rocks of Bannock Point, some 14km south and just past Silverton. Sitting back down at the water’s edge to scope it out further. I couldn’t see it at all!! Walking back up to the car, I could easily see the details of shore side rocks and the bluffs, which rise about three metres from the water and make for fun diving. Walking the short slope back down to the water, and then sitting right down, the view vanished over the horizon. Same idea as a ship dipping below the horizon before it’s actually too small to be seen.

I’ve heard about his effect before, and I
‘m sure all navy-type people are familiar with this effect but it’s pretty neat to see it in a closed setting with obvious landmarks. I’m pretty sure I heard one time that one swimmer treading water cannot see another swimmer more that two miles distant because of this curvature of the earth obscurance.

Another examples was when I was out on the lake, slouched low in the boat looking up to Wragge beach near Hills, from there I was out from Bigelow Bay. All I could see was water meeting forest as I looked towards Wragge Creek, but when I rose up as high as I could, there was Wragge Beach, as a thin seam of sand just above the waterline. Slouching down again, the beach disappeared, and I saw only trees meeting water…

Either this something that everyone sees, but is not too impressed by, or it is not so obvious or important in this non-ocean environment, but I sure think it’s pretty neat. It would be very nice a more knowledgeable person could let me now some of the facts on this phenomenon, or better yet leave a comment to clarify what I think is a fascinating-though not life-altering—effect

In closing this shortish column, I must mention that late-breaking news has it that the rail trails at Sandon, both the K&S and the Cody spur, will be track set again this year when possible by our friend Frank Barnes, who gets up to Sandon when ever he has a chance. In fact, I’m pretty sure he even does his laundry up there, for perfectly good reasons, and hauls people and gear up into the hills as well. So check out the Sandon/Cody area for quality and convenient local ski outings with your lighter gear.

Yes, It's Time to Dig Out the Skis

2004-12-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

December is the month when we make the transition from maybe including a little ski time into the other forms of outdoor play, to the conditions where it becomes the mainstay to get you out or fun, fitness, or get sobered up some…Snow quality can vary dramatically from day to day and may not correspond to what I write about from a given date, but if you watch the weather and ask around, you’ll have great times.

Back country touring is something that I love to do, and most experienced skiers prefer that sort of snow and terrain if they can find the time and means to get up to it. I had several snowmobiles in the past, and although I like how they can get you up high in a hurry much of the time, they can be a headache too, and I’m still avoiding having one now.

There is some really nice skiing to be had quite readily and locally, right from the side of maintained public roads, so the more casual or less equipped person can still be out for a good time with only a well-equipped car and modest driving skills. I’ve come to like the idea of skiing down to end the day at my vehicle with shelter and heater ready instead of the chilly run down in semi-dark on a snow machine that may get stuck or broke.

Enough idle talk, As I suggested in the last column, there is reliably ample good snow in the Sandon/Three Forks area, and just enough friendly hermits living up there to ensure that the roads are well plowed and that you may have a pleasant encounter while up there. As well as the fantastic alpine touring, you can sample the snows along the K&S and the Cody Spur rail trails, which will be groomed periodically through the season. Refer to your maps, or get a copy of the New Denver area bike trails map.

The highway from New Denver to Kaslo has nice short roadside ski choices at the summit, and people seem to do lots of ice fishing on the weekends. The old wagon road behind the lakes is an excellent small tour, as are sections of the wagon road above the highway en route to Kaslo. There are some immense avalanche runouts around here, so plan your route and rest stops accordingly if things are ready to run.

Near Kaslo, there are some trails for skiing and cycling near the airport, though I’ve never actually used them, so ask the locals how things look there. New Denver has nice skiing at the golf course if there is good snow coverage, but keep off the greens and don’t ski if there isn’t enough depth to protect the grass. The Galena Trail can be a nice tour out to Alamo or Rosebery, but snow depth can be sketchy at times.

The folks at Hills have put some funding into grooming several kilometers of the rail trails there, and snow conditions tend to be pretty good here away from the lakeside. There are a few accesses off the local roads, but since I haven’t done that area yet either, you oughta ask around first. The rail grade is also great up at Summit Lake, near the ski hill, and you can tour all around the back side of the lake opposite the highway.

At Nakusp, the local ski club maintains and grooms the loops at Wensley Creek trails just southeast of town, above Brouse. This is an excellent facility and is well-mapped and laid out, so watch the snow conditions and get up there when you can. I used to keep some trails marked up near Nakusp hot springs years ago, but have kinda lost track of that and there are some problems with brushy growth there, but ask the hot springs staff.

Over the Christmas holiday, there’ll be lots of free time and snowy days to try out any of these places, so perhaps you’ll find some good times at one or more of these spots. Any of these locations should be suitable for the lighter type gear, but the super light skinny skis usually require the intensively groomed surface that the bigger places provide, where you pay a set fee and adhere to the house rules. Most local recreation here is pretty unstructured and rather variable, but then that’s why we’re here, right?

I just don’t think that bicycles or bicycle stuff make real great Christmas gifts. Tons of snow, darkness, crappy roads... plus the fact that my shop is closed anyhow! But what a perfect Valentine’s or birthday gift idea to have in the springtime, when I’ll be open again! Remember, the 2005 cycling season begins in just ten more weeks! Have a Merry Christmas and a great Valentine’s!

The Old Railroad Has a New Look

2004-11-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

Last year I spent part of Remembrance Day down the valley, attempting to ride some of the abandoned railroad grade around the Winlaw area. Parts of it were pretty good, but many otherwise good sections were choked with willows and alders, and much of the rail bed was very tough to ride due to the residual leftover ballast rock layer.

Well, what a difference a year makes! The determined and devoted efforts of the Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society have resulted in funding to resurrect this beautiful 50 km route to be suitable for no motorized use, and the improvements to date are dramatic. Evidence of this work is visible from the highway, and some recent news articles help to explain just what it’s all about.

Sort of like déjà vu all over again, I had breakfast at the Harold St. Café in Slocan same as last year, coincidentally with the same people as last year, then set out to do the ride, the one difference being that I started from down at Winlaw and rode the rail grade down to the Passmore Bridge, then returned via the Slocan West Rd.

Parking down by the bridge at Winlaw, right by the school, I was immediately impressed with the smooth and well-packed surface of the freshly improved trail. Just along the way at Cedar (Winlaw?) Creek, there were materials to build a new bridge, with concrete abutments in place, and timbers and decking all set to install. The creek was down to a small enough stage to step stone across with my bicycle, and then I resumed riding past Oma Rd. and southwards onto the excellent, wide and well-packed rail bed. It seems the ballast rock has been largely removed, and the big Selkirk Paving packer was used to squish all the remaining matter down into a firm, uniform riding surface.

At Pedro Creek, the same nearly finished sort of bridge appeared, which I detoured past through the low water level. I’m sure by now these bridges are all completed and wonderful to zip across, but they deserve a stop to admire the handiwork. South from Pedro Creek the rail grade crosses some low wetland and marshes, with old river channels all grown in with sedges and reeds. This must be great bird habitat, and at this point you are farther from the highway sounds. The river itself meanders here, and seems pretty relaxed.

Along the way I was puzzled at first to see piles of boulders and tree trunks dumped beside the river in various places, but then realized that this would be for that other project now underway, which is to create a bunch of log jams and barriers in the riverbed to enhance fish spawning. Sure hope it works, and really sure hope it doesn’t screw things up too much for people who have enjoyed the river as a kayak tour…

Near Passmore, you can see the remains of one of the quaint older bridges that went across the river, one that I recall crossing in the late 70s. From here, the river gets narrower and faster, with steep banks and a change from flatter, marshy terrain to the sandy hillsides with fir and ponderosa pine trees. The Little Slocan River joins in as the valley opens up again, and the scenery right around here is particularly pleasing.

At the odd road crossings are small signs indicating the trail status; the wide firm trail bed could easily fit a vehicle, and I imagine this width will make ongoing maintenance in the future a lot more manageable. There is a lot of private land that you go past and some homes are right beside the route, so it’s important to respect these residents. The trail does bring you close to the river in a lot of new places, and I’m sure the value of the Slocan River, as a navigable recreational waterway will become more apparent.

The trail passes right beside the Passmore fire hall, and although I pulled off at the bridge, the trail continues to the Playmore junction. The part I did from Winlaw to Passmore was about 12 km, and the same distance back via the back road or the highway. I guess two to three hours ought a do it for most folks, but there are lots of distractions to enjoy along the way. This is a superb, easy, family type ride that should include even the youngest riders, and there are many places to return to the highway if you only want to do a little short loop.

There are a great number of riders who are perhaps too young, too old, or just too busy to pull off longer day rides that demand more planning, so this newly reclaimed rail grade will be a perfect fit for a lot of less extreme riders. This route can be regarded as excellent easy riding for day-trippers, or as a great alternative route for those riders traveling through the valley who want a change from the pavement and traffic. This is an admirable achievement to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

K & S Trail Makes a Fine Autmn Outing

2004-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I was down in Toronto for a couple of weeks, and even through the weather was great there, I was keenly aware that I was missing some of the really nice autumn days out here. I did get in a good walk back in early October though, with a group from Nakusp, on the old Kaslo-Sandon rail trail near Sandon.

I’ve written about this hike in the past, but it is less visited than the Galena Trail or Idaho Lookout, and really deserves more attention than it gets. The access is very good, right from the edge of the highway, and an excellent brochure/trail guide was produced by the Valhalla Wilderness Society in the early 1980s to compliment their involvement in the reclaiming of this trail at that time. It would be nice to see another printing of this guide map some time soon.

