Alternate Routes to the Trans Canada Trail between Trail and Salmo for Cyclists
Distance

DISTANCE

42km or 66km - 109k loop
GPS

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Distance

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About the Journey

The route between Trail and Salmo is not part of the Trans Canada Trail. However, for those travelling from Castlegar south to Trail, the two routes described here will allow one to connect to the southern terminus of the Salmo Great Northern Railway for a pleasant ride north to Nelson. This can be a suitable route for bicyclists who have chosen not to take the “main route” of the Trans Canada Trail from Castlegar directly to Nelson via the Skattebo Reach and Ward’s Ferry Trail, both of which are unsuitable (and not permitted) for cyclists at this time.

Our two favoured alternate routes connecting Trail and Salmo are either A) Following Highway 3B through the Beaver Valley via Montrose and Fruitvale, or B) taking a journey further south to the Pend Oreille River, then returning north again from Nelway to Salmo on Highway 6. Much of this route is on unpaved roadways.

For those travelling to Salmo via the Beaver Valley, the route leaving Trail on Highway 3B begins with a long climb up the mountainside to Montrose and Fruitvale – however, it is the only substantial hill on the route. The rest of the highway to Salmo is otherwise fairly flat and simple to follow.

The Pend Oreille is a quieter and longer route. It can be quite hot and dusty at times, but it surely a more memorable adventure.




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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)
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

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