Trans Canada Trail in the Elko Area: The Elk Valley Trail from Wardner to Fernie
Distance

DISTANCE

95km
GPS

GPS DOWNLOADS

Distance

MAP

About the Journey

The route from Wardner towards Elko roughly follows the west shore of the the Kootenay River (Lake Koocanusa) on former forestry roads, heading south and eventually running parallel to Caven Creek Road and crossing Lake Koocanusa (Kikomun Newgate Road bridge) and entering Kikomun Creek Provincial Park and utilizing bits and pieces of a former rail grade. From Bayne’s Lake, the trail is mainly forestry roads – some of which can be muddy – which begin to travel north, eventually reaching Highway 3 and the town of Elko.

From Elko to Morrissey Creek, trails users will find themselves on a gravel logging road which runs along the south-and-east bank of the Elk River. This logging road is certainly quieter than the highway but sees considerable logging-truck traffic and can be dusty as well. Take great caution with approaching logging trucks from all directions – and it is probably best to pull over to the side of the road to let them pass, which they will do at high speeds. An alternative route is simply staying on Highway 3 (preferably only from Elko to Morrissey)

From Morrissey Creek north to Fernie, mountain biking trails known as the “Elk Valley Trail” take in views of the looming mountain ridge lying on the west side of the Elk River. Portions of the route are challenging, so River Road and Cokato Road can be used as bypasses for touring cyclists.




Staging Areas:

GPS INFORMATION:

  • KML/KMZ files can be opened in Google Earth, and many smartphone apps.
  • GPX files can be opened by most GPS software apps when KMZ cannot. Note, GPX files do not contain custom colours and icons that we use on our maps; all tracks and icons will appear the same colour and styles. We recommend using KMZ instead of GPX if possible.

The files below include data for only this specific area. For all of our Trans Canada Trail data for the entire province (including features, campsites and alternate routes), download our BC.kmz master file (1.2 MB)

Visit our GPS & Navigation page for instructions of how to use your smartphone as a GPS device (even when outside of data coverage) or how to import data to your Garmin unit.


GPS DOWNLOAD (KMZ FILE)
GPS DOWNLOAD (GPX FILE)
DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

Staging Areas:

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Route Highlights:

Many portions of this trail were recently developed. Some highlights of the proposed route include:

  • The calm waters of Lake Koocanusa and camping opportunities at Kikomun Park
  • Mountain views approaching Fernie
  • Excellent services and friendly atmosphere in the city of Fernie

We hope to one day invite users to the Mount Broadwood Nature Conservancy, a fantastic backcountry experience with a rugged mountain bike trail that can easily be hiked, though currently the route is sometimes obscure. A proposed route can be found on our maps on the “Alternate Route” layer shown in magenta/pink. Please note there are significant wildlife concerns in this area, particularly in the spring, as this is the season for bighorn sheep lambing as well as elk calving. Trail users are therefore asked not to enter the conservation area in the spring. Also note that the Ministry of Environment manages the land to the west of the conservancy – an area known as Wigwam Flats.


DOWNLOAD INFORMATION SHEET

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