Salmo Stone Murals images/icon-1.png Salmo Station (Mile 0.0) Did you know that "Salmo" is Latin for Salmon? The railway here was originally built in 1893 by the Spokane Falls & Northern Railway, where their parent line through Salmo was known as the Nelson & Fort Sheppard Railway - the first "all rail" route into the Kootenays. The Great Northern Railway, based in Minneapolis, took control of the SF&N (and thus the N&FS) in 1898, operating the Canadian line as a subsidiary until 1944, when it was officially absorbed into the Great Northern system. With dwindling traffic, conventional passenger trains to Nelson ended in the 1920s when gas-electric "motor cars" were used instead - up until 1941 when passenger service ended. With the end of passenger service, the Salmo station became a freight depot only. In 1970 the Great Northern became the Burlington Northern (BN), known since 1995 as the Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF). In 1989, BN ceased operations from Salmo to Nelson. Source: "Vanishing BC", a book by Michael Kluckner. images/icon-1.png Great Northern Summit (Mile 30.1) An animal skull on a post marks the highest point of the Salmo Great Northern Trail, topping out around 945 metres above sea level. images/icon-1.png Ymir Station (Mile 12.1) Ymir is a small town in the West Kootenays in British Columbia Canada. The population is somewhere between 200 and 300 people. Ymir was a booming mining town in the late 1800's, with many hotels and a very modern hospital. The earliest miners in the area arrived in 1860's when mining claims were recorded on Quartz Creek. In 1885, the Hall brothers and their group prospected on Wild Horse Creek. In 1893, Ymir was called Quartz Creek. The southern part of Ymir was built first, along what was known as Quartz Creek. In 1893, the Fort Shepherd and Nelson Railroad came through Ymir. They opened up a town site that year that was the nucleus of the Ymir of today. The railroad named the town of Ymir after a god of that name that is a part of Norse mythology. The Ymir mine was first staked in 1895 and by 1896, the Dundee, Tamarack, Porto Rico and others were staked as well. In 1897, three Rossland businessmen filed claim to 620 acres in the area surrounding Quartz Creek. Within two weeks, the land was surveyed, lots were sold and the roots of the town of Ymir were created. There was also a brewery in Ymir that supplied the eight saloons that flourished in Ymir. Around the year 1900, a woman drowned herself in the town's water tank. The water tank was replaced after this happened. The present schoolhouse is on the original site. The old school was burned in 1936 and replaced by the present building. Up until 1925 Ymir had one of the best hospitals in the Kootenays. It burned down in 1933. There was an aura of mystery on the fire's origin. Many thought it was burned down purposely. The steam trains used to come through with the freight and passenger service and there was a water tank on the mouth of Quartz Creek, right in front of the present day Ramble Inn. In the wintertime when it was cold and there would be heavy snows, the trains would be late getting in at night. When they did make it in, they would whistle for the operator to come to the station. They not only woke him up but also the whole town! Ymir had a large, nice-looking depot and warehouse. The first mining claim in the Ymir district was located in 1893 on Porcupine Creek. The old mines are still there today. They were known as the Porcupine and the Porcupine (sic). The time the Ymir Gold Mine was opened was after this, in 1897. When the eighty stamp mill was built at the Ymir mine, it was the largest stamp mill in the British Empire, so one can see that Ymir was known across the country. Source: Ymir town website. images/icon-1.png Porto Rico Station (Mile 15.9) Porto Rico hosts an interesting and little known element of Doukhobor history; some of the more "militant members" (albeit in a pacifist