We love traveling around the West Kootenay Rockies for adventurous summer road trips, pairing mountain biking with hot springs and beaches.
We set up a base camp for the week on Summit Lake between Nakusp and Kaslo to avoid moving our trailer each day, and we take day trips where we ride a different area each day, visiting a beach or hot spring pool in the afternoon, and often finishing with dinner in one of the towns along our route.
In this guide I’ve focused on four main areas between Nelson and Nakusp with options for a variety of activities at each destination.
This guide is mountain bike heavy, but I am including my favourite beaches and hot springs as well because you can't bike every day, all day, for a week. 😉
Choose a campground or hotel in each area if you want to move every couple of days, or set up a basecamp at a central location. Ideally for the least amount of driving each day, choose two places to stay for a one-week trip.
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| Mt. Buchanan summit, Kaslo |
Destination 1 – Nakusp
Mountain biking at Mt. Abriel
The Mt Abriel Recreation Area is located 10 km north of Nakusp. There's a great FCFS campground on site with trails weaving their way around the campsites, and there are 48 different trails for all abilities from beginner to extreme. There's also water access from this campground for paddling and swimming should you choose to camp here.
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| Riding down slabs on "Ride On" |
I'm purely the shuttle driver when it comes to downhill riding, but my family would recommend the following upper trails for gravity riding (either ascending the climb trails first or driving up the Turner FSR.)
🟦 Dusty Panther – Accessible from the North Flank Road off the Turner FSR. Smooth flow trail. The first blue you'll want to try on the upper trails.
🟦 Acme – Also accessible from the North Flank Road. More technical with small rocks and roots. A good progression from Dusty Panther.
🟦 Ride On - Start from the very top of the Turner FSR for one epic 1000 metre descent! This trail has it all from intermediate technical sections and rock slabs, to fast flowy sections. There are different spots to jump on if you don't want to go to the very top. Note the road to the top requires 4-wheel drive and high clearance. I'd rate the shuttle road double black as far as shuttle roads go if you drive all the way to the very top.
⬛️ Upper and Lower Rolaids – Accessed from Dusty Panther, this machine-built jump trail is packed with large berms and table tops. (It’s my son’s favourite trail at Abriel.)
If you’re not up for big climbs and you don't want to shuttle, you'll still find plenty of trails around the campground from green XC loops to black technical descents. Climb back up the campground roads to get back to the top after each lap.
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| Fast flowy fun at Mt. Abriel |
Après Bike Pairings
After biking, head to the Nakusp Village beach which has great sand and a shallow swimming area on Upper Arrow Lake. And if you’re hungry, you can also satisfy that craving at the Hut Drive In where they have 25+ flavors of milkshakes to accompany their burgers. There's also a fabulous Rotary playground near the beach with huge climbers and a zipline. (Even teenagers will like this playground.)
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| Nakusp Village Beach |
If you'd like to visit one of the local hot spring pools, there are a few options in the area.
Halfway Hot Springs: These natural hot springs are easy to access via a good logging road north of Mt. Abriel. There are several pools of varying temperatures located beside the river, and you’ll find a small FCFS campground here.
Halcyon Hot Springs: This commercial resort is located further north on Highway 23 as you head towards the Galena Bay Ferry. There is a warm pool with circulating lazy river, a hot soaking pool, a cold plunge pool, and a seasonal swimming pool.
Nakusp Hot Springs: This hot spring resort is much smaller than Halcyon and has one circular pool, divided into a hot soaking area and a smaller cold plunge section. Stay overnight in a chalet on site or visit from Nakusp for an evening soak.
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| Hot natural soaking at Halfway Hot Springs |
And if you want to take a rest day to explore a fabulous beach nearby, head south to McDonald Creek Provincial Park. This is also a great campground if you manage to get a reservation.
McDonald Creek PP has a beautiful sandy beach and you can paddle across to a sandy island in the middle of the Upper Arrow Lake, locally known as the Bahamas. The paddle only takes 20 minutes and the reward is high.
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| Day Trip to the Bahamas |
Destination 2 – Slocan Lake
The Village of New Denver is a great basecamp location for easy access to the Community of Rosebery to the north, and the Village of Slocan to the south, each one situated on beautiful Slocan Lake.
Recommended bike trails in the Slocan Area
🟦 Upper and Lower Butter, Rosebery - Intermediate downhill-specific trail with 1000 metres of descent after reaching the top of the mountain by shuttling the West Wilson Creek FSR. The trail itself is technical in nature with natural features including roots, rocks, drops and a few wooden boardwalks. If you prefer to earn your descent, there is a climb trail as well.
