by Al Skucas Trails BC President

Rockies/East Kootenays DirectorOct 2008

A Photo Study of aGray Creek to Kimberley

Trans-Canada TrailRoute Option

REV 1

32 km

A Photo Study of aGray Creek to Kimberley Trans-

Canada TrailRoute Option

by Al Skucas Trails BC President

Rockies/East Kootenays DirectorOct 2008

REV 1

From Gray Creek to Kimberley

82 Km through the scenic Purcell Mountains of B.C.

Interim Road Route in place with options to develop a TCT route off road in stages of progressive development

Gray Creek

The Pass

St. Mary’s Lake

Marysville

Kimberley

Arriving on the M.V. Osprey from Balfour

Crossing the Kootenay Lake on the longest free ferry ride in the world

On Kootenay Lake looking towards Gray Creek from Crawford Bay

Gray Creek

The Western Terminus of the Gray Creek Pass Route

Lakeside Camping Resort

Opportunity to stock up on supplies before embarking on the eastbound trek

Time for a refreshing dip in Kootenay Lake before tackling the climb to Gray Creek Pass

Gray Creek to Summit and Over

Road Route Indicated in Yellow

Km Mileposts added

The Beginning

1km

THE ROAD ROUTE

From West to East

Starts off easy enough

1.5 km

7.5 km

Plenty of opportunities to replenish water on a hot summer day

8 km

Average grade to summit 9.2% over 16.5 km

9 km

Adventurous Cyclists currently use this route as an off highway alternative between the East and West Kootenays

10 km

11 km

Some of the grades here go up to 14%

14.5 km

Finally, getting closer to the Summit

15.5 km

Near the top and a lovely little campsite appears

A short little walk of 200m from the road brings one to this pretty little Alpine Lake

A hiking trail goes all the away around Oliver Lake

16.5 km

The summit

at 6800 ft. and 5000 ft above Kootenay Lake

Preparing to go down towards the east

17 km

Starting to descend from summit

20 km

East of Summit the road becomes the Baker Ck. Forestry Road and after a few kms. the downhill grades begin to moderate

.

Descending East along Baker Ck to Redding Ck

27 km

Going through an un-harvested section of mature White Spruce. Has a west coast feel to this short section.

28.5 km

At 29 km the road becomes the Redding Creek Forestry Road

32 km

33.5 km

34 km

Bridge over Redding Creek

Looking west, up Redding Creek

36 km

37 km

38 km

Tamarack Needles in their Fall Colors

Redding Ck onto St. Mary’s River and Lake

46 km

Approaching the St. Mary’s River Valley

52 km

Crossing of the St. Mary’s River

Popular place for a wilderness camping stop

Looking north-west up the St. Mary’s River into the renowned St. Mary’s Alpine Park

Past the bridge the road becomes the St. Mary’s River Forestry Road

57 km

First indication of an early pioneer settlement

St Mary’s Lake to Kimberley

64 km

St. Mary’s Lake

66 km

Campground at the eastern end of the lake

Outflow of the lake to become the St. Mary’s River

72 km

At 64 km the St. Mary’s River paved road begins

79 km

The rural outskirts of Kimberly and the Kimberley Riverside Campground appears to the weary traveler

Access into the Kimberley Nature Park across the road from the campground

79 km

Road Route ends 3km later along the road at the junction of Hwy 95 and the St. Mary’s River Road.

Gray Creek to Summit and Over

The Off Road Route Options

Teck’s Powerline Access Road

A more rustic alternative for hikers and equestrians

Summertime view looking over the West Arm of Kootenay Lake

In the fall inversions are common over Kootenay Lake

This first section is available currently to use

Teck is in the process of abandoning the line, starting with public open houses to begin in 2008/09

One of the effects of abandonment would be to remove the Powerline completely

Parts of the trail are closed in by the forest canopy

With the closing of the Sullivan Mine in Kimberley in 1999, this ROW as the TCT may be a fitting legacy

Fall view of alpine meadow at summit

Tarn close to summit

At the very top of the pass on the road

At summit the terrain is relatively flat for over 1km. This summit is 300 ft. less in elevation than the forestry road summit.

Some evidence of habitation in the past

Descending from summit to the east

Trail transitions from in the forest till …..

…..till it is out of the forest

Grades on this downhill stretch run to 25%+

Descending East along Baker Ck to Redding Ck

Section 2 PWL access road – 4.5 km long

Section 3 PWL access road- 10.5 km long

At 27km of the forestry road route, access to Section 2 of the PWL road begins

This 4.5 km section has great scenic attributes

A nice grove of Birch trees in the background

Again one of the appeals to the PWL route is the transitioning from into and out of the forest

Note, the high standard to which some sections of the PWL road are constructed. Lots of cut and fill here to produce this grade

At the eastern end of this section Teck has removed the bridge over Redding Creek. New bridge required

After crossing Redding Creek the route ascends for 1 km

Approaching Section 3 of the PWL access road

Section 3 of the PWL access road starts off at 32.5 km off the forestry road route

Summertime View

Same area in the Fall

This trail segment would be 10.5 km long

This 3rd section would make an outstanding trail

This section would be very accommodating to cyclists as the grades are easy to moderate

Teck’s bridge over Redding Creek has been taken down for safety reasons. Opportunity for a tram crossing?

Redding Ck onto St. Mary’s River and Lake

Long term options to develop trail south of St. Mary’s River if community interest would support such an initiative. In the

meantime the forestry road would be adequate

Instead of building a crossing over Redding Creek, 6 km of new trail could be constructed from the eastern end of section 3

This section of the route is an abandoned forestry road that is now quite grown over. At the eastern edge of this section the old bridge over Meachen Creek has been removed.

St Mary’s Lake to Kimberley

Potential shorter route on Crown land and PWL

Off Road Options on the approach to Kimberley

This route has been established as the Trans Canada Trail within the Kimberley Nature Park in 2006

Approaching Kimberley, the Teck PWL access road reappears on crown land and could be utilized

Gaining elevation on crown land just before entering the Kimberley Nature Park

The Kimberley Nature Park is one of Canada’s largest urban parks

For 5 km, the TCT winds it way through the Kimberley Nature Park until it arrives in the heart of Kimberley

Sharing the vision of the Trans Canada Trail of Connecting Canadian

Communities Coast to Coast