This trail traverses a steep west aspect, high above the valley floor, so you can be assured of good light or sun on a clear day when many other trails have fallen into the long shadows of autumn. There is little brush to annoy or soak you on rainy days, and the frequent views to the west are a further feature. From the Sandon end, this is a delightful ski tour on light gear, as it is absolutely level from Sandon out to the Payne Bluffs above Three Forks, except for some gully detours.

The hike we did was from Three Forks, up the steep pack trail to the level K&S line, some 330 metres above the creek, then over to Payne Bluffs and also halfway into Sandon to the Payne concentrator site, where we dropped down the huge tailings slope to the Sandon Rd., via the spur road at the bottom. This made a reasonable loop hike, without needing to do a car shuttle, and leaves the other end for another day.

It’s amazing how large some of the trees are that now grow out of the railbed. Despite the hard packed rail bed being pounded by trains with coal, oil and soot, and the fact that it all got roasted by the massive fires of 1910, there are big fir and pine trees on and beside the trail, proof of how readily forests can reclaim ravaged land. Twisted rails appear in the trees below the trail, the only trace of wooden trestles and bridges that once made up the narrow gauge railroad.

Where these trestles had stood, the trail now drops in and out of the numerous draws and gullies, but always returns to the same grade level, and does so all the way to the summit out at Bear Lake, although the line is impassable past the Payne Bluffs. Many history books of the area illustrate the features of this remarkable railroad.

A couple further points to make about the trailhead at Three Forks are that the parking spot is just 50 metres or so east of the Sandon turnoff, on the south side of Hwy 31A and pretty much at the end of a private driveway at the foot of a grassy slope. There once was a big information sign here, same as the somewhat dilapidated one right in Sandon. The trail up crosses one of the former streets of Three Forks townsite, then crosses the broad CPR railbed from a more recent era, which had crossed Seaton Creek below on an immense trestle that led to the CPR full gauge line that climbed to Bear Lake. (Boy, that was a long sentence…)

This loop hike took several adults, one seven-year-old and a dog on a leash about four hours and only requires effort to climb up from the start at Three Forks, then some attention during the steep semiscramble down through the Payne concentrator site. There are lots of great vistas and open areas, and shady stretches for those hot days. Many creeks come down to cross the trail, but I suspect some may have traces of leachate from the mine workings and tailings that are all over the mountainside high above.

This can be a fine outing on those fall days when fog lays low in the main valley or the cold shade of the creeksides makes you need to be a little more out in the open.

Taking the Fork Less Traveled

2004-10-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Seven kilometres east of New Denver, Carpenter Creek merges from three tributaries into one main drainage at the aptly named junction of Three Forks. From this point, Seaton Creek comes in from Bear Lake on the Kaslo highway, and Carpenter itself crashes down from the Sandon/Cody region. The other drainage, the north fork, is Kane Creek.

Kane Creek drains the southern end of Goat Range Park, and historically provided access to the high elevation mines of Mounts Dolly Varden, Marten and Inverness. The wagon road from Three Forks leads up Kane Creek for 10 km to the pack trail going up Marten Creek, and a side road leads up to the McAllister mine on top of London Ridge.

Logging has occurred only a little in the first couple of kilometres of Kane Creek, and vehicle access ends at the creek crossing, where concrete curbs were placed to indicate the end of maintained road. Happily, the aging bridge timbers and rotten decking are still in place and plenty strong for recreational vehicles, so I was able to easily ride my bicycle around the barricade and start up the first real grade on this road. There is only an elevation gain of a few hundred metres over the 10 km ride, so the uphills are pretty modest and not very long or frequent.

The road tends to be well above but within earshot of the creek below, with alder and birch as the usual culprits of these little-used routes. At the six km mark, the road branches to the right up to McAllister, and the main road seems to get narrower yet. Several big avalanche runouts are crossed, with lots of grasses and herbaceous growth, but each time the road plunges back into the timber it seems to actually get better and better, and farther up are sections where cars could pass easily. There is slight evidence of some ATV users here, and really no windfalls or downed trees to speak of.

About eight km up the valley is an enormous hemlock tree, and from here the views ahead are stunning. I get stunned pretty easy, anyhow…The peaks ringing the north end of the valley all approach 2,700 metres (9,000 feet) and show glacial moraines and small snowfields near their pinnacles. The valley bottom broadens, and has an expansive and somehow lonely appearance. This was the corridor to the high mines, but had little use otherwise, without the rail lines or ghost towns found elsewhere.

After emerging from another grove of heavy timber at 10 km, the wagon road seems to become the stream bed of a larger creek and I couldn’t pick it up again beyond this point. This creek cascades down steeply from the northeast end of London Ridge, where it ramps severely up into the flanks of Whitewater Mountain. If you scrambled from here to the pass above, you’d then drop down to somewhere near Retallack. This is not a difficult ride, and I’d like to do it again, maybe starting before lunch next time! There are a couple wagon trails that angle down to Kane Creek that I did not have time to scope out, and I really didn’t have much gear with me in case anything bad had happened, either. The early autumn colours were nice, though, and the area here gets good sun exposure due to the north-south alignment.

With decent snowpack and a bright, cold day, this valley would make a fine ski tour, and the routefinding beyond the end of the road at 10 km would be real easy. The creek opens up to wider vistas farther back, the moderate grade going in from the highway would not require climbing skins and the ski trip out could be left until late in the day.

Three Forks is a significant hub to take off from, recreationally, and historically was the nucleus of freight and trade, with trains and trails all connecting here a century ago. Hwy 31A goes right through it all, and offers a great start-off for outings in all directions from here. So pull out your maps, read up a little of the history as a refresher, and get out there for an afternoon before the weather gets harsh.

Shannon Lake-Louise of the Kootenays

2004-09-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

The last time that I was into Shannon Lake was as a day tour on skis, one year that the snow was ploughed to the road head. I’ve hiked in there in past years, and was pleased to be invited to trek up there on Labour Day with some folks from both Nakusp and Nelson.

Shannon Lake is a truly spectacular sight, nearly at the tree line in the mountains just above Hills, with wild, high ridges surrounding it, which are largely quite climbable. Shannon Creek, and its sister to the south, Wragge Creek, are right to the north of the Valhalla Park boundary, and although there’s been tons of logging in the lower reaches, these roads give great access to the unblemished alpine and open ridges. This hike will get you into Valhalla-type scenery without the hours needed to get through the timber from valley bottom, and makes a very feasible day hike for anyone.

Bonanza Road leaves Hwy 6 at the south edge of Hills, about 15 km north of New Denver. The pavement quickly ends at the Bonanza Creek crossing, and then you begin the ascent up the Shannon Creek Road, which is actually in pretty nice shape these days…

After 14 km of moderate climbing, passing some dramatic bluffs en route, you pull off to the left, and take the spur road across Shannon Creek proper, and in a little ways to the parking place at the first switchback. The trail leads off into the shrubbery, bordering Huss Creek in its steep plunge down from the above.

The hike to the lake is only 1.5 km, but its steep, and there are wet places and some brush along the sides. I’m pretty sure the trail and spur road get some maintenance from the folks at Valhalla Mountain Touring, which has a lodge in nearby Ruby Creek, and does some ski tours up past Shannon in the winter. All trails and roads need regular repairs here in the Kootenays, so the improvements here are most welcome.

The lake appears suddenly after less than an hour’s hike, and is really breathtaking. There’s a camp spot or rest area here to regroup at, and another clearing part way along the lakeshore on the right side. The trail meanders a little, and soon you end up at a wet meadow at the south side of the lake with Mt. Vingoth towering above to the left. Take a map, and read a trail guide or two, as this hike is reasonable well known and visited.

Beyond the end of the lake the trail becomes sketchy, but traces lead up to the small upper lake, and boulder-hopping can get you up to the pass that drops south into the headwaters of Wragge Lake, which now is less visited due to the road deactivation there. We did the climb and scramble to the top of Vingoth by striking off up the slope below it and to the left flank, then crossing a pleasing meadow which gave way to the rocky, bouldered final approach. The footing is variable, but this is not at all technical going.

From the peak of Vingoth at 2,550 metres, or 8,400 feet, the views in all directions were sweeping and varied. Lucerne glacier and the upper reaches of Sharp and Wee Sandy creeks lay to the south, the tarns and bowls draining in Wragge lay to the west, and the Monashees towards Nakusp, with the Purcells in the far east horizon. The cloud deck was just high enough to clear most peaks, with only slightest breeze and, happily enough, no rain at all the whole time.

Two of us crawled along the narrow ridge to the west end of the peak, at times only a metre wide, and alarmingly sheer to look down either side while figuring out some kind of decent route. The line down the west flank of Vingoth has a few cliff bands and we backtracked up a couple times, but managed to reconnect with the main group back at upper Shannon. The hike down from there was pretty routine, though my knees would rather have had skis! Descents seems worse than the routes up, probably due to accumulated fatigue from the whole day in general, and I was glad to have my walking stick with me…

The berry crop was very good, and this hike is nice even with a dusting of early snow, so keep it in mind in the fall, perhaps up until Thanksgiving with that bigger pack and those heavier boots.

Silverton Village's Scenic Suburbs-Fishermaiden Lake

2004-09-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

There’s a beautiful and very easily accessed tour to consider, leaving right from the downtown heart of Silverton and heading due east up the creek. This is a pretty trip right from the outset, as it follows beside Silverton Creek, often at the water’s edge, but always gaining elevation with every kilometre. It’s a demanding but not difficult bike ride, and in winter offers great skiing right from the village.

