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Smallwood Bigwood Loop

Do you like to earn your scenery? The Smallwood-Bigwood Loop near Beasley provides an uphill slog in the woods with an outstanding climatic view! From the top, you can look up and down the Kootenay River Valley to see Nelson and South Slocan. And looking across, you’ll see several prominent mountain peaks in the Bonnington Range.

Summary
Trailhead: Smallwood Creek FSR
Distance, round trip: 4.5km
Elevation: +370m
Season: mid-May to late October
Difficulty:  Moderate

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Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area

Songbirds, snakes, ducks, dragonflies! The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area offers easy walking on a network of trails around the Corn Creek Wetlands. With boardwalks, bridges, bird towers, and the Wildlife Centre, there is plenty to do! Bring your binoculars – the bird watching is excellent!

Summary
Trailhead: West Creston Road
Distance, round trip: 7km
Elevation: +97m
Season: late March to early November
Difficulty:  Easy

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Kokanee Old Growth Cedars

The old growth trail up Kokanee Creek is a short and spectacular hike. The cedars are ancient and massive, reaching up towards the sky and back across the centuries.

Summary
Trailhead: Kokanee Glacier Road
Distance, round trip: 2.4km
Elevation: +100m
Season: mid-June to late October
Difficulty:  Easy

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Morning Mountain Trails

Less than ten minutes from Nelson, the network of trails at Morning Mountain is fantastic hiking! The trails wind at a comfortable climb and will take you through dark cedar forests, across wildflower meadows, and up to distant views of Kokanee and the Valhalla Mountains.

Summary
Trailhead: Blewett Ski Hill Road
Distance, round trip: 9km
Elevation: +544m
Season: late April to early November
Difficulty:  Moderate

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Pilot Peninsula

Pilot Penisula is an easy shoreline hike along the blue vista of Kootenay Lake. With access to multiple beaches of smooth pebbles and clear water, Pilot Peninsula is a great choice! It’s also one of the first snow-free trails early in the spring.

Summary
Trailhead: Pilot Bay Road
Distance, round trip: 12.8km
Elevation: +235m
Season: mid-March to mid-November
Difficulty:  Easy

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Slocan-Evans Creek

The Slocan-Evans Creek trail is a ‘there and back again’ hike, following the Slocan lakeshore along the edge of Valhalla Provincial Park. The turnaround point is the bridge over the roaring Evans Creek, but the trail continuously opens up into rocky meadows and lapping crystal-blue shoreline.

Summary
Trailhead: Slocan
Distance, round trip: 17km
Elevation: +400m
Season: mid-April to early November
Difficulty: Moderate

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Svoboda Road Trails

A solid trek from the edge of Nelson up into West Arm Provincial Park. The trail winds up in a scenic clearing, looking past Nelson and beyond into the Kootenay River valley.

Summary
Trailhead: Svoboda Road
Distance, round trip: 10.1km
Elevation: +575m
Season: early May to late October
Difficulty:  Moderate

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Pulpit Rock & the Flagpole

April 2023 – The Pulpit Rock Trail has a recent rockslide and a new bypass has been built 1.0km up. Please use the new route and avoid the closed area.

Pulpit Rock is the most popular Nelson hike. Locals treat the trail like an outdoor gym and sometimes it feels like half the town is out hiking! The Pulpit trail offers a solid workout over switchbacks, ending in a scenic overlook of town. Hiking further to Flagpole rewards you with an even bigger panorama of the river valley – it’s worth the extra effort when you have the time!

Summary
Trailhead: Johnstone Road, Nelson
Distance, round trip: 3.6km to Pulpit Rock, 5.8km to Flagpole
Elevation: +338m to Pulpit Rock, +655m to Flagpole
Season: early April to early November
Difficulty:  Easy to Pulpit Rock,  Moderate to Flagpole
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