Columbia River Trail
A long connector between the Cities of Castlegar and Trail, the Columbia River Trail offers an extended hiking season and scenic river views. It’s most popular with trail runners and bikes, but hikers will enjoy exploring the historic Blagodatnoye Douhkobor settlement.
Distance, round trip: 18.3 km
Elevation: +128 m
Time: 4-5 hours (one way)
Season: mid-March to late-November
Difficulty:
ModerateTrailhead & Driving Directions
The Columbia River Trail can be accessed from either Castlegar or Trail. In both cases, the access roads turn to gravel and dirt in the final few kilometres can be rough and rutted for 2WD low clearance vehicles.
- Castlegar Trailhead – head east on Highway 3 towards Salmo and then turn right onto Columbia Road, just after you pass the weigh station. Follow Columbia Road past the dump and through the gravel pits for 6km. The road turns to gravel and gets rough with narrow drop-offs in the final kilometre. Park at the yellow gate with the trailhead signed for the Columbia River Trail and Blagodatnoye community.
- Trail Trailhead – head east on Highway 3B in Trail across the river and then turn left onto 2nd Avenue. Pass Gyro Park and continue Charles Lakes Drive. Turn left onto Hazelwood Drive and then as the road curves around, turn left onto Sandpit Road and ascend. Park at the red “Restricted Access” sign if you want to avoid some rough roads and hike a bonus 3.8km (shown in the GPX track above). Reset your odometer.
- At 0.5km, go right and up on the main road.
- At 0.9km, continue right.
- At 1.3km, go left and descend to cross McNally Creek.
- At 2km, stay left on main road.
- At 3.8km, the road ends and the trail turns to single lane.
Starting from Trail
Starting from the City of Trail and heading north, the Columbia River Trail edges above its namesake with wide views. The trail narrows in places along the steep slope and might be uncomfortable for some.
A few scenic benches have been sprinkled at intervals, each one featuring an inspirational quote.
“In every walk with nature, one receive far more than he seeks.” – John Muir
We saw a bald eagle along the river as well as plenty of swallows swooping above the water. Mergansers floated along and bluebirds flitted nearby. Plenty of birds in April! The trail was quiet apart from fellow trail runners.
“Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.” – Steven Wright
After about 7km, the trail veers away from the river and winds through the forest with pleasant footing. Around 11km, the single track turns into an old ATV track and ascends a steep road. The trail dives deeper into the woods. Cross Jordan and Champion Creeks on bridges.
Blagodatnoye Settlement
Reach a junction after 14.3km and ascend towards the old Blagodatnoye Doukhobor settlement. A larger network of trails appears, but follow the signs for the Columbia River. Old roads weave through the settlement and interpretive maps appear to help orientate you. You can explore more of the settlement – a cemetery, stone foundations, and old fruit trees are all that’s left of this old community. Reach a picnic area and toilet after 16.5km.
Follow the dirt road north until you reach the yellow gate at the Castlegar Trailhead. Hopefully you arranged to be picked up or left a vehicle here.