Older maps and documents label the creek as Four Mile, and historically it was the main connector for the many rich silver mines on the mountainsides and side valleys farther east. After 16-odd km the road ends in an overgrown cut block, and a foot trail soon gets you to the shores of little Fishermaiden Lake, the haunts of prospector Billy Valentine.

I unloaded my suspension bike in Silverton and rode a couple blocks past the historic Fingland Cabin just beside the highway bridge, then bumped off the pavement to begin the ride up Silverton Creek. This is a beautiful stretch initially to the new bridge at two km with deep, cool shade and the creek right there beside you. After the bridge the road sticks to the north side of the stream right to the trailhead. Slight grades and several good hills kept me in medium to low gearing as I pedalled on past the Wakefield Mine and trail turnoff, with the Standard and Mammoth mines higher up and farther behind now…

This is just a real nice ride; with little recent industrial damage to scorn and pretty good roadbed most of the way. At about 10km, the Fennell Creek road pulls to the right to cross Silverton Creek, and the main road is signed as unmaintained, but is still fine except for the brushy sides closing in. Views keep opening up as you ascend the valley, with the elevation gain from Silverton to the lake being 1,100 metres, or 3,650 feet.

At about 13 km there is a well-kept cabin beside the road, and this had been a significant mine site at one time. From here the road narrows further, and may be tough on a car’s paint job; the hike wouldn’t take long to the trailhead. I climbed off the bike after two hour’s riding time to find the sign still standing at the turnaround, and some added notes regarding Billy’s mine trail. I hadn’t been up here at all since I’d been on the Forest Service trail crew in the early 80s, when we’d put up this sign and I did some slashing on the rough trail leading into the lake.

The trail is now kind of wet and grown in until you enter the timber, then it winds along in quite nice fashion. Some local folks realy keep it cut out for fishing or hiking access. The berry crop was stupendous, and I ate lots, yet saw no signs of bear presence even recently-no scat, or digging or territorial stuff. Some ravens kicked up a racket and a hawk swooped low, but that was all I noticed.

A hike to the lake takes maybe 15 minutes, and the path dodges along the shore, with a diversion at some point that I didn’t reach that leads you to the lesser lake above where Billy Valentine laboured alone for so many years at his two mines, the Fairhope and the Fairmont. There’s a wonderful account of all this in John Norris’ book Old Silverton, which has so much other great information and anecdotes about this area. Borrow it, or if possible buy it for your library. The story of Bill’s stoic search for the silver is astounding, and really puts mere hiking in to visit these places into perspective.

This trail and location doesn’t seem to be all that well known beyond this valley, yet it is pretty decent access, and the terrain beyond Fishermaiden is spectacular and just over the divide you can drop into the White Heather basin in Kokanee Park. Some fine peaks are within range for a day hike and those alpine tarns would be worth seeing. Old logging blocks and their roads brush in with amazing, relentless speed, and in some cases may end up as snow season only accesses in the future.

The ride back down to Silverton was a refreshing, at times too fast and bumpy ear-popping descent, and I really don’t remember cranking the pedals at all for the whole 16 km return leg. There were fresh tire tracks up Wakefield Road, and up Fennell, but that was about it. Back downtown I was surprised that my total tour time to the lake was just four hours, but next time I’ll drive most of it, and hike a lot more when I get there.

A Different Look at Silverton Lookout-From Slocan Lake

2004-08-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Before I get started, I’d like to say how pleased I was to read Doc Spanner’s Mototalk last week. Jamie Barber has a way of presenting valley culture and habits, and it’s particularly nice when a column can be of a local content and nature. You can further study Doc Spanner’s manners anytime you’re cruising through Silverton

With all the steady hot weather of recent weeks, I haven’t been doing a lot of cycling; except for my morning ritual rides to Bear Lake or Sandon. It’s hot and dusty these days, and I am too lazy to explore more. However, the lake is very tempting to visit, and the water seems even warmer than it got last year. Slocan Lake has dropped a metre or so to the summer level, and the beaches are again wide and inviting, with perfect spots to picnic and camp over. For canoeist or kayakers, there is a perfect half-day loop tour to consider, leaving the Silverton boat launch and exploring southward. This area gets powerboat traffic through the summer, but for day paddlers or newcomers, it is a worthwhile outing with plenty of appealing stops. There is no public road access to the lake between Silverton and Slocan City, so this is actually sort of remote as you continue southwards.

I set off straight across the lake to Valhalla Park from Silverton, and the paddle time should not be more than 30 minutes or so. On these hot days, there are some pockets of early shade on these east-facing beaches, with easy landing spots in the gravel. There are several Parks beaches, well signed, and several private holdings-also well signed!

After stops at Sandy Point and Nemo Creek with its great sand and waterfalls, I carried on down to Cory’s Ranch beach, and had lunch with some canoeists there. Just south of here are the first examples of Ponderosa pines, here at their northern limit in the park. I’m fond of these trees somehow, with their bushy crowns and reddish-brown heavy bark. They are a dry climate species, and become common in the valley south from Slocan, with only odd patches up the lakeshore.

Crossing straight over to the east side again, the chain link fence of the Silverton Lookout is just visible, far above, with tiny figures moving along taking photos and such. The slope up to it is pretty severe, yet despite the height and distance, it’s easy to hear voices up there from down at lake level. There’s an ancient car wreck way down the cliff that probably has some glorious legend pertaining to it…

Paddling north now along the rocky cliffs, there is the amazing sight of telephone poles dotted along the shore every hundred metres or so, as tiny ledges or rock falls allow. I can only surmise that this telephone line may have linked Silverton to Enterprise Landing or Maybe Slocan City, because I’m pretty sure any hydro was very locally produced, and telephone or telegraph would be the purpose here. The effort to crawl up these cliffs to erect these peeled poles with cross members and wiring is hard to imagine, and many of the poles still stand, with rocks stacked around the. Probably any copper wire would have been taken down, but those poles are remarkable markers to this long-ago link to the bigger world.

Just north of the lookout is one patch of six Ponderosas, the most northerly ones I’ve ever seen on the lake despite my obsessive searching. Odd specimens are reported at Red Mountain and I think Harris Ranch, and a few planted trees thrive in New Denver, but this is a good example of climate zone transition. Oh, yeah, I also saw some in a logging plantation outside Rosebery last winter.

Dramatic cliffs loom as you continue north, passing more random telephone poles. This is one of the areas of the lake clamed to be around 800’ deep, and I sure as hell couldn’t see the bottom anywhere. Rounding the point, suddenly you’re at Bannock Point, and what I call Baby Bannock, a small smooth rock south of the main feature. Here there’s a Forest Service site, and a trail in from the highway above, and some fabulous swimming. This area has smooth, flowing rock bluffs that dip deeply into the lake, and invite cliff diving and great sunbathing, both in swimsuits or in a little less…

From here back to Silverton is less than an hour’s paddle, unless you’re totally burned out or blessed out. The remaining shore is rough and rocky, and the shore rougher except for a couple of gravely patches closer into town, reachable from the road just above. The bay at Silverton was the happy bedlam of a hot summer afternoon, with the zooming boats, barking dogs, screaming kids and loud parents all making a fine chorus.

Wilson Creek Fals, Near Rosebery, is Running Full Bore

2004-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

So here it is, July already, with everyone on holidays, and visitors both welcome and otherwise. Hiking into a waterfall is a great way to entertain visitors on a hot day, and this is the month when the high runoff continues, with every creek and river at its glorious peak flow. The icy mist and winds at these spots are perfect on hot afternoons.

Wilson Creek waterfalls are one of the largest in the area, and although pretty well known by locals, there is little signage or direction to help first time visitors find the place. The access is via good logging road from Rosebery, any decent two-wheel-drive will get you there just fine…

Drive or ride up the Wilson Creek logging road on the south side of Wilson Creek for about 11 km. There are branch roads that head off uphill to the right, but stay low on the most used route. Just after the red 11 km sign start looking for the dilapidated signpost and the steep branch road that leads up to the right. If you actually miss this, you’ll come upon the main bridge crossing Wilson Creek.

I think some colossal cartographical goof-up occurred some years ago, because at this point Wilson Creek leaves the main valley and, upstream of the falls, ends up in Goat Range Park. However, the main valley now accommodates Fitzstubbs Creek, which goes on up to Wilson Lake, closer to the Nakusp end, so technically, Wilson Lake is not drained by Wilson Creek, get it? Check your map. Its nuts.

Okay, anyhow, drive up the steep Marilyn Creek Road from the sign right before the bridge, and then park at the wide spot, where there is another beat-up signpost. The trail is obvious, and leads through lush logging regeneration and soon becomes a woodsy path climbing up around some steeps. The thunder of the falls is unmistakable, and the trail will begin the steady but very well laid out route down into the canyon at the base of the cataract.

You’ll pass a small park boundary sign, and as you get to the bottom of the falls there is a sign to say just how dangerous everything down her is, so decide what your comfort level is, then either take a break and literally chill out, or zip up your jacket, and push on the last 100 metres into the mouth of the gorge. The wind and spray at the base of the falls is completely overwhelming, but you can safely get right to the edge.

Great waves of water burst out from the sheer ledges overhead and rage down in a fury of foam, spray, wind and glory. The cliff soars easily 70 metres up to either side of the cataract, with showers of water spilling down in icy sheets. Heavy clouds of fog and mist rush down past you, and swirl over the rapids fanning out below. Chunks of blunt driftwood bob about in the eddies, pounded a thousand ways by the torrent. Conversation is impossible, and really quite unnecessary…

Away from the falls, a stone man poses stoically in the scree fallen from the cliff above. Wet wind stirs the shrubbery and lower limbs of the hemlock, fir and cedar. Slightly farther out and on the trail returning, thick carpets of moss have covered trees almost entirely. As you begin the walk back and away from the falls, you realize how loud and absorbing the whole time has been.

