BC Cycle Tourism Society
Photo: Kari MedigKimberley, BC

Top of the World

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 347 km loop through southern BC from Cranbrook, one of ten routes in Ryan Correy's guidebook 'Bikepacking in the Canadian Rockies.'

Where this ride goes#

Map key & layers
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 Bikepack Canada.

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 8 km of Kootenay-Columbia Highway · near Fort Steele
  • about 6 km of Crowsnest Highway · near North Star
  • short stretches on other roads · 2 km total
Stops worth stopping for110 along this route

Fernie Historic Oil Derrick: BC's last standing wooden oil derrick, at Fernie's eastern gateway on Highway 3. · Fernie

Fort Steele Heritage Town: Living-history town of 60-plus restored 1890s buildings near Cranbrook; working livestock, tours. · Fort Steele

Cranbrook (58)

Mount Baker HotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range
Studio & Stage DoorInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$$
Western Financial PlaceInfo· Community Centre · $
Cancun Mexican International RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Cranbrook Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free
Days Inn by Wyndham Cranbrook Conference CentreInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget
Family Thai RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Fire Hall Kitchen & TapInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual
Funhogz Gear ExchangeInfo· Repair Shop

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Arby's, Booster Juice +14 more

+31 more in Cranbrook →

Fernie (43)

Fernie Historic Oil DerrickInfo· Activity / Experience · Free
Fernie Heritage LibraryWelcoming· Library · Free
Fernie Aquatic CentreInfo· Community Centre · $
Fernie Brewing CompanyInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
Fernie MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
Straight Line BicyclesInfo· Repair Shop
The Arts StationInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free
The Brickhouse Bar & GrillInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual
The CentralInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Boston Pizza, McDonald's +2 more

+28 more in Fernie →

Fort Steele (4)

Fort Steele Heritage TownInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$$
Wasa Hotel MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · $$$
Fort Steele Resort and RV ParkInfo· Private Campground

Copper Creek (3)

Inlet Creek CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Packrat Point CampgroundInfo· Public Campground
Alces Lake CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Baynes Lake (1)

Surveyors Lake CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Remote & backcountry, Regional District of East Kootenay (1)

Sulphur Creek Recreation SiteInfo· 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 allCranbrook

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

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

Also on the bike-transit map: Fernie

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

This route travels through the traditional territories of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), and Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis.

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