BC Cycle Tourism Society

The BC Trail

362 cycling stops along this route · Thompson Okanagan

1164 km · ExpeditionEpicComfortable for mostMostly gravelChunky gravelLots of climbing

The flagship BC traverse: about 1,164 km from Cultus Lake to Fernie following the province's spine of decommissioned rail trails, the Coquihalla River Trail, the KVR with its Myra Canyon trestles, and the Great Northern, linked by forest roads and occasional rocky singletrack. Rail grade does not mean easy: many sections run rough, sandy, and washboarded, hard on gear and riders alike. Plan on about 12 days, with good town amenities between the remote stretches. The BC Epic 1000 race follows it from Merritt to Fernie every June. Note: the Hope to Princeton rail trail closure currently reroutes that section via Tulameen.

Our map below is a rough sketch
How to get the detailed route

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.

Roughly where this ride goes#

Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike ServicesTransport

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.

BC Bike Stops#

Penticton (75)

HI PentictonAccredited· Hostel · $ · Rock-bottom
Wesbert WineryAccredited· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual
Cannery BrewingWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Lees Overseas DelightsWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Neighbourhood BrewingWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Tacos Del NorteWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Twisted ChopsticksWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Wayne & FredaWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
24 SevenInfo· Convenience Store
A&WInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
+65 more in Penticton →

Nelson (55)

Gerick Cycle & SkiAccredited· Repair Shop
A&WWelcoming· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Backroads BreweryWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Edo JapanWelcoming· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Empire CoffeeWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Finley'sWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
KFCWelcoming· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Kootenay co-opWelcoming· Grocery Store
Kootenay Lake FerryWelcoming· Ferry
L&C French BakeryWelcoming· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats
+45 more in Nelson →

Hope (44)

Blue Moose Coffee HouseWelcoming· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
McDonald'sWelcoming· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Mountainview BrewingWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Mountainview Tasting LoungeWelcoming· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Save-On-FoodsWelcoming· Grocery Store
Spice and GrillWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Triple O'sWelcoming· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
A&WInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Artisans Attic and FudgeryInfo· Ice Cream · $ · Cheap eats
Bee's ConvenienceInfo· Convenience Store
+34 more in Hope →

Kimberley (33)

2 J's CafeInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
A&WInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
BC Liquor StoreInfo· Liquor Store
Biscuit: A Place To SupInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
BlackdogInfo· Repair Shop
Bohemian SpiritsInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Deer Park DinerInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
EssoInfo· Convenience Store
Fantails Expresso BarInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Fas GasInfo· Convenience Store
+23 more in Kimberley →

Fernie (27)

Raging Elk Adventure LodgingAccredited· Hostel · $ · Rock-bottom
BC LiquorstoreInfo· Liquor Store
Big Bang bagelsInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats
Fas GasInfo· Convenience Store
Fernie Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $
Fernie Heritage LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Fernie MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Freshies CafeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
GearHub SportsInfo· Repair Shop
Himalayan Spice BistroInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
+17 more in Fernie →

Grand Forks (21)

A&WInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Buy Low FoodsInfo· Grocery Store
CancoInfo· Convenience Store
Clyde'sInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Dairy QueenInfo· Ice Cream · $ · Cheap eats
gallery2Info· Museum / Gallery · Free
Gilly'sInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Grand Forks Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $
Grand Forks Municipal CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
+11 more in Grand Forks →

Trail (16)

BC Liquor StoreInfo· Liquor Store
Bridgeview CafeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Caffe AmericanoInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats
Crown Columbia Hotel, BW Premier CollectionInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range
Double HappinessInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Glenwood Inn & SuitesInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
J & V RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
McDonald'sInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
The ArlingtonInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
The Pastry ShopInfo· Bakery / Donuts · $ · Cheap eats
+6 more in Trail →

Princeton (11)

BC Liquor StoresInfo· Liquor Store
Centennial Outdoor PoolInfo· Community Centre · $
Gold & Jade RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Princeton ArenaInfo· Community Centre · $
Princeton Library BranchInfo· Library · Free
Princeton Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free
Rainbow Lake Castle ResortInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range
Riverside CabinsInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Save-On-FoodsInfo· Grocery Store
Swan Lake Wildlife RefugeInfo· Park / Nature · Free
+1 more in Princeton →

Salmo (9)

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

Cranbrook (6)

Booster JuiceInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Real Canadian SuperstoreInfo· Grocery Store
Super 8Info· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Tim HortonsInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
WalmartInfo· Grocery Store

Midway (6)

Mile Zero MotelAccredited· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Frank Carpenter Memorial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Kettle River MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$
Midway Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free
The Keg and Kettle GrillInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
The Spot In MidwayInfo· Convenience Store

Castlegar (5)

Doukhobor Discovery CentreInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$$
Kootenay Gallery of Art, History & ScienceInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Tim HortonsInfo· Fast Food / Chain · $ · Cheap eats
Village BistroInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Zuckerberg IslandInfo· Museum / Gallery · 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.