The climb back up and out to the car is anti-climactic, but restful. The distance in from the car is maybe 1.5 km, and can be done by walkers of all ability. The risks are there, but are optional, and elevate only as you get right up to the little wet ledge right on the brink of the chasm. Try to fit this hike in within the next few weeks for maximum effect, and your guests will thank you forever.

Now is a Great Time to Pay a Visit To Idaho Peak Forestry Lookout

2004-07-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

July 21, 2004

Now is a Great Time to Pay a Visit to Idaho Peak Forestry Lookout

Many people reading this have been to Idaho Lookout to enjoy the fantastic alpine flower shows in July and August. The road is now snow-free and in pretty good condition, so get the camera, binoculars, a snack and some bug repellent and get up there for a fine day trip.

Not as many folks have ventured south and east along the ridge from the main parking lot to Selkirk Peak, prominent about one km away. The route to it deports from past the outhouse right off the lot and above the Wakefield trail, which descends to Silverton Creek. Selkirk Peak requires some thoughtful scrambling on the final couple hundred metres to the peak, and demands more than sandals and sunglasses, but may be worth a visit sometime.

Anyhow, I had noticed several helicopter loads of gear being slung up to the old TV tower site last week from my backyard vantage point in New Denver, and decided to make the trip up to Idaho, and onward to the repeater site to see just what was up, up there…

So I simply motored up the mountain in the early evening to get some good sunset photos and camp right in my van at the upper main parking lot. There was a big pick-up camper settled in over at the Alamo Basin lot, though I didn’t meet hose folks until the next morning on the trail. The sun went down literally in a blaze of glory towards Nakusp, and then the cool and calm of nightfall ensued.

At 4 am the sun rose from out Kaslo way, and all the peaks gained that moment of amazing pink alpenglow. Early morning air seems much clearer, so I snapped off a few photos and after a hit of coffee, set off again for the lookout. Very quiet, with no bear sign or even people sign, and only faint sounds of traffic far below on Hwy 6 in town. The lookout was great, and I made the steep descent down the north side of the lookout peak en route to the little shacks and towers at the old repeater site.

There’s way more flowers along the way than I’d recalled from my last time there, and a nice, evident little path that leads through some trees and up and down a bit until you merge at the repeater site. There were three neatly bundled slings of building supplies, I’d guess, and several small fresh concrete piers ready for some new enterprise. Maybe cell phone repeater? Perhaps new TV stuff? Maybe a secret government spy installation…Ooops…

The view perspective from here differs from the lookout, and the walk is certainly worth the effort and extra hour of rambling time. Looking back at the lookout peak, I was intrigued to see an obvious traverse trail leading around below the lookout hill itself, heading to the right, crossing large steep, west-facing meadow. It departs maybe 200 metres short of the lookout, but is much less evident to see from the main trail.

This trail is nearly level, and traverses some great meadows, with good looks down to the lake and into New Denver. Much of the path is choked with flowers, and the route seems to have had no measurable use, oddly enough. Only at the main trail or front side of the peak does it become less perfect, with two small trees over it, and some bear diggings from past years. This is a lovely and easy detour to get around to the repeater site, and then you can just plod back up the steep pitch to the lookout to complete a loop.

This detour trail needs only a couple hours of touching up with chainsaw and weed whacker and a sign to divert hikers to another aspect of the Idaho Lookout experience. The Forest Service has finally taken a renewed interest in at least expressing an interest in this site after some years of neglect, and maybe some signage and grooming will come to pass. The local volunteer group were up there on the past weekend to do some repairs and here’s hoping that he future of this special place will be brighter and more of a sure thing.

The Winlaw to Passmore Loop

2004-05-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

There are so many great intermediate level rides in the Slocan Valley that are well suited to casual, bring-the-family type riding. Last fall I tried the old CPR rail grade south from Slocan City to Winlaw, and though it got rough after Perry’s Back Rd., it was good enough to make me want to do more.

And so I did. On May 4, I drove to Winlaw with bike on board, and then down the road in behind the Winlaw downtown centre, the road that leads to the river bridge just across from the public school there. The weather forecast was for rain later in the day, but the day was warm and humid, and this is a low elevation ride, so I only had my fanny pack with minimal gear. The CPR rail grade passes right by here, beside the river; however, there is no bridge over Cedar (Winlaw) Creek, so I set off across the main river bridge instead to begin this 24 km loop.

What a fine ride! After crossing the Slocan, the road to the left is perfect pavement, bordering the river, past idyllic farms and homes as it heads south, then pulls back to more open meadows. Soon the road gives way to good gravel, and climbs for a ways, and then a long downhill gets you back onto pavement, and soon to Passmore Bridge.

I really like hanging out on these bridges, dropping stones in the water and watching the currents and eddies swirling past. This little rest stop is the midpoint of the ride, but only about a third of the ride time-wise. The rail grade begins on the east side of the bridge, but the return ride to Winlaw on its is bumpy in places, real rough in spots, and it’ll take a while if you want to properly enjoy it…

The first few km northward are truly beautiful scenery, with the river close at hand on your left, odd houses and clearings to your right. You’ll pass the junction of the main Slocan River, and the Little Slocan River, in a most pleasing setting. Further, you’ll pass the former old Passmore bridge abutments, and this looks like a perfect swimming hole. The rail grade soon pulls back from the riverbank, and becomes more separated from Hwy 6 by a large swampy stretch. You come out onto a couple of long open sections past meadows and a small ranch, and even though the highway is close by here, you really get a different perspective of the way the lower valley here is settled and developed. Several driveways cross the trail as you carry along, so there are lots of ways to return out to the highway sooner if you are in a hurry to get home. At Pedro Creek, there is no bridge, so I backtracked a bit, and popped out onto the highway to complete the last three km back into Winlaw, where the little café was beckoning to me.

Winlaw is experiencing some kind of boom these days, and you ought to ride around some to see all the neat stuff going on there.

The one not-great aspect of this ride is the coarse ballast rock that remains on some stretches of the rail grade from CPR’s last maintenance efforts before closing the line. It is quite tricky to ride on, and I was glad to have my full suspension bide with fat tires that day, but I feel the route is definitely very worthwhile, even if you at times find the pedalling to be difficult. The scenery and views are delightful, and the wildlife along the swampy sections is varied and plentiful.

The Slocan Valley Heritage Trail Society is making efforts to upgrade and identify the entire rail route down the valley, and should be applauded for these efforts. It’s a pretty nice valley to visit, with roads, rails and river to enjoy!

Taking a Little Walk In the Park

2004-04-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Most of the trails into Valhalla Park are either from the lakeshore or via some of the logging roads that are to the north and south ends of the park boundary on Crown lands. The easy way to see some of the lower end of the park at lake level is to hike into Evans Creek from the trailhead in Slocan City. This hike requires a minimum of gear or planning, and can be done in as long or short segments as you choose.

I did the 15 km round trip hike to Evans Creek with three friends from New Denver, despite the not-perfect sort of weather that day. The higher elevations of the park remain snowbound for many weeks yet, but the shoreline of the lake offers some spectacular rocky vantage points, as well as those special pockets of flora. Some early-season flowers had popped out already; however, the cool overcast weather had them staying a little on the shy side.

There’s a well-signed parking lot in Slocan City, at the east side of the bridge crossing the Slocan River, and you must park here to start the walk as the road across the bridge passes private homes with no parking at the turnaround. I think the main trail is pretty historic, as there had been a mill at the mouth of Evans Creek, and some wagon roads heading up the drainage for quite a ways. After passing a few cottages on this west side of Slocan Lake, the trail becomes rougher, as it climbs and drops frequently to wind around the mossy rock bluffs and creek gullies.

There is a marked change in the plant and timber types as you travel up the 40 km length of Slocan Lake. The north end is much more dominant in the darker, damper cedar and hemlock type of forest, whereas the hike to Evans includes a lot of Ponderosa pine, juniper, white cedar and fir trees of the drier climate zone. There are some neat rock ledges to clamber out onto, and some real nasty drop-offs to be wary of, and the trail in general is pretty variable with all the up and down grades.

The Din from the busy sawmill in Slocan will stay with you for quite some time, and the traffic noise from the highway at the bluffs right across the lake ca be evident, but like anything else, you can blank out that background noise if you want to. This hike will take up a good chunk of the day, so take a decent lunch and thermos for those cooler days. On clear days, the sun can be behind the trees by early afternoon, so you need to plan an earlier start to get the best rays.

Around the halfway point of the hike, the trail descends to Pebble Beach, where you could enjoy a break, and good views along the lakeshore. The trail at the this point does a detour up and around an established private property that surrounds Pebble Beach, then returns to lake level and meanders the rest of the way to Evans Creek. It was kind of surprising to see some chewed-down trees, and a beaver lodge in an unlikely crevice in the rocky shoreline, that seems doomed to the rising lake levels of spring runoff.

At Evans, the wind started to rage, the lake roughed up dramatically, and rain lashed down into the treetops. There is a really nice open-fronted lunch shelter that we ducked into for a while, as the trees swayed and the needles and leaves stirred. We made a quick visit to the lovely waterfalls a few minutes away, with an impressive steel grate bridge going right over the cataract. The trail to Cahill and Beatrice Lakes departs from this point, but winter continues up there for a while yet.

The return hike to Slocan will take about the same time as the trip in, and I find my ski pole/walking stick can be helpful on routes like this. There are delightful pockets of flowers to identify along the way, and some fine scenic spots to sample if the shade hasn’t already chilled things too much. The hike to Pebble Beach only, is nice enough, but realize that it’ll be largely submerged till early June. During the drive home backup the lake, it’s neat to be able to gaze across the lake to be able to gaze across the lake and see the entire route to Evans that makes for such a fine early season outing.

Springer Creek Canyon Near Cape Horn Leaves Peter Breathless

2003-06-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of stretches of highway in the Kootenays that demand the full focus of whoever is driving the car, or even the lone speeding cyclist.

One such place is the steep hill on Highway 6 right out of Slocan City, heading north. Even with a good head of speed, you sort of bog down going up, and either shift down or lug a lot…

If you travel the way I do (slow but astute), however, there is a real gem of a stop to experience right off the edge of the highway. There is a fine pullout to park in, and you get both close-up and way-up-high looks at this attraction.

The effort required is short but rather intense, and an effort that I recommend making. This is how you’ll see the canyon.

Travel north from the main turnoff for Slocan City on Highway 6, driving slowly if there is no overtaking traffic from behind. Maybe 400 metres from the junction, as the road begins the big climb, thee is a good pull-out on the right side.

Pull off and park here, or stash and lock the bicycle, and take a stroll down to see Springer Creek as it blasts out of the canyon mouth and into the big culvert under the highway.

Now, walk out to the highway and cross to the north side of the creek and regard the steep bank above. There is a clear and well-used path here that climbs steeply and pretty directly up the rocky face, switching back and forth ambitiously.

Take small deliberate steps, pay attention, and in only a few minutes, you are on a bluff looking down into an extreme gorge, with Springer Creek roaring and blowing spray up furiously. The canyon walls are sheer and quite vertical; so maybe don’t bring crazy pets or kids here.

The rail is less severe beyond here, and continues to climb up the north side of the canyon, with many stub paths going to the brink. There are small flat spots for picnics or resting, but the gorge is always just steps away. You can easily go through a roll of film here and a bottle of water on a hot day.

After about 700 metres of distance and 150 metres of elevation gain, the trail seems to mellow out, the creek levels out, and the trail peters out. I mean Peters out. Where did the terms “peters out” come from anyhow? I’ve always kind of resented that one.

Anyway, at this juncture, I guess the real attraction of this trail has concluded, so simply retrace your route back down to the highway, taking care on the loose gravel corners.

This is a short walk, no doubt about it. It’ll take well under an hour of your time, and you can cram it in on the way home up the valley. There’s a really nice and much less steep additional aspect to Springer Creek to be enjoyed by simply walking back to the car and seeing the path that follows the creek down below the highway on the south bank.

This trail leads into the Slocan Municipal Park and includes bridges over the creek, two nice waterfalls, and plenty of shade after the hot ramble up the steep bluff.

Creeks should remain high and spectacular through July, so get out there now that the going is good. Show your summertime visitors what an amazing valley we have everywhere you look.

Lastly, be real careful at the upstream ends of any culverts or bridge crossings. We all have an innate attraction to flowing water, but that vortex rushing into the culvert mouth is a one-way trip to tragedy.

Peter Takes Another Spin Through the Outlying Trails Around Sandon

2003-06-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Since I’ve had my place in New Denver, I keep hearing about, and discovering all these amazing historic trails and roads, mainly accessing the mines, and also connecting some of the ghost towns and temporary settlements that dotted these valleys.

As with any route in the Kootenays, there is always an ascent of some kind as you leave the valley bottom, but the wonder of these trails is how they do it so moderately but relentlessly!

Sandon is getting busy again as the tourism season opens up, and there is an astounding array of old roads and trails that were pushed in all over the mountainsides a hundred years ago. Much of the hillsides were burned off at that time, and in the historic photos in our museums, things look pretty stark and even barren.

In the passing years though, the heavy forest has moved back in, and most trails and roads now hide deep in the trees.

Enough rambling. The ride I did June 3 was from Three Forks to Sandon via the old wagon road on the west side of Carpenter Creek. This is a well-designed road that climbs along way up the hillside, passing the Monitor, Viola Mac, and Queen Bess mine sites, plus a ton of stuff I haven’t heard of yet.

The roadbed is in good condition, no trees down, but the brush has it as single track in most sections. This is a long climb in low gears, but you can visit some sites along the way, and either double back down, or press on through, to eventually descend down into Sandon from high up the slope.

I had forgotten my pump, spare tube, tools, notebook and even a snack this time, but I did have my water bottle and bear spray, so figured I’d maybe luck out okay.

The description is not real detailed as a result, but the route is pretty evident. The local dudes from New Denver have done nice work clearing some of the brush off this trail, and the hillside has no bad slide areas or erosion anywhere.

Leaving the parking lot for the Galena Trail at Three forks, I crossed the old timbered bridge on Carpenter Creek and began the ride along the main trail. Very soon there is a junction, and signs indicating the unmaintained trail to Sandon.

Follow this as it climbs, following the creek upstream. Thee is a rib-boned-off turn to the right that is the wagon road back to Alamo, but stay on the straight route and pass below the Monitor mine site. There is a large open site here, and further trails too, but the wagon road goes on quite well on its own, and I climbed up a long ways in low gear, enroute to Viola Mac.

A decent topo map shows the wagon road’s course, and it is the only used looking way up. This ride is brushy in spots but actually improves higher up, and eventually crosses a creek draw and then connects to the modern mine road. If I’d climbed more, I’d hit the Idaho lookout road, but I chose the downhill route, and finally came out at the Traminco mine site in Sandon.

There are gates here that I walked around, and I had a nice talk with Hal Writhe, working on his equipment. The higher Idaho road loop would avoid is private land crossing, so consider your riding route.

The ride back to Three Forks down the main road was super fast, and you can look over to see the large slope that you traverse in the course of this ride.

Visit the museum in Sandon to get a better grasp of where you’ve been, and remember to take your camera, plus all those other things that I managed to forget!

It May Be "Wee Sandy" But it has a Big Canyon

2003-06-09T10:20:00.000-07:00

Many of the trails in Valhalla Park are quite lengthy and require some time, effort and planning to be undertaken. Not too long ago, I was told by Kim Walker that there is a spectacular canyon just up Wee Sandy Creek from the lakeshore that is well worth a visit. There is the main trail up Wee Sandy drainage to the lakes, but this is a 15 km trek, and not in this agenda…

Wee Sandy beach and campsite is less than an hour’s paddle from New Denver, across Slocan Lake about two km north up the west shore. There is a well-protected small bay and gravel beach here, and it’s a popular stop for picnics and fishing at the creek mouth. A short stroll gets you to the impressive waterfall just up from the lake, and this is as far as many people need to go to be pretty pleased. June and July are great waterfall months.

If you have decent footwear, and lungs there is a rough path that climbs very steeply up the left side of the creek, right above the outhouse. This is the route to take to really see the spectacular canyon that continues upwards for a half kilometre from the falls. Numerous spur trails lead out to the edge of the precipice and offer looks down into the steep chasm, with the creek boiling far below.

Trees here have grown to surprising heights, from far below near the creek, up the rock faces, to finally spread out into the scant openings of light overhead. Plenty of moss and tiny ferns soften the visual impact of all this, but the overall mood here is high drama. There are also some tricky mossed-over crevices that can catch your foot, and launch you into eternity, so watch yourself, and keep dogs and crazy kids right out of here.

The tiny, steep path meanders up the hill for some distance, and then as you are forced back from the canyon’s edge, the main trail grade becomes evident, and you can merge onto it for a rest, even though the main trail is real steep too. This main trail is worth following at least for a ways, to see more of the lower valley, and soon you see a sign warning that the route beyond is difficult and for well-equipped hikers only.

My guest and I decided to head back down the lake via the main trail, which is an old wagon road that leads to the lakeshore near an old barge wreck south past Wee Sandy campsite. This route is a steady grade, and reflects the trail building skill of the old-time loggers, who had a sawmill set up at the creek mouth (once called Mill Creek.)

Not far from the lakeshore, there is an offshoot trail that is worth taking for the visit to the rocky bluff overlooking the main lake, just south of the beach. The trail dodges around a little, but is short, and the reward is some great panoramas to the east shore. There are a lot of smaller dead trees on this bluff, as a result of the drought last summer following the dry winter before.

After a break at the lake, and maybe a bracing swim, the best return route is to hug the shoreline going south and simply admire the rocky ledges along the shoreline, float over the remains of the old barge, and make your way down to Sharp Creek, right across from the point at New Denver. If the lake has blown up and got rough, just put in here, hang out, eat, sleep or beach comb, and usually bad weather will abate as fast as it comes. From here, paddling back to the point on the east shore can be less than 20 minutes, so watch the water, watch the sky, watch for the ‘black line’ of waves, and journey home.

Ride Alongside Lemon Creek Offers Sweet Scenery

2003-05-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

One New Year’s resolution that I’ve been able to keep pretty well this year is to get to know more of the little roads and lanes that meander off Highway 6 along the valley. I’ve driven past Lemon Creek a Million times enroute to Nelson, and am aware of it only as one of the accesses to Kokanee Glacier Park, and that you can get through to the West arm of Kootenay Lake via Duhamel Creek, as a longer day trip.

