BC Cycle Tourism Society
Photo: Let's Go BikingSlocan Valley - Nelson-Salmo - Nakusp

Slocan Valley - Nelson-Salmo - Nakusp

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 West Kootenays kept their railway history rideable: four rail trails around Nakusp, New Denver, the Slocan Valley, Nelson, and Salmo. Ride one as a gentle riverside day, or string them together into something closer to 170 km. The trails themselves are calm and forested, and wildlife sightings are common; getting between them means some riding on shared roads.

Where this ride goes#

Map key & layers
Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodation

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 70 km of Vernon-Slocan Highway · near Slocan Park
  • about 15 km of Ymir Road · near Hall
  • about 11 km of Nelson-Nelway Highway · near Ymir
  • about 1 km of Union Street · near New Denver
Stops worth stopping for39 along this route

Nelson Brewing Company: one of BC's original craft breweries, founded in 1991... first craft brewery east of the Okanagan... historic building that has housed brewing since the 1800s. · Nelson

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

Salmo (8)

Reno MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Salmo Municipal CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Salmo Valley Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Salmo Village Grocery on MainInfo· Grocery Store
The Dragon Fly CaféInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
EssoInfo· Convenience Store

Plus the fast-food chains — Subway

Nakusp (6)

Leland on the Lake RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Bella SoriahInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Mountain Top CoffeeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Studio Connexion Art GalleryInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
CancoInfo· Convenience Store
Leland HotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Crescent Valley (3)

Frog Peak Café & GuesthouseWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
EssoInfo· Convenience Store
EverGreenInfo· Convenience Store

Nelson (3)

Nelson Brewing CompanyInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
The Uphill MarketInfo· Convenience Store
Alpine Inn & SuitesInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Slocan (3)

Mountain ValleyInfo· Convenience Store
Slocan Community LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Springer Creek RV Park & CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Hills (1)

Bonanza Marsh Conservation Area (NCC)Info· Park / Nature · Free

Lebahdo (1)

Crooked Horn FarmInfo· Farmers' Market

Mountain Station (1)

Cool Waters RV ParkInfo· Private Campground

Rosebery (1)

Rosebery Provicial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Slocan Park (1)

Co-opInfo· Convenience Store

Summit Lake (1)

Summit Lake CampgroundInfo· 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 allSalmo

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

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

Also on the bike-transit map: Nelson

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories