This sign, apprising the hiker/biker of the local edible berries to be found along the way, is just past the beginning of the Columbia & Western Rail Trail/Trans Canada Trail. Access to this trailhead is via Santa Rosa Road, which leads east and south from Highway 3 about 250 metres north of the Christina Creek Bridge in the town of Christina Lake. At one time one could head either east or west on the trail from this point. That's no longer the case, as the road bridge over the rail bed has been removed and filled in, blocking the way south (which leads west to the Kettle Valley). The only option from this point is north and east, ultimately to Castlegar.
At this trailhead is a large parking area, an outhouse, a picnic table and this informational sign.
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Many Berries
There are several species of serviceberry in Canada and a number of different names for each, including Juneberry, Saskatoon berry, and shadbush. These shrubs are probably best known for their springtime spray of white flowers and for the sweet blackish-purple to reddish-purple berries that follow.
Serviceberries were one of the most important berries for many First Peoples. They were eaten fresh and used to flavour soups and stews, as well as being dried and stored in pressed blocks. Dried berries (a common article of trade) were also mixed with meat and fat to make pemmican — a critical staple food. The bark was used in an eyewash to treat snow blindness, and the hard straight stems were used to make arrows, tipi pegs, pipes, canoe thwarts, and spears.
Across Canada, serviceberry blooms between March and June. Its showy white flowers often appear before the leaves are fully expended. The berries ripen in mid to late summer, and in the fall the leaves turn scarlet.
From the Sign
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