I had an hour to sample the start of Lemon Creek, so I parked at the highway rest area right at Lemon Creek, north of Winlaw, and unloaded my basic old rigid forked hybrid. Crossing the highway bridge, I took the well-signed logging road up the south side of the creek. There are a couple of houses, and a couple of driveways, both the route were not too remarkable for the first kilometre…

At the one-kilometre point, the one-lane road drew alongside the rushing, lemon-scented stream, and entered a beautiful canyon. The road remains mostly level, climbing only a little as the creek ascends the valley. Plenty of trees and damp shade, and a really nice road surface. The creek is right there as you ride easily along, and a few photos are a good idea. The road is mostly narrow, but there was no traffic at all, except a lady walking her dog, during the hour I spent up there.

Around the two-kilometre mark, there’s a neat cable car crossing the river. It’s locked, but you ought a at least climb up to the platform and admire the construction of it.

I filled my water bottle at this point, and I will confess here that I drink a lot of water from creeks here in the Kootenays, and I think it’s an OK idea to introduce the odd stray organism to your body just to keep your immune system alert. There’s a lot of money being made by the bottled water industry that depends on people avoiding plain good water.

The road continues along in a pleasing manner, past a fir log bridging the whole creek, then past the remains of a cabin at three kilometres and a little cascade by the road. At four kilometres, the road pulls away from the creek and the canyon broadens out.

Soon you come to a junction where the uphill goes far up the valley and gets into a lot of logging blocks and becomes more industrial. The left fork is the one I took, and it led me to a timbered bridge crossing Lemon Creek, then climbing on up the mountainside as a fully deactivated and reclaimed roadbed. You could walk beyond this point, or portage the bike, I suppose.

There are some campsites around the bridge, and this is a fine spot for a rest or full-on picnic, whatever you need. At this point you’re only five kilometres up the valley, and have climbed not much at all. This is an easy novice ride, the kind of thing kids or the most casual riders could cope with and enjoy.

There are many kilometres to ride and explore farther up the valley, but this segment through the canyon of the lower valley is pretty fine, and is no big deal. It would also make a nice 10-kilometre run for those types of people.

As the water levels rise through May and June with the later main runoff, these creek side outings are especially good. Any rapids or falls are at their best, and these long evenings allow time for shorter rides such as this one. All these drainages get pretty cold with the evening outflow of air from higher up. So take a sweater along with the camera and that water bottle.

New Denver Features Well-Reclaimed Trail Network

2003-05-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

May 16, 2002

On Sunday, May 5, I took a pal from Calgary to see the Galena Trail at New Denver and we did the side trip down to the canyon on Carpenter Creek. Yes, I know that many people living there already know and love the Galena Trail, but a lot of out-of-towners will be impressed to experience this well-reclaimed trail network.

This is all novice-level riding, except for the steepish drop down to the canyon, where you may choose to walk your bike and savour the views. The trailhead is well arranged, adjacent to the YBR parking lot just off Hwy 31A about 2 km east of the village. There are maps in the little kiosk as you pass under the trailhead monument, and I won’t bother to repeat what you’ll be able to read up on anyway…

The route follows the old rail bed, abandoned in 1948, and nicely winds around and past the YBR compound, then swings east as you enter the main valley of Carpenter Creek. You can see the creek far below as you continue east, under some steep and eroding cut banks, and pick your way through a few stretches of frequent rock fall. Where the route re-enters the forest, you’ll see the trace remains of a collapsed trestle, and at this point the trail detours back down into a deep gully that is still quite rideable.

This is where we met the Canyon Ladies—actually a group from Mountain Treks at Ainsworth—who were out for one of their many activities. It’s always very satisfying to see folks out on our generally under-used trails. These ladies were returning from a trek to the cable crossing, which is well shown on the map, and beyond that the trail will take you all the way to Three Forks, and further trail choices.

Anyway, back to the deep gully. There is a rather elaborate bridge here crossing a teensy creek, with claimed limit of 500 pounds. Now I know that large groups will pose on this fine structure for photos and to take a break, so I’m sure it is one tough bridge, and cyclists can ride right across without worry.

Oddly enough, the former foot-trail had simply gone another 40 metres into the gully to a mere step-over spot, but I guess the bridge makes it all more admirable.

Just beyond this bridge on the main Galena Trail, you come to the canyon overlook, and some good informational plaques. Watch your kids or pets here, as the drop down to the creek is extreme, and sort of tantalizing in that weird mesmerizing way. (Maybe that’s just me!) From here the trail is largely level, and an easy ride to the cable car. But at this point, we shall backtrack a bit down to that log bridge.

From the bridge, a few wooden steps lead down to a well-established trail that descends kinda steeply to Denver canyon. At the One switchback, park your bike and scramble a ways through the mossy forest for a great look down into the gorge and raging creek, which at one time was cranking a waterwheel to keep New Denver electrified. Have a snack, take some more photos, then maybe walk the back down a ways so you don’t chew up the trail bed too much with those locked-up brakes.

The trail from this point follows the creek back out to the village, and is very easy going. There are a few narrow, brushy spots, and then the trails braid out quite a lot as the creek bed broadens. As you get to the edge of town, there are some houses, and the usual urgent dogs, but the couple of detours you’ll find your way down and onto the back streets of town.

Someone made a nice map of village trails a few years back, and you may find copies at the info centre. More details of the former railroad and power plant can be gained at the Silvery Slocan Museum on New Denver’s main street, just a few blocks down from Valley Voice Headquarters. The Entire Galena Trail network is in great condition and well-tended by caring locals, but some riders can get motoring along awful fast in some places, is some adrenaline-charged moments. Fast is real fun, but be on the lookout for other trail users and slow right down upon meeting them; in fact, stop and say ‘hi’.

The trails between New Denver and Sandon are continually evolving, and I’m sure you can find out who keeps the ball rolling that way. If you have the desire, you can probably lend them a hand, too!

Take a Ride On the Wild Side: A "West Side Story"

2003-05-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thousands of people drive, ride, walk and hitchhike down the Slocan Lake Valley each week along Highway 6. Certainly a scenic and winding piece of road even after years of doing it, but there’s a detour that I like to take now and then…

Around the Winlaw area to the north and south are several very picturesque bridges crossing the Slocan River to the farms and holdings on the west side of the valley. The roads are either good pavement or very good gravel and offer either an alternate or a parallel rote to Highway 6 or a beautiful 40-km loop ride that can be enjoyed in a few hours or less.

The gravelled section for 8 km would be okay even for road bikes. All the locals know this road well, but a lot of us might not.

Starting at the south end, pull off Highway 6 at Passmore, opposite the hydro substation, and go about 80 metres to the big parking area on the right. Park anywhere you want, but this is a handy spot.

Initially you are on the Upper Passmore Road, though it seems to evolve through a couple of name changes along the way. Just as you are at the bridge, note the old rail grade you cross, which may be rideable trail someday soon.

Step on the bridge, hop off the bicycle, and appreciate this fine mellow river rolling past. The route follows the river north, often beside it, at times higher up and back from it, with great panoramic views.

A couple kilometres north, the gravel comes in and things get narrower, so kind of keep an eye on the road as you gawk around at everything else. You’ll see those neat little home based businesses you keep hearing about, and stretches of shady forest will give way to cut houses, and homesteads at every other turn.

Along this gravel section is the only hill of any note, but the climb is modest and for less than a kilometre.

Approaching Winlaw, the pavement resumes, and you can see across the river to figure out where in the heck you are. Stop at the bridge here for a rest, or ride up to Winlaw's busy downtown for food or provisions.

After feeding and provisioning, continue north on the west side, I think now called the Slocan West Road, and stop in to see the Winlaw Nature Park, with trails and some nice wildlife habitat. The route pulls away a little from the river again, and there are tons more things to look over as you pedal along.

The bridge at Winlaw is at about the 13 km mark on this loop ride, and the remaining 7 km go by pretty easily. The road descends pleasantly down to river level again, and crosses my favourite bridge in the whole valley.

This is a beautiful one-lane, wooden deck wonder, and must be lingered over for sure. Take photos. Stretch. Lay back. Be there then. The route emerges at the highway at the Threads Guild.

At this point start paying more attention to traffic, and enjoy the completely nice cruise back to the start point in Passmore. You might stop in Winlaw again for even more food and provisions. Whatever.

Continue south, downstream as it were, and look across now to the great new ride you’ve sampled, and be grateful to your bike and your body for letting you experience all these fine outings.

Peter "Remembers the Alamo"

2003-05-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

To conclude my Carpenter Creek tour from last issue, I’d like to focus on the loop ride, off-road mostly, from New Denver to Alamo and return. Now that many of the lower trails are snow free and firming up, the range of riding places increases considerably.

This ride took me two hours to complete, with a couple brief stops, and with walking the bike through some areas where bolder riders seem to cope better than I do. I like to do this ride in a counter-clockwise direction to get the climbing done with at the start, but you can go either way. There are some steep crossings of slide chutes and some really steep drops to the creek off the sides, but I would call this an intermediate level afternoon ride. This is the shaded north-facing side of the valley, with plenty of creeks to fill your bottle from.

Ride up the Hartney Road from the highway on the south side of Carpenter Creek Bridge in New Denver. This is a good road and climbs steadily to 1.5 km sign, where the route continues on the much less used old Sandon wagon road. Continue climbing and following the main valley east, crossing three slide zones and passing the abandoned Mountain Chief mine workings. At this point, the trail has mostly levelled out, with the main creek far below and odd glimpses out across the valley to Goat Mountain.

The trail was in good condition on April 24, with fresh trail work already done by the local trail riders who continue to find and improve these historic routes. We can all help too, by tossing off rocks and limbs, clearing water bars, and riding smart. The trail detours the old road in places due to rock falls, but is very easy to find, and before long, you’ll come to the Alamo Junction, where the route clearly drops down to the mill site and small ghost town. From this junction, there is work being done beyond the Queen Bess mine site, which I thinks hooks into the Idaho Lookout road, but that is a whole different loop for another day.