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| Descending "Butter," Rosebery |
🟩 The Galena Rail Trail, New Denver – The trail starts in Three Forks, approx. 10 km east of New Denver. The main trail is only 5 km one way until you reach the edge of New Denver. We like to continue on the Lower Galena Trail to Rosebery for a total of 11 km point to point (My husband usually rides back for the truck.)
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| Cable car crossing on the Galena Trail |
The highlight of this trail is the cable car near the beginning which you’ll need to ride with your bike to cross over Carpenter Creek. The trail descends gradually towards New Denver, but most cyclists will have no problems riding it both ways. Families may want to shuttle it from New Denver to Rosebery for a beginner-friendly outing.
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| Who wouldn't want to ride this trail?! |
🟩 The Slocan Valley Rail Trail – This easy rail trail follows the Slocan River from the Village of Slocan to the north down to the Community of South Slocan for 52 km total distance. There are many exit/entry points along the trail to make your ride as long or as short as you want. There’s also a community bus that drives along Highway 6, facilitating shuttles between trailheads.
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| Rail trails are great easy rides for families |
Après Bike Pairings
Each Village or community has their own beach. One of note is the town beach in the Village of Slocan which has soft sand and jumping docks for the kids. Bigelow Bay Beach is another nice option in New Denver.
And for those camping, you’ll find a good spot for a few nights at the Centennial Campground in New Denver (reservations required.)
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| Slocan Village beach |
Destination 3 – Kaslo
Mountain Biking at Mt Buchanan
Mt. Buchanan has a historic fire lookout site on its summit complete with tower still standing. And you can drive to the very top on the Buchanan FSR. The road is steep and rough at the top (high clearance vehicle recommended.)
There’s a 3 km hiking loop around the summit that I always enjoy, and my boys love riding down the mountain where you get to descend 1300 metres to the bottom!
Note for hikers: Descend the hiking trail by the outhouse toilet. It crosses the Friendly Giant bike trail a couple of times as it descends from the lookout parking area. When the hiking trail ends, turn right and follow the Friendly Giant bike trail until you reach the lookout.
Return the same way!! If you try to finish the loop you'll just follow the Friendly Giant trail heading down the mountain. The only way back up to the lookout is by climbing the "Monster" double black descent trail and you do not want to hike up that! It's narrow, incredibly steep, and would be dangerous if anybody were riding down.
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| The Mt. Buchanan fire lookout |
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| Viewpoint on the hiking loop at Mt. Buchanan (the bike trail visits this viewpoint too) |
🟩 Friendly Giant Trail – The main trail on Mt. Buchanan, and fun for all levels of biking with great flow, berms, jumps, and rollers. Rated green for beginner-friendly riding, comfortably smooth and wide.
The trail is bi-directional, so shuttle riders to the top or climb up first to earn that ride down!
🟦 Buckshot – Short spur trail off Friendly Giant. More technical. Good for progression and intermediate riders.
🟩Lower Buckshot – Continue from Upper Buckshot or take the Buckshot Connector Trail off Friendly Giant (FG) to skip the intermediate section. A great progression from FG and my son said it was the best trail on the mountain for fast flow!
🟦High and Low Commander – Finish your ride on these intermediate trails to add more spice to your descent down Friendly Giant. Expect bigger jumps and steeper riding overall.
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| Flowy goodness descending the trails on Mt. Buchanan |
Driving information:
And note for shuttle drivers or anybody who wants to drive up to the tower: You’ll climb the Buchanan FSR and not the 7 Mile FSR. It's very confusing because the Trail Forks website / app shows the 7 Mile FSR and not the Buchanan FSR.
The 7 Mile FSR does not reach the top of the mountain. It is also a horrible shuttle road, overgrown, and dangerously narrow. I don't know how you'd pass anybody coming from the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, the Buchanan FSR goes to the very top of the mountain where you can ride down the Friendly Giant Trail to access all other trails.
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| Viewpoint on the Friendly Giant Trail |
Après Bike Pairings
After biking we like to head into the Village of Kaslo where you can have a late lunch with beer flights at the Angry Hen Brewing Company. We also like hiking the Kaslo Riverside Loop Trail which has fun sculptures to look for.
