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by Chris Moslin (revised by Ernie R. Hennig)
Stroll around Grand Forks
Grand Forks is a great place to access the Trans Canada Trail as it is built upon the rail grade of the historic Columbia & Western Railroad, part of CPR's southern route. If you're just strolling around town, the easiest way to find the Trans Canada Trail is to walk west along Highway 3 past the A&W to the Motel 99.
For a quiet two-kilometre stroll look for the Boundary Pathway sign and turn south on the rail grade. It's a lovely walk past gardens on one side and a little marsh on the other. Can you hear the Redwing Blackbirds? Walk until you reach Kettle River Drive and the "Black Bridge". Stroll back into town along the road right beside the river. Look for the trail down to City Park to visit a lovely green space, playground and washrooms close to downtown Grand Forks.
A refreshment stop
If you turn north onto the TCT at Motel 99 you will stroll past the lovely Grand Forks Station Pub which is the actual restored CPR Station. If you are up to a great eight-kilometre walk, continue from the Grand Forks Station Pub until you come to the North Fork Road. Follow the trail and the sign around the Ward's Lake Wildfowl refuge which has just been restored by Duck's Unlimited. It's a lovely walk past a farm until you reach Eagle Ridge Road. Now either retrace your steps back to town on the Trans Canada Trail or turn right down Eagle Ridge road to reach the North Fork Road and turn right again to walk back into town. A good idea is to stop at the Grand Forks Station Pub for refreshments!
Cycle the surrounding hills
If you're a cyclist and want to see some of the most beautiful scenery in the province while biking down hill for two hours, the easiest thing to do is to get a friend to drive you and your bike to Eholt about 25 km west of Grand Forks.
Watch carefully for the Eholt signs at a pullout and then take the road down to the designated parking area. This is the site of a turn-of-the-century divisional point. Trains from the Great Northern (V.V.&E.) and the CPR were refueled and repaired here as they carried ore from the Phoenix mines to Grand Forks and Greenwood smelters. Look around at the foundations close by the grade. Then get on your bike and head back south along the Brown Creek Forest Service Road. This was once rail grade, but has been used for several years as a public road so use caution, and watch for vehicles.
Look for the water tower foundation
As you pedal this section, look for the hexagon foundation of the Eholt Water tower which was actually the center of the busy rail yard. Once you get to Rathmullen Creek, the Brown Creek Forest Service Road drops to the left and the Trans Canada Trail continues straight ahead. Look for the Boundary Pathway sign. If you need water look for the trail down to the creek which was part of the work completed by the E-Teams in the fall of 1999. Get your camera ready as you are going to travel by some breathtaking views of the lovely Granby valley far below the rail grade.
You will need a flashlight
Got a flash light? You might wish you had one as you travel through the first of two tunnels. Try whistling or singing to enjoy some "natural" amplification. On the other side of the tunnel is even more spectacular scenery of the Granby River below. After the second tunnel make sure you stop at the bright Tuscan Red Sectionman Shed which has now been restored as a shelter by two HRDC teams in 2002 and 2003. The surface of the trail has been redone in this area; however look for evidence of a recent rockslide. This gives you the reason why CPR put a man on this spot to warn trains of avalanche.
Even if you are not thirsty, look for the trail to Fisherman Creek Falls close to the Fisherman Creek Road. This is a ten-minute walk into a hidden canyon of cedar trees and a delightful waterfall at the end of the trail. Get back on the bikes and head south past Goat Mountain Road and some more wonderful views of the valley below you.
More thirst-quenching opportunities
Cross the pavement at Eagle Ridge Road and enjoy traveling around delightful Ward's Lake. Cross the North Fork Road and arrive at the Grand Forks Station Pub, a great destination for thirsty bikers! This trip should take the average bicyclist two hours. If you do the ride in reverse and actually pedal uphill add an hour to make it up to Eholt. Expect 5 hours for a return trip.
The Trans Canada Trail is still being developed and as visitors keep returning over the next several years they will find new improvements. BC Gas (Terasen) installed a new pipeline along the rail grade to Christina Lake. They restored the trail and by the summer of 2001 this portion of the trail, became once more be available to the public. The trestles at Cascade Gorge, and the 154-metre-long trestle over the Kettle River, and the Nursery Bridge near Grand Forks were decked and railed by the British Military.
Tourism BC is developing this portion of the trail into a wonderful showcase for Boundary Country, Grand Forks, Christina Lake and its lovely valleys.
Enjoy it now and look for the improvements in the future!
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