The Alamo site certainly deserves a visit and maybe a lunch stop. The forest has sure moved into to mask much of the clearing and foundations, but you can walk around and get some sense of the scale of things that were. The mine manger’s house still stands nobly erect, and numerous crocuses were blossoming around the lawn and garden clearings. The main concentrator is just downhill from here, as a vast pile of fallen timbers and mine frame and tramline terminal. Snoop around a little, but watch the footing.

From Alamo, the Galena Trail can be ridden upstream to Three Forks and the footbridge to the highway, or you can take the delightful cable car back over Carpenter Creek, with your bicycle hung on the bracket proved. This is real fun and exciting, and will make some good photos for your collection. The ride back to New Denver is down the Galena Trail, a well-developed route following the rail line and passing Denver Canyon.

Remember that cars and trains used this route up to the 1940’s, and the effort to build these original routes is truly remarkable. Being able to ride and hike these trails now for just plain fun is very fortunate, and we should all visit these special places.

Slocan Bluffs Below Cape Horn Provides Fascinating Loop Ride

2003-04-03T10:10:00.000-08:00

Many of us here in the West Kootenays drove the scary old narrow highway at the Slocan bluffs before it was massively widened and cut back some 10 years ago, but far fewer of us have been on the real old section that includes the tunnel along the lakeshore. That abandoned segment remains as one of my favourite springtime loop rides for those relaxed early season outings.

The way I do this is to drive to the parking pullout off Hwy 6, maybe one km north of the bluffs, right by the avalanche closure gates. By cycling along the bluffs, you can gaze above and below the modern highway as you dawdle along in this stretch where there are no safe places to park. The rockwork and exposed faces are spectacular, with intersecting rock seams, and cascades of water streaming down from so high above.

After a couple kilometres of mild downhill, the new highway reverts to the less new highway, and a large paved pullout allows a stop to look down towards Slocan. From this pullout you backtrack 100 metres to find the old paved highway that descends gracefully down to lake level, just north of the village. There are large boulders placed to stop vehicles, but you can easily slip between them to begin the cruise down the road.

This was a paved public highway with yellow centre line until the late 60s, I think, but it has rapidly reverted in places to a wide trail, then opens up to being a moss-covered wide trail with an asphalt centre section. This first part of the trail is an easy coast down through the forest, but pretty soon the roadway comes to lake level, and the amazing construction efforts of the past become evident.

In most places here the highway was one lane wide, with pullouts where possible. There are some big rock falls, but the tunnel remains in fine shape and only in one spot did I need to dismount and carry across. There are many low concrete walls and abutments built out to make enough width for this to have been a functional road and it’s worthwhile to take your time and stop often to grasp the challenge that it was to build this early provincial highway link to the north end of Slocan Lake.

The final stretch towards the big sawmill offers views of the log booms and a real good impression of the mill, boat launch, beach and former railhead with the pilings, etc. There are about 60 popular climbing routes up the rock face above the trail here, and I’ve always encountered a few folks all roped up and planning their line up the towering walls of granite. The route follows the waters edge right to the mill site, where people park cars, and there are some signs and a concrete barricade.

I really think this is a fantastic, easy and very accessible place to ride your bike. From the Slocan village end, it’s a good family-type ride, as far out as you choose to go, then simply doubling back. Safe, but really quite spectacular. This could easily be a big attraction for visitors to the area with only a little promotion and a simple map to combine with some signage. Is that too excessive? Tourism can help our economy here, if we’re willing to share some of these hidden gems that we locals enjoy.

After passing the bustle of the mill site, I toured the streets of Slocan, had a great meal at the Harold Street Café, the looped back up to my truck via the main highway. As a loop ride this is easily done in a couple hours from north of Slocan, or from the village you can tailor the ride to be as relaxed and scenic as you choose.

An Autumn Visit To Wilson Creek Falls

2002-11-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

Over the years, any time that I’ve gone to see a waterfall, it was during the late spring or early summer, when the falls would be at their most intense and grand state at the peak of the runoff. However, this past October, I realized the value of visiting places at the less likely times…

Took a drive (sorry, no bicycles this day) up to Wilson Creek Falls back about the middle of October during that early cold snap we had, before any wet snow had arrived. This is an easy one or two hour round trip from where you park, and I took along a friend and her mildly arthritic dog as first time visitors. Wilson Creek Falls are pretty well known locally, but you basically drive in from Rosebery about 12km on the Wilson Creek forest road, then turn up Marilyn Rd. for maybe a kilometre. It’s actually quite well signed, but if you reach the main bridge on Wilson Rd., then back track a few hundred metres to Marilyn Rd., which climbs up to your right.

Okay, anyhow, the walk in is easy enough, and the dog bounded out ahead, doing the usual manic dog stuff. The path was in excellent shape after a season of regular attendance, and perhaps a work party that I wasn’t aware of. After a mild ascent in the fir and pine forest, the main trail drops down into the canyon, and the timber type becomes much more the gloomy hemlock/cedar that favours those damper places. As you drop closer to the bottom of the gorge, the lower tree limbs are covered in cushy clumps of moss.

I guess the big difference I noticed at this low water time of year is that you can stroll right out onto the rocky creek bed without being drenched by the huge cloud of spray, vapour and wind that the falls generate during much of the spring and summer season. The falls are smaller and certainly better behaved at this time, so we were able to get right down into places to see the canyon from perspectives that would generally be inaccessible. Even the little ledge that faces right into the cataract was easy to get up to without as much ‘fear factor’ as back in the summertime.

The early October sun comes into the canyon at a unique low angle, offering great lighting for photos or even some sketching sessions. The imposing rock face to the right of the falls was completely in the sun as well, adding the brightness to the valley floor.

Also of particular interest was the rather large family of stone people assembled all around the base of the falls, all in various positions, all apparently enjoying their somewhat lengthy visit. Even though we often see little pillars of stone in random places around the Kootenays, these are actually stone people built with great care by possible peculiar person, who have since moved on to leave other indelible marks in yet other places. At one point the dog knocked a couple rocks from one figure and boy, is it ever tricky to put those things back!

Depending on weather patterns in the coming weeks, this place may still be available as an afternoon adventure. The main road will become snowbound in the next few weeks but the trail could still be safety walked in good boots, or better, a pair of caulked boots. If the weather reverts to cold and dry, the falls and canyon below it will be a spectacular ice falls and would be a fantastic sight. Until there is much snow at an elevation, say, like at Three Forks, then the Wilson Creek area would be about the same by comparison.

Over the coming fall and winter, I hope to visit a lot of the trails and sights around New Denver in particular. I recently bought an older house in the village and will be there much of the time over the winter. Then in the spring I’ll be back at my main home and place of business in Nakusp. So I hope you enjoy my emphasis on things to see and do in this area especially, ‘cause is it ever a fun place to discover!

Peter 'Takes a Ride Down Memory Rail

2002-08-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

When I first settled in Nakusp in 1976, one of the weekly routines to observe was the very slow, but pretty reliable arrival of the CPR train up the branch line from the main line along the Nelson/Castlegar corridor. The train didn’t deliver much, or haul away much from here at that time, but it was somehow comforting as part of the local sights and sounds. About 1980 there was a controversial weed spray treatment of the right-of-way, then the line was abandoned a couple of years later.

In the 20 years since, this rail grade has been upgraded in the New Denver area as the popular Galena Trail, and at the Nakusp end it gets plenty of use by everyone—on foot, bicycle, horse, and a lot of motorized vehicles and the odd truck. With either lots of traffic, or lots of work parties, this old rail route can remain useful for a long time to come, and is one of the most easily reached trail around.

It’s been probably three years since I rode the section south from Summit Lake to Rosebery, and I keep hearing about the amount of brush growing up, and that there are some grizzly and even cougar sightings at times, so it seemed like a good time to revisit this route.

I parked my truck at the Bonanza Creek crossing on Hwy 6 about 500 metres south of the Summit Lake ski hill, maybe 20 km south of Nakusp. There is a good parking place beside the highway on the Nakusp side of the creek, (which would be either the west or north side at this point) and then hooked onto the rail grade as it goes south towards Hills, at a very slight downhill grade. This ride is fine on mountain bikes or hybrids…

Things do indeed get pretty brushy in spots, as the willow, birch and alders conspire with knapweed, bracken and fireweed to take back this trail to wildness. There are some shady, damp sections that really take some attention to ride through, but the trail bed is mostly in okay shape, and the puddles have solid bottoms for traction. Some parts of the trail get onto side hill cuts, and are dry and open, and fast easy riding. The views of Bonanza Creek are delightful, and Rugged Peak towers above to your right.

I had bear spray in my holster, but saw no signs of pesky carnivores despite bring close to the creek and pretty far inn from any highway traffic sounds. I suppose there is greater safety in numbers, and always more fun, so phone up a few pals when you pin down this rid. Take some tools and a spare tube in case someone needs help, too.

As the rail grade approaches Hills siding, things level out somewhat, and in a few spots the trail bed is undermined from beaver diversion projects. Locals have put in some fine small bridges and planks her and there, and marked a couple hazards, so ride with some attention, especially where the brush gets bad. The soil seems quite rich in the valley bottom here, and one or two sections here get super brushy.

Just past hills there is a deep cut where a culvert was pulled, and here you just portage down and across, soon coming to a gravel pit, but keep going and pick up the trail again to the Bonanza Road crossing. From here, you could easily get back out to Hwy 6 to make a short loop back to Summit Lake, or continue along the route as it follows the northeast side of Slocan Lake. Now the trail is level and open and well used.

