107 km · 1,787 m up · Weekend or more · Kootenay Rockies
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 →Some traffic sharing 45 to 75% of the riding we could measure is low-traffic. The rest shares busier roads.
Comfort How much of the route you spend sharing the road with cars. Bike paths, quiet streets, and car free backcountry roads count as comfortable. Busy or fast roads don't.
Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
How we describe routes →Mostly gravel 50 to 84% unpaved.
Surface How much of the route is paved versus gravel or dirt, by distance ridden. Surfaces come from OpenStreetMap. Where nothing is mapped we assume ordinary roads are paved and backcountry tracks are gravel, and leave the rest uncounted.
Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
How we describe routes →Lots of climbing 12 to 20 m per km. Expect sustained climbs.
Climbing feel Average climbing per kilometre over the whole route. It's an average, so a short steep wall can hide inside a gentle looking number.
Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.
How we describe routes →Difficulty: Ambitious, because of lots of climbing + some loose surface.
If you are going to convert a first-time bikepacker, this is the route: 107 km linking rail grade, scenic gravel, and sub-alpine lakes through the Slocan Valley, with the beloved Frog Peak Cafe on course and swimming holes for hot afternoons. One real climb, easy resupply, and campgrounds spaced for a relaxed weekend. The route's namesake peak carries deep significance for the Sinixt, whose Frog Mountain story tells of survival and resilience in this valley. Route established by Moe Nadeau.
The full map, turn-by-turns, and GPX for this ride are on bikepacking.com. Our map shows roughly where the ride goes, not how to follow it.
Nelson is the handiest transit doorway for this ride. Buses, the SkyTrain, and ferries will carry you and your bike there:
Castlegar (best: bus) · Vancouver (best: bus) · Victoria (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Nanaimo (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus)
The dashed line is our rough sketch, drawn only to show where the ride is. For the real, rideable route, get the route from bikepacking.com.
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), and Syilx (Okanagan).
Territory data from Native Land Digital, for educational purposes only.
Ready to ride it?