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| You'll find playful sculptures on the Kaslo river trail |
Ainsworth Hot Springs are also nearby and I love their cave with hot water flowing through it to create a hot spring / sauna effect. (Check their schedule in advance. They aren’t open every day.)
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| Now "this" is a heavenly hot spring visit! |
And you’ll find one of the best sandy beaches in the West Kootenays at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park further south on Highway 3A towards Nelson. The beach has a huge sand spit where you can walk out into the middle of Kootenay Lake. You can even find little sandy islands perfect for sunbathing.
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| We're lying down in the middle of Kootenay Lake! |
And if you visit mid to lake August, there's a fantastic salmon spawning channel here with interpretive centre.
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| Building sand castles in the middle of Kootenay Lake |
Destination 4 – Nelson
Mountain biking on Morning Mountain
Our favourite place to ride in the Nelson area. Research this area carefully on the Trail Forks app because there are multiple trailheads on both sides of the mountain with trails descending each side.
🟩Fairly High – A bi-directional XC trail that you can climb or shuttle via the Giveout Creek FSR. The road is very smooth for a forestry road so we always take turns shuttling this one. The trail has three sections and descends ~ 600 metres top to bottom. It has a few rocky sections but is quite smooth overall with lots of bridges, wooden boardwalks, and an old growth forest feeling.
If you've ever ridden the Lazy Lizard Trail in Fernie, this has a similar vibe.
If you’re picking riders up, they should finish on the Silverking Trail and then ride the Silverking Road ending in the community of Rosemont. The Rosemont Bike Park makes a good ending spot.
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| Fairly High Summit on Morning Mountain |
These trails start from the Giveout Creek FSR if you’re shuttling, but they end at the Granite Road Trailhead on the other side of the mountain. I had to drive around to pick my boys up. Consider starting at Granite and using the climb trails to access these trails.
⬛️Turnstyles - A steeper version of Rhythm and Blues, this machine-built downhill jump trail is a blast to ride and is accessed via a good climb trail from the Granite Road trailhead. Alternately it can be shuttled via Giveout Creek FSR. From the top you can drop in from Mister Slave.
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| Old Growth Forest riding on Morning Mountain |
Other Bike Trails near Nelson
🟩Great Northern Rail Trail – This Rail trail is located across the highway from the Giveout Creek FSR and makes for an easier biking option if you have beginner riders in the group. We like starting from Cottonwood Lake Day Use Area and riding back into Nelson in approx. 8 km one way, riding downhill the entire time at a very gentle rail grade. Start in Nelson if riding round trip so you can coast back to town on the return.
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| Easy riding on the Great Northern Rail Trail |
I really like this rail trail because it has trestle bridges. None of the other rail trails in the West Kootenays have bridges
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| One of the trestle bridges on the Great Northern Rail Trail |
Après Bike Pairings
Spend the afternoon at the Nelson City Beach under the big bridge or visit one of the brewing companies in town (there are several.)
For camping, we’ve always chosen locations between Kaslo and Nelson so that we can explore both areas from one basecamp. For RV campers, we’ve had good experiences at the Woodbury Resort where we had a campsite right on the lake. Mirror Lake is also a recommended family-friendly campground for both tents or trailers. (Reservations required for both options.)
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| Lakeside camping at Woodbury Resort |
More Information on our Basecamp at Camp Valhalla on Summit Lake
The past two years we've chosen to stay at Camp Valhalla between Naksup and New Denver because we wanted an RV site with full hookups for our trailer, and we didn't want to move our trailer between campgrounds.
This campground has options for all campers including full service RV sites, unserviced tenting sites and a variety of other sites (some with power and or water.)
There is a small beach on site along with a dog beach as well and a boat dock for launching kayaks, canoes, or small fishing boats.
The campground attracts a lot of large groups so don't expect it to be terribly quiet, but it's a great basecamp, ideally situated between Nakusp and New Denver. From this campground you can access many great trails, hot spring pools, and beaches.
Reservations can be made online early winter (I believe it was around February) so check their website at the beginning of the year.
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| Evening paddling on Summit Lake |
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| Great way to unwind at the end of the day! |
Resources and More Information on Mountain Biking in the West Kootenays
Visit the Arrow Slocan Tourism Website for more information on things to do around Nakusp and the surrounding area.
Visit the Nelson and Kootenay Lake Website for more information on things to do around Kaslo and Nelson.
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| Mountain biking near Kaslo on Strawberry Ridge |
Recommended Reading / Previous Blog Posts:
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| Mountain biking at Mt. Abriel near Nakusp |