fashion, collectively known as the Sons of Freedom) were ousted from their community villages in Brilliant, Thrums and Glade in the year 1929 and shipped to the isolated and abandoned Christian Community of United Brotherhood (CCUB) logging camp at Porto Rico, where they remained until 1931. Although not an internment camp, the Doukhobors were in many ways kept here against their wishes. images/icon-1.png Hall Siding (Mile 23.3) A former siding on the railway. The siding lies parallel to the trail on the west side. images/icon-1.png Cottonwood Lake (Mile 32.6) images/icon-1.png Troupe Wye (Mile 47.8) An elaborate wye was constructed here to allow cars to be turned and connected in various ways. images/icon-2.png Parking: Salmo images/icon-3.png Parking: Ymir images/icon-3.png Parking: Svoboda images/icon-3.png Toilet: Salmo KP Park description: REST_AREA_: REST_AREA1: REST_ARE_1: ASSOC_NUMB: DIST_FROM_: NUMBER_OF_: TOILET_TYP: WHEELCHAIR: NUMBER_OF1: DIRECTION_: ACCESS_RES: DECELERATI: ACCELERATI: ACCOM_COMM: OPEN_YEAR_: OPEN_DATE: CLOSE_DATE: images/icon-4.png Toilet: Ymir description: REST_AREA_: REST_AREA1: REST_ARE_1: ASSOC_NUMB: DIST_FROM_: NUMBER_OF_: TOILET_TYP: WHEELCHAIR: NUMBER_OF1: DIRECTION_: ACCESS_RES: DECELERATI: ACCELERATI: ACCOM_COMM: OPEN_YEAR_: OPEN_DATE: CLOSE_DATE: images/icon-4.png 0.0 Toilet: Stewart Creek description: Ministry of Transportation Highway Rest Stop "Stewart Creek" #2273532. 1 pit toilet, 3 picnic tables. Open seasonally from April 16 to October 14. REST_AREA_: STEWART CREEK REST_AREA1: R0050 REST_ARE_1: C ASSOC_NUMB: 6 DIST_FROM_: 24.0KM SOUTH OF NELSON NUMBER_OF_: 1.000000 TOILET_TYP: P WHEELCHAIR: Y NUMBER_OF1: 3.000000 DIRECTION_: SB ACCESS_RES: NR DECELERATI: N ACCELERATI: N ACCOM_COMM: N OPEN_YEAR_: N OPEN_DATE: 2012-04-16 CLOSE_DATE: 2013-10-14 images/icon-4.png Camp: KP Park (Salmo Municipal) Info as of July 2019: http://salmo.ca/our-services/campground/ Located between Sayward and Riverside Avenue, this quiet shaded campground offers easy walking access to Salmo’s downtown core. It is within KP Park, which encompasses a children’s playground, gazebo and numerous picnic areas. The campground and park areas also feature hot showers and an attractive treed area for campers. The campground is open Spring through Fall, as long as good weather permits. The sites are unserviced, and cost $15.00 per night, per sleeping unit. Sleeping units for family youth on the same site are exempt from this charge Occupancy is on a first come, first serve basis, but you are welcome to contact us at info@salmo.ca or 250-357-9433 if you have any questions. images/icon-5.png Camp: Ymir Campground Info as of July 2019: Quote from http://ymirbc.com/links/ (See Accomodation): "The Ymir Campground – Camp for free at the Ymir Campground, right on the main street across from the Ymir Fire Department." images/icon-5.png Grocery: Salmo Foods A smaller grocery store but with decent variety. images/icon-6.png TCT Multi-Use: Salmo Great Northern (Salmo to Ymir 12.5 km) Important: You will almost certainly encounter motorized vehicles along the route, particularly ATVs and dirt bikes, which could be travelling at high speeds. Degraded trail surfaces have many parts of the trail quite challenging for hikers and cyclists. Users should come prepared for sandy conditions. Please see the Trails BC web site for "Equipment Tips". 665.01 662.0 669.01 670.99 669.01 675.99 671.99 680.01 685.01 684.0 676.99 676.99 671.99 671.99 671.99 673.0 676.99 675.01 675.99 680.01 681.99 680.01 681.99 675.99 674.0 675.01 675.99 678.0 678.0 678.0 678.0 680.01 680.01 683.0 684.0 683.0 681.01 680.01 680.01 681.99 681.99 681.01 681.01 681.99 683.0 684.0 684.0 683.0 685.01 687.99 701.01 696.99 696.01 690.01 686.99 686.99 686.01 685.01 685.01 696.99 697.99 696.01 696.01 694.0 694.0 695.0 692.99 691.01 691.01 691.01 689.0 690.01 692.99 695.0 696.99 696.99 697.99 690.01 691.99 696.99 696.01 696.01 699.0 699.0 699.0 700.0 701.01 702.99 705.0 704.0 