There is a private beach at the end of the lake here, and then you’ll go through the old Girl Guide Camp property, but pretty soon you can sneak down to the little gravel beaches as the rail trail continues along, now on public land that lots of folks enjoy. There are many spots to stop along here and one little beach even has a picnic table.

The trail diminishes somewhat toward Rosebery as no vehicles go on it, but you can easily splash/crash on through, and after a while, you’ll round the corner and enter the Rosebery neighbourhood, with a few signs that indicate the Galena Trail beginning, and a few private driveways to keep off of…

From here I rode back to Summit Lake on the highway, into a typical stiff afternoon wind from the north. This entire ride can be done in, I suppose, tow to four hours depending on how intensely you ride, and how much time you may devote to beach and beer. Or camera and notebook. Or that flat tire. Or that bear I didn’t notice!

How to Earn That Soak at Nakusp Hot Springs

2002-07-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

July 25, 2002

I was feeling sorta detached and not so celebratory on Canada Day, so after doing a bunch of chores around home and wandering through my forest awhile, it seemed like a good idea to jump on a bike and blast off somewhere for a ride. The main crush of people were of course downtown in the park doing the July First thing, so it was no trouble to find quiet riding everywhere else.

I rode my skinny-tired road bike into the village, past the park briefly, and then set out for the uphill tour to the hot pools. The temperature by noon had wormed up nicely and the sun had finally gotten serious about doing its job.

From downtown I can rage on up to the hot spring in an hour, but on a traditional mountain-type bike, and in a more normal demeanour the ride can be enjoyed in a couple or maybe three hours. The vertical gain over the 14 km from right downtown is a big factor, of course, but it is sure a fun reward on the way home, especially if you did a huge soak in the pool and are feeling, well, less motivated coming home!

The pavement quality varies a lot as you ride-up, but even with narrow tires, no suspension and a stiff frame, it qualifies as a fine road bike excursion. Mid-day usually offers a nice, windy updraft to help you ascend the valley as the mountains farther back convect warm air aloft from rocky slopes. By evening, the airflow will reverse, of course, and a dusk return ride can be amazingly fast and effortless.

The first serious climb occurs after the airport and heliport, just past Coates’ ranch. After a level stretch of a kilometre, the second climb grinds up past Kelly Creek and sorta levels out past the newly logged patch above. The third climb is out in the open more, until you reach the sandy gravel pit that is right beside the road. Good place to have a brief rest, a long drink, and a good look around.

The road now descends pretty steeply for more than a kilometre to the Gardner Creek Bridge and the tiny rest stop there. Stop to have a good look at the roaring falls, fill that bottle or hydra-pack, and even stretch a little. If you go across the road to the water bottling plant, and walk around the back of the building, you’ll find a steep path leading down to the low waterfalls there that I think mark the farthest point that the spawning kokanee ever make it to, coming up the Kuskanax River.

By now, you’ll likely be chilled right off, so crank your way onward up the main road. Now you are beside the tumbling, foaming river, and this level stretch is the first close contact with the river during the ride so far. Soon you’ll do the fourth climb to what I’ve decided should be Islip Creek, and the road winds curvedly along a rock cut with another low waterfall visible below the road. At a certain spot along here, the rock face echoes the roar of the river at exactly the same volume as the noise the river makes, and you get perfect stereophonic sound for free!

There is a rough path down to the second low waterfalls from beside a hydro pole, so have a look if you want to spend a few more minutes dawdling here. The last kilometre to the pools winds past the Kuskanax Forest Road, which goes about 35km farther up to the headwaters, then you’ll cross Raven Creek, get another good look at the main river then, wow, you’re at the pool, and the hot water smell leads you on in.

It’s also nice to continue another 400m to the footbridge over the river, but if you head straight to the pool now, you will be forgiven. Lock your bike somewhere safe, have a snack, and a soak, and drink a lot of water for sure. But, like, not from the pool, right?

A less demanding alternative for this outing could be to have a car shuttle haul you to the hot spring, then simply ride one way back to Nakusp, but that really is pretty lame. Also consider catching the transit bus one way up to the pool then riding back, which is still lame, but in a different way!

This is a route that we’ve all driven a million times, I know, but the ride gives you a very pleasant perspective on this route, and the lack of traffic overall makes it a good choice in my book…I mean ’column’.

Box Mountain Offers Recreation and Salvation

2002-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I set out on one of my favourite short local rides, an off-road delight that includes steady climbs, a teeny creek crossing, and a thrillingly fast descent through the forest. This is a loop ride of perhaps an hour plus, and crosses the lower north aspect of Box Mountain.

From The Bicycle Hospital, on Billings Rd. south of Nakusp, I rode south on Beech Rd. for 500 metres to the intersection of Crescent Bay Rd., then headed east on it for another 500m to Foxglove Rd. from this junction, you proceed maybe 300m south on Foxglove, past some homes and private driveways to where the public road ends, and a broad double-track trail enters the forest. You aren’t trespassing, but you will be in an area of watershed, with a lot of waterlines drawing from many small streams.

The ride plunges deep into a lovely old growth cedar/hemlock forest, and gradually ascends in stages to where you will cross Brown Creek. The stream here is maybe a metre wide but the drop into it and climb out require a little attention, and momentum is good, too. You may want to take a break here, or regroup, and do a brake check, because the next section can get a little crazy …

From Brown Creek, the double wide trail drops about 150m over I guess one km., and being quite smooth, you can pretty well go as fast as you dare! The trees are close on each side, and there are ruts and odd fallen trees, but the overall experience is great fun and not likely over anyone’s head. You can easily achieve 50km/h or more in spots, or just dawdle on down, savouring the greenery and damp. In a few spots farther down, the greenery gives way to brownery, where a lot of ATV traffic has chewed up the early season mud.

The forest gives way to an opening at the hydro line right-of-way, and here you may stop and regroup, or at least give your head a good shake! Turning left at the power line will take you up and down a hydro line access trail that eventually drops down to the Fauquier highway, about four km south of Nakusp. Turning right, however, can either get you down to the highway another way, or else uphill past the Alliance Church through to Bird Rd., thence on up into Crescent Bay and the completion of this loop ride.

If you ride out from Nakusp, you will want to figure a couple hours, as you ride south on Hwy 6 for three km to Crescent Bay Rd., then up that road for maybe three additional km until you get to that right turn onto Foxglove Rd. This route is a nice mix of rural riding, and goes around the expansive hayfields and pastures of Upper Crescent Bay. You pass Bird Rd. on the way out, but I recommend doing this ride in a clockwise fashion starting from the Foxglove Rd. access. If you do it from my place, you can park your car and blast off from here, then drop back for a visit.

Early season rides like this will likely involve mud and soft ground, and you should really keep in mind that you may tear up a lot of soft ground on your grippy mountain bike. It’s a good idea to be a little humble and simply get off to walk your way through any real soft areas, and it might even save you a rather big crash…

At home after the ride, gently hose off any nasty mud that did get on to your bicycle, and hunch down for a minute to check it for any loose, bent or busted parts, then park it in that safe, out of the weather place you have. Let mud dry on your riding clothes, then brush off the worst of it the next day, but when it finally gets too rude, then plan that adventure ride to the Laundromat!

Old Sandon Road Like New Again

2001-08-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I went down to New Denver the other week to pay homage to the now- famous Rock, and maybe try another ride somewhere. As I stood in line with other pilgrims and Rock-huggers, I got a great tip about a newly cut out trail, just out of town. Greg McRae, who was wiring up the rock that day, suggested I check out the old Sandon Road on the south side of Carpenter Creek.

Leaving my truck parked on Main St., I pedalled past the busy offices of The Valley Voice and rode down to the highway for a few hundred metres to where the Hartney logging road leaves the highway. This is the same road that gets up to the New Denver Flats, I believe, and the route I took climb steadily upward, kinda steeply, past few switchback turnoffs.
This is a good road, and may have traffic coming down, so keep scanning ahead as you grind your way up, with the creek far below, and good view across to the highway and Galena Trail
side of the valley. After maybe two kilometres of earnest riding, the road does a final
switchback up and away, and at this point you simply hold your course, a the old wagon road continues onto the valley, still climbing a little more but way more picturesque and
smoother. I don't know the history of this road but it sure gets onto some steep side
hills in places, and was a great challenge to construct so many years ago.

There are a number of landslide crossings where the trail gets tight, and you'll need to pack your bike across some open and very steep chutes. This route has been very well cut
out and dug out by some devoted locals, who may possibly wish to remain unnamed. The roadbed remains largely intact, and is quite ride able for fairly fit and competent riders. You'll encounter some more recent mining debris along the way, and pass many well - vergrown original sites. The terrain here is more challenging, and the total distance of this ride is a little longer than the Galena Trail across Carpenter Creek.

Closer to Three Forks, the trail splits, and the better, lower path takes you down to the Alamo clearing with a rather stately house standing forlorn Down the trail farther, you encounter the Alamo mill site. With a mountain of lumber and massive rusted machinery. Next you'll come to a picnic table, and connect to the Galena Trail, which can get you through to Three Forks. This is all well signed now, and you can find your way back to New Denver or out to the Galena terminus at the Sandon highway turnoff.

I rode back to New Denver along the highway simply to relax and unwind after the challenges of the trail, and I'd highly recommend this trail to almost anyone with a decent bike.
My thanks to the loyal crew, who've put all the effort into clearing this trail for the enjoyment of all.