BC Cycle Tourism Society
Photo: Aaron HagenCranbrook, BC

Great Northern Bikepacking Route, BC Part Two

A ride described at Great Northern Bikepacking Route

Epic Expedition scale. Many demanding factors stacked, or 1,000 km and up, or 10,000 m of climbing.

Difficulty Our overall read of how demanding a route is. We score surface roughness, climbing, singletrack, and how far it runs from services. The route publisher's own rating, a lot of busy road riding, or sheer scale can push the tier up, never down.

Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.

How we describe routes →

The second half of the Great Northern Bikepacking Route's British Columbia section: nearly 1,200 km through the Kootenay Rockies and Thompson Okanagan, mostly unpaved, with an enormous amount of climbing, over 18,000 m in total. A committed multi-week undertaking through big, quiet country. Route created by Matt Kadey.

Get the route on Great Northern Bikepacking Route →

Where this ride goes#

Map key & layers
Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike ServicesTransport

Riding near fast trafficFastest stretches

Dashed line = our rough sketch of where the ride goes. The rideable route lives at get the route from Great Northern Bikepacking Route.

Fast-road stretches#

We believe these are the fast, unprotected roads on this route. We can tell you which roads and roughly how far, but not the order you will ride them. If you see an error, tell us and we'll fix it.

  • about 97 km of Vernon-Slocan Highway · near Slocan
  • about 31 km of Highway 3A · near Gray Creek
  • about 23 km of Coalmont Road · near Princeton
  • about 19 km of Princeton-Summerland Road · near Jura
  • about 14 km of Coldwater Road · near Collettville
  • about 7 km of Princeton-Summerland Highway · near Jellicoe
  • about 1 km of Union Street · near New Denver
  • about 1 km of Tulameen Avenue · near Princeton
  • short stretches on other roads · 3 km total
☕Stops worth stopping for243 along this route

Kettle Valley Rail Trail: Myra Canyon's 18 trestles and two tunnels on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, a National Historic Site. · Myra

Kootenay Lake Ferry: cyclists walk or roll bikes aboard as foot passengers at no charge… Unboxed bikes OK. · Nelson

SS Sicamous: Restored 1914 sternwheeler SS Sicamous, moored on Penticton's Okanagan Lake shore. · Penticton

Coyote Cruises - Channel Float: Tube float down Penticton's 7 km channel between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. · West Bench

Daydreamer Wines: Marcus holds the Master of Wine designation; Best Red Wine in Canada in 2019; multiple platinum and gold medals at the National Wine Awards of Canada. · Naramata

Communities along this route#

Penticton 76Fernie 37Princeton 27Sparwood 12Nakusp 9Cranbrook 8New Denver 8Elkford 7Fording 7Crescent Bay 5Summerland 4Willow Point 4Aspen Grove 3Naramata 3Silverton 3Slocan 3Balfour 2Chute Lake 2Crawford Bay 2Faulder 2Myra 2Tulameen 2Arrow Park 1Baynes Lake 1Box Lake 1
+12 more

Penticton (76)

SS SicamousWelcoming· Museum / Gallery · $$
Laughing Stock VineyardsInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
Munson Mountain ParkInfo· Park / Nature · Free
The Bench MarketInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Cannery BrewingWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Abandoned Rail Brewing Co.Info· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
ElmaInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Grape Savvy Wine ToursInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
Hillside WineryInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
Hillside Winery BistroInfo· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Booster Juice, Domino's +4 more

+59 more in Penticton →

Fernie (37)

Fernie Heritage LibraryWelcoming· Library · Free
Fernie Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $
Fernie MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Straight Line BicyclesInfo· Repair Shop
The Arts StationInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
The Brickhouse Bar & GrillInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
The CentralInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
The Fernie TaphouseInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats
The LocalInfo· Grocery Store
Best Western Fernie Mountain LodgeInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Boston Pizza, McDonald's +2 more

+22 more in Fernie →

Princeton (27)

Centennial Outdoor PoolInfo· Community Centre · $
Princeton & District MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Princeton Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free
Swan Lake Wildlife RefugeInfo· Park / Nature · Free
Ace MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Brown Bridge PubInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
CitySlice PizzeriaInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats
Cool Beanz Coffee HouseInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Copper Mountain InnInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Gold & Jade RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Booster Juice

+15 more in Princeton →

Sparwood (12)

Sparwood Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free
Sparwood MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Causeway Bay Hotel & Conference CentreInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Mountain Shadows CampgroundInfo· Private Campground
Sparwood Public LibraryInfo· Library
Valley MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
EssoInfo· Convenience Store
HuskyInfo· Convenience Store
Overwaitea FoodsInfo· Grocery Store

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Subway, Tim Hortons

Nakusp (9)

Leland on the Lake RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Bella SoriahInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Mountain Top CoffeeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Nakusp Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Studio Connexion Art GalleryInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
The Lodge at Arrow LakesInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
CancoInfo· Convenience Store
Leland HotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Save-On-FoodsInfo· Grocery Store

Cranbrook (8)

Great Canadian Liquor WarehouseInfo· Liquor Store
Travellers MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Real Canadian SuperstoreInfo· Grocery Store
Super 8Info· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
WalmartInfo· Grocery Store

Plus the fast-food chains — Booster Juice, Tim Hortons, Wendy's

New Denver (8)

Centennial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Kohan Reflection GardenInfo· Park / Nature · Free
New Denver Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free
Silvery Slocan MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Adventure DomesInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range
New Market FoodsInfo· Grocery Store
Valhalla InnInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range
Valhalla pureInfo· Outdoor Gear

Elkford (7)

Elkford Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $
Elkford Community GardenInfo· Park / Nature · Free
Elkford Municipal CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Elkford Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Kootenay MarketInfo· Grocery Store
BC Liquor StoreInfo· Liquor Store
Elkford Motor InnInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Fording (7)

Elk Lakes CabinInfo· Resort · $ · Rock-bottom
Blue Lake Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground
Lower Elk Lake CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Tobermory Creek Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground
Upper Elk River Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground
Upper Elk River Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground
Riverside Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground

Crescent Bay (5)

Friends Campground And Day UseInfo· Public Campground
Group CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Kokanee Creek Provincial Park Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free
Redfish CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Sandspit CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Summerland (4)

Dirty Laundry VineyardInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
NOMAD CiderInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
Summerland Ornamental GardensInfo· Park / Nature · Free
Sleeping Giant Fruit WineryInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual

Willow Point (4)

Kokanee Glacier ResortInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Six Mile Lakes Recreation SiteInfo· Public Campground
Duhamel StoreInfo· Grocery Store
Six Mile Lakes Rec SiteInfo· Public Campground
Slice and dice these stops in the directory →
These stops come from our directory of welcoming places across BC. Spot something wrong, missing, or closed? Tell us and we'll fix it.
⛴Getting here, bike and allPenticton

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

Penticton is the handiest transit doorway for this ride. Buses, ferries, trains, and the SkyTrain will carry you and your bike there:

Also on the bike-transit map: Fernie · Princeton · Sparwood · Cranbrook

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

The BC portion of this route travels through the traditional territories of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Michif Piyii (Métis), Niitsítpiis-stahkoii ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ (Blackfoot / Niitsítapi ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ), Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka’pamux), Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc), snʕickstx tmxʷúlaʔxʷ (Sinixt), Syilx (Okanagan), and Tsuut’ina.

Territory data from Native Land Digital, for educational purposes only.

Ready to ride it?
Get the route on Great Northern Bikepacking Route →Got the GPX? Add BC Bike Stops to it →
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