706.01 700.0 700.0 701.98 701.98 701.98 706.01 707.01 711.01 710.0 707.01 705.0 709.0 706.01 704.0 701.01 706.01 706.01 704.0 705.0 704.0 716.01 713.99 712.01 710.0 707.01 704.0 702.99 701.98 707.01 707.01 709.0 707.01 707.01 707.01 710.0 715.0 713.99 707.99 707.01 706.01 707.01 711.01 711.01 712.01 711.01 711.01 707.99 707.99 704.0 705.0 707.01 701.98 701.98 705.0 707.01 704.0 705.0 707.01 707.01 705.0 707.01 706.01 707.99 710.0 711.01 712.01 712.99 715.0 713.99 716.01 720.0 722.99 721.0 721.0 721.0 723.99 721.0 721.0 722.01 720.0 722.01 722.01 721.0 716.01 715.0 716.01 720.0 718.99 720.0 717.99 718.99 727.01 727.01 726.0 727.01 727.01 732.01 733.01 731.0 722.99 722.01 722.01 727.01 725.0 728.01 743.01 738.01 738.99 732.01 733.01 732.01 728.01 728.01 730.0 730.0 736.0 736.0 736.0 736.0 734.99 738.01 741.0 739.99 741.0 739.99 737.01 737.01 737.01 736.0 736.0 733.99 732.01 732.01 731.0 733.01 733.01 731.0 731.0 732.01 731.0 743.99 733.99 734.99 733.01 733.01 733.01 732.01 736.0 733.99 TCT Multi-Use: Salmo Great Northern (Ymir to Hall Siding 11 km) This section of rail trail is not often accessed by motor vehicles and is one of the more pleasant sections of the Salmo Great Northern Rail Trail. 733.99 733.01 733.01 733.99 733.99 733.01 732.01 732.01 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 728.99 728.99 728.01 728.99 728.99 728.01 728.99 731.0 731.0 731.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 730.0 728.99 728.99 728.99 728.99 728.01 728.01 730.0 731.0 730.0 731.0 730.0 730.0 731.0 731.0 731.0 731.0 733.01 733.99 734.99 734.99 736.0 736.0 734.99 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.99 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.01 738.99 739.99 739.99 739.99 739.99 743.99 744.99 746.0 744.99 748.99 754.01 756.0 757.0 765.99 764.99 764.99 765.99 765.99 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 767.0 768.0 768.0 768.0 768.0 768.0 768.0 768.0 767.0 773.0 775.01 775.01 775.01 781.99 791.99 791.99 793.0 794.0 793.0 790.01 795.01 795.01 794.0 793.0 794.0 795.01 795.99 795.99 800.01 801.01 801.99 804.0 803.0 803.0 801.99 801.99 803.0 801.01 801.01 800.01 798.0 798.0 795.99 796.99 795.99 800.01 800.01 799.0 801.99 803.0 804.0 806.99 806.01 806.01 803.0 806.01 806.99 809.0 809.0 809.0 809.0 811.01 811.01 837.99 837.99 837.99 837.99 837.99 835.0 837.01 837.01 837.01 835.0 835.0 833.99 833.99 833.99 833.99 833.99 833.99 835.0 833.99 837.99 840.0 837.99 832.01 832.01 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 TCT Multi-Use: Salmo Great Northern (Hall Siding to Cottonwood 10 km) This section of rail trail is REGULARLY affected by seasonal (May-June) closures due to grizzly activities. Please refer to our Trail Closures page for more information, or contact the RDCK, which is the trail operator for this portion of the Trans Canada Trail. TCT Multi-Use: Salmo Great Northern (Cottonwood to Mountain Station 6.5 km) This excellent piece of rail trail is sometimes affected by seasonal (May-June) closures due to grizzly activities. Please refer to our Trail Closures page for more information, or contact the RDCK, which is the trail operator for this portion of the Trans Canada Trail. Alternate: Cottonwood-Hall Bypass Due to annual grizzly bear activities along the trail between Cottonwood Park and Hall Siding, this highway bypass route may be necessary between May 1 and June 15 each spring. The Regional District of Central Kootenay (operators of the trail) are responsible for this closure and will post signs warning users when the closure is in effect. Please contact the RDCK if you have further questions. Alternate: Troupe-Harrop Rail Trail Access: Stewart Creek Toilet (Use at own risk) description: Route not verified. Use at own risk. May cross through private property. REST_AREA_: REST_AREA1: REST_ARE_1: ASSOC_NUMB: DIST_FROM_: NUMBER_OF_: TOILET_TYP: WHEELCHAIR: NUMBER_OF1: DIRECTION_: ACCESS_RES: DECELERATI: ACCELERATI: ACCOM_COMM: OPEN_YEAR_: OPEN_DATE: CLOSE_DATE: