Photo: Tina BryanGrand Forks, BC

BT700 Castlegar

A ride described at BT 700 Bikepacking

How we describe routes →

Ambitious A real undertaking. Demanding on a couple of fronts, like rough surfaces plus steady climbing, or a long stretch on busier roads.

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 →

A 304 km multi-day BT700 stretch running down to Castlegar, about three-quarters unpaved with 3,500 m of climbing spread over gentle grades. The surfaces are the challenge here rather than the hills: expect long rough stretches where fatter tires and patience both pay off. Route created by Matt Kadey of BT 700 Bikepacking.

Get the route on BT 700 Bikepacking →Free route map on Ride with GPS ↗

Where this ride goes#

Approximate lineGet the real route ↗

Map key & layers

Show stops Mute other bike trails

Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike Services

Riding near fast trafficFastest stretches

Dashed line = our rough sketch of where the ride goes. The rideable route lives at get the route from BT 700 Bikepacking.

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 11 km of Highway 3A · near Troup
short stretches on other roads · 2 km total

☕Stops worth stopping for143 along this route

Castlegar Museum: Railway and pioneer museum in one of BC's finest surviving Canadian Pacific stations. · Castlegar

Doukhobor Discovery Centre: Ten-building village museum of BC Doukhobor life 1908-1938; 1,600 artifacts, guided tours. · Castlegar

Kettle River Museum: Mile 0 of the Kettle Valley Railway: the original 1901 station house at Midway. · Midway

Tunnel of Flags: 1913 tunnel painted with 210 national flags in Greenwood, Canada's smallest city. · Deadwood

Communities along this route#

Nelson 57 Castlegar 33 Grand Forks 27 Greenwood 8 Christina Lake 4 Midway 4 Willow Point 2 Boundary Falls 1 Deadwood 1 Fife 1 Glade 1 Rock Creek 1 South Slocan 1 Westbridge 1 Zamora 1

Nelson (57)

Gerick Cycle & SkiAccredited· Repair Shop

Backroads BreweryWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Kootenay co-opWelcoming· Grocery Store

LibraryWelcoming· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Mike's Place PubWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Nelson Museum Archives & GalleryWelcoming· Museum / Gallery · $$

Oso Negro CaféWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Outer Clove RestaurantWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Red Light RamenWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

The Kootenay Bakery Cafe CooperativeWelcoming· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, A&W, Edo Japan +4 more

+40 more in Nelson →

Castlegar (33)

Castlegar MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Doukhobor Discovery CentreInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$$

Castlegar and District Community ComplexInfo· Community Centre · $

ChopsticksInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Kootenay Gallery of Art, History & ScienceInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Zuckerberg IslandInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Castlegar & District Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

Chameleon HotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Crumbs BakeryInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Cycology BikesInfo· Repair Shop

Plus the fast-food chains — Panago, A&W, Boston Pizza +7 more

+13 more in Castlegar →

Grand Forks (27)

gallery2Info· Museum / Gallery · Free

Grand Forks Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $

True North DistilleriesInfo· Activity / Experience · $$$

Clyde'sInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Grand Forks & District Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

Grand Forks Municipal CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Grand Forks Station PubInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Johnny's MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Omega IIInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Riverside Court RV & CabinsInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Panago, Subway +1 more

+13 more in Grand Forks →

Greenwood (8)

Greenwood MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$

Copper Eagle Cappuccino & BakeryInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Deadwood JunctionInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Evening Star MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Green View Motel and RV ParkInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Greenwood Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

CancoInfo· Convenience Store

My Udder StoreInfo· Convenience Store

Christina Lake (4)

Christina Lake Welcome CentreWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Lakeview MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Portly Penguin PizzaInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

TempoInfo· Convenience Store

Midway (4)

Kettle River MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$

Mile Zero MotelAccredited· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

The Keg and Kettle GrillInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

The Spot In MidwayInfo· Convenience Store

Willow Point (2)

Kokanee Glacier ResortInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Duhamel StoreInfo· Grocery Store

Boundary Falls (1)

Boundary Creek Provincial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Deadwood (1)

Tunnel of FlagsInfo· Activity / Experience · Free

Fife (1)

Smoochies Brewing CoInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Glade (1)

EssoInfo· Convenience Store

Rock Creek (1)

Rock Creek Riverside CampgroundInfo· Private 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 allNelson

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

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

Castlegarbest: bus
Vancouverbest: bus
Victoriabest: bus + SkyTrain
Nanaimobest: ferry + SkyTrain + bus

Also on the bike-transit map: Castlegar

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

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, Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc), snʕickstx tmxʷúlaʔxʷ (Sinixt), sx̌ʷyʔiɬp (Colville), and Syilx (Okanagan).

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

Ready to ride it?

Get the route on BT 700 Bikepacking →Free route map on Ride with GPS ↗Got the GPX? Add BC Bike Stops to it →