A big trail network wraps around the Castlegar Campus at Selkirk College, offering riverside hiking and pleasant views.
Distance, round trip: 7.1 km
Elevation: +120 m
Season: mid March to late November
Difficulty:
EasyTrailhead and Driving Directions
From Highway 3A in Castlegar, head east and follow signs for Selkirk College. Turn onto Frank Beinder Way and drive 1.1 km to turn right onto Rosedale Road. Park in the large pullout on Rosedale Road. The trail network can be accessed in several places, but this is a central location with plenty of room to park. For an overview of the trails and all the parking locations, see the Castlegar Parks & Trails Society Map.
To the Oxbow
Look north across Rosedale Road for the signed trail post leading into the words. Follow the Oxbow Trail as it winds through the forest and comes out into broad meadows on the Columbia River.
Reach a junction after 0.6 km. Heading left stays on the main trail to hike a shorter loop, or go right to add some additional distance exploring the flats around the the Oxbow. If you head right, you’ll hike along an old ATV trail under a powerline until at 1.3 km look for a faint trail leading down and left, across the meadows. If the trail turns into a road, you’ve gone too far.
Stay on the path if you explore the meadows as this is a sensitive area with rare Camas flowering in May. This is also a popular spot for birdwatching.
If the oxbow is empty of water, you can cut across the beach to explore more of the shoreline. Otherwise the trail will loop back along the oxbow to rejoin the main trail.
Around Selkirk College
Follow the trail counter-clockwise as it wraps around the shore where the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers converge. A scenic bench at 2.5 km offers a rest spot looking across the Columbia River to Zuckerberg Island.
Keep on the main trail to hike the bigger loop – several spur trails shortcut on the left to go back to the college as you wrap around. At 4.1 km, pass another scenic bench as you head south and the Kinnaird Bridge comes into view.
Finishing the loop
As you near the Kinnaird Bridge, several trails loop back up the hill. We took the return trail right before the bridge, a steep ATV track that does the job. Ascend up the river bank and come out near the Doukhobour Discovery Centre. Then turn left to continue counter-clockwise around the circuit, sticking to the Selkirk Main Trail.
Stay left at 5.8 km on the main trail, and then go right at 6.6 km to take the signed Rosedale Trail back to Rosesdale Road and the parking area, completing the loop.
