Photo: Let's Go BikingColumbia & Western Rail Trail

Columbia & Western Rail Trail

A ride described in Let's Go Biking

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 →

The Columbia & Western Rail Trail crosses the Boundary and West Kootenay regions from Midway through Greenwood, Grand Forks, and Christina Lake up to Farron and down to Castlegar, with access points along its 21 to 162 km. The historic corridor is quiet and rich with wildlife and birdwatching, but do not expect groomed rail trail the whole way: long stretches run rough and chunky, shared with ATVs, so bigger tires and a sense of adventure help.

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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 book from Let's Go Biking.

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 51 km of Crowsnest Highway · near Eholt

☕Stops worth stopping for69 along this route

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

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

Communities along this route#

Grand Forks 27 Christina Lake 13 Castlegar 9 Greenwood 8 Fife 5 Midway 5 Boundary Falls 1 Deadwood 1

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 →

Christina Lake (13)

Christina Lake Marina & GrillInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

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

Blue Mountain LodgeInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Christina Lake Motel and RV ParkInfo· Private Campground

Christina Lake Motel and RV ParkInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Lakeview MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Skands CampgroundInfo· Private Campground

Canco GasInfo· Convenience Store

One Stop ConvenienceInfo· Convenience Store

Portly Penguin PizzaInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — Pita Pit, Second Cup

+1 more in Christina Lake →

Castlegar (9)

Castlegar MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

ChopsticksInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Castlegar & District Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

Chameleon HotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Crumbs BakeryInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats

Cycology BikesInfo· Repair Shop

The Grateful TableInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Kootenay MarketInfo· Grocery Store

Plus the fast-food chains — Subway

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

Fife (5)

Kool TreatInfo· Ice Cream · $ · Cheap eats

New Horizon MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

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

Wild Ways Adventure SportsInfo· Outdoor Gear

Parklane Resort & MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Midway (5)

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

Frank Carpenter Memorial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Midway Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

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

The Spot In MidwayInfo· Convenience Store

Boundary Falls (1)

Boundary Creek Provincial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Deadwood (1)

Tunnel of FlagsInfo· Activity / Experience · Free

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 allCastlegar

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

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

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

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?

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