Columbia and Western Rail Trail - Robson, BC - Rails to Trails on Waymarking.com

The Columbia and Western Rail Trail runs through the mountains between Castlegar and Grand Forks for a total of 150 km (95 miles). It features tunnels, trestles, creeks, waterfalls, viewpoints and scenery galore. The entire trail is doable in a day by bicycle, but not on foot. There is a minimum of facilities on the trail, so bring water and everything else required for the journey with you.

The Columbia and Western Railroad was built from Castlegar to Midway beginning in 1896 to link to the Kettle Valley Railroad. The KVR, which begins at Midway, ultimately runs 450 km (282 miles) to Hope. These Rail Trails are part of the Trans Canada Trail.

This trailhead is at the Pass Creek Campground, which is the easternmost of the two trailheads in Castlegar. The campground is on the north side of Bayview Road/Broadwater Road, just west of the north end of the Castlegar-Robson Bridge. Parking is available at this trailhead in the campground.

The Columbia and Western Railway was built between Robson West (now Castlegar) and Midway by the CPR at the end of the 19th Century, in a bold move to secure the anticipated Boundary district mining revenue for Canada. (See Railroad From Nowhere to Nowhere) The line was constructed to a magnificent standard, with finely-crafted quarried stone culverts, retaining walls and bridge abutments. Several massive steel trestles span deep ravines and massive stone retaining walls secure the railbed to the precipitous terrain. There is a sequence of short tunnels which culminates at the entrance to the impressive 912 meter Bull Dog Tunnel, where the railway abruptly turns away from the lovely Lower Arrow Lake valley. Old switchbacks in the vicinity of the tunnel trace out the provisional railway over the mountain spur during tunnel construction. The summit of the grade is at Farron; from here the railway starts its descent to Christina Lake, passing by the Verigin Bomb Monument and under the impressive Paulson highway bridge.

The C & W railgrade between Christina Lake and Castlegar is being developed by Tourism BC as a world-class recreational trail, and recently the Trans Canada Trail Society has adopted it as the official TCT route, in preference to the Dewdney Trail segment between Christina Lake and Trail which had been initially accepted. The TCT follows the balance of the C & W to Midway and from there, the remaining useable segments of the Kettle Valley Railway to Hope. The adoption of the C & W by TCT is a smart but somewhat belated move, as it puts the TCT traffic onto a route which offers better grades, is far more scenic, and has greater historic significance than the Dewdney route. It also opens up opportunities for exploring the historically-rich Slocan and Nelson areas.
From Trails in Time

Country: Canada State/Province/etc.: British Columbia Trail Start (town): Robson Trail Finish (town): Midway Trail Length: 95 Trail Surface: Gravel/Stone Pack Animals Allowed: yes Fees: no Rail-to-Trail Sign: Columbia and Western Rail Trail Internet Link(s): http://www.trailsintime.org/html/columbiawestern http://www.columbiaandwestern.ca/

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