Kettle Valley Railway / Trans Canada Trail in the Rock Creek Area: Beaverdell to Midway
Distance

DISTANCE

70km
GPS

GPS DOWNLOADS

Distance

MAP

About the Journey

The Kettle Valley Railway continues from Beaverdell to Midway along a combination of paved roads, gravel roads, gravel trail and dirt tracks – plus multiple cattle guards and gates – that will keep you on your toes! Like the KVR between McCulloch and Beaverdell, the use of motorized vehicles along the trail – and conversion of trail into actual road – in this area means that some sections of the trail have become challenging – with some serious washboard conditions. The ride can be tiring, but the quiet pastureland provides beautiful views and possible close encounters with farm animals.

Be sure not to miss one of the highlights on the KVR; in the small community of Rhone is Cyclist’s Rest (and WWII epitaph). Local – and lifelong – resident Paul Letard has built a replica caboose which for years served as “the cyclist rest stop”.  Now Paul lives in Midway and the new owners are keeping the cyclists rest stop open, but without the amenities.  Please do not disturb them and it is only day-use.  Water is no longer available here, the Big Dipper Campground a couple kms towards Beaverdell, has potable water available.

Rounding a bend in the river, the trail arrives to the warm grasslands of Midway. The museum is a popular place to explore. Midway is often the stopping point for many travelers since the KVR technically ends here – but beyond lies another rail trail – the Columbia & Western.  The Columbia and Western Rail Trail extends from Castlegar to Midway for about 164kms and Midway was its terminus.




Staging Areas:

The Midway Railway Museum can provide parking and plenty of tourism information.

GPS INFORMATION:

  • KML/KMZ files can be opened in Google Earth, and many smartphone apps.
  • GPX files can be opened by most GPS software apps when KMZ cannot. Note, GPX files do not contain custom colours and icons that we use on our maps; all tracks and icons will appear the same colour and styles. We recommend using KMZ instead of GPX if possible.

The files below include data for only this specific area. For all of our Trans Canada Trail data for the entire province (including features, campsites and alternate routes), download our BC.kmz master file (1.2 MB)

Visit our GPS & Navigation page for instructions of how to use your smartphone as a GPS device (even when outside of data coverage) or how to import data to your Garmin unit.


GPS DOWNLOAD (KMZ FILE)
GPS DOWNLOAD (GPX FILE)
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Staging Areas:

The Midway Railway Museum can provide parking and plenty of tourism information.

Washrooms:

Route Highlights:

  • Cyclist’s Rest in Rhone
  • Great camping in Kettle River Recreation Area
  • Midway Station and Museum

Important: You will almost certainly encounter motorized vehicles along the route, particularly ATVs and dirt bikes, which could be travelling at high speeds. Over the years, unregulated motorized use has degraded the trail surface along the Kettle Valley Railway, making many areas quite challenging for hikers and cyclists. Users should come prepared for sandy conditions. Please see our equipment recommendations on the Boundary main page or even more detail on our “Equipment Tips” page of our Travel Tips.

Also important: You will encounter many gates along the TCT in the Boundary region. These gates are in place for a reason, and users should ensure to CLOSE the gates behind themselves. Closing the gates will ensure that livestock do not escape – preventing them from wandering to areas (such as the highways) which would be unsafe for them as well as drivers. The gates also prevent access of the trail by unauthorized motorized users. They are a small inconvenience to trail users, but they are necessary and should be respected.


DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Shopping:

Accomodations:

Transportation: