Timberline Adventures Cycling and Hiking Vacations

Columbia/Kootenay Classic

Dates:
(10 days, 9 nights; Fri-Sun)
Aug. 20-29

Assembly Point: Spokane/Colville
(airline service to Spokane; Timberline van shuttles from Spokane to Colville prior to tour and from Kettle Falls to Spokane following tour)

Tour Cost: $3,095
(all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, Timberline shuttles, leaders, tour maps & narratives)

Itinerary

   The Columbia/Kootenay River system is one of the world’s great river networks and, by far, the largest in the Pacific Northwest. With a combined length of 1,700 miles, and a drainage basin approaching 280,000 square miles, the Columbia/Kootenay also ranks as the greatest source of hydroelectric power in North America. Each has its source within the Canadian province of British Columbia as it carves its course through some of the continent’s most spectacular landscape.

   In the course of our newly-crafted Columbia/Kootenay River Classic, we’ll trace a major section of this astounding river network. We’ll ride along the banks of the Pend Oreille and Kettle Rivers, two of the system’s major tributaries, and the shorelines of Kootenay and Arrow Lakes, two major bodies of water formed by the Columbia and Kootenay. Columbia/Kootenay also is about mountains—the Rockies, Selkirks, Purcells, Monashees and Kettle Ranges—and we’ll climb our share in the course of this program.

    Columbia/Kootenay assembles in Spokane and we’ll immediately van shuttle the short distance to Colville on our assembly day (day prior to tour departure). We’ll ride east from Colville on Day 1 into the Selkirks as we follow the downstream course of the Pend Oreille as it flows to its rendezvous with the Columbia. We’ll spend our first night in Metaline Falls and cross the border into British Columbia early the following morning. We’re headed to Creston on this day, but not before challenging awesome Kootenay Pass (5,585’) along the way. From Kootenay’s summit, it’s downhill into Creston, where we’ll spend the evening and enjoy an incredible Italian dinner at Aldo’s next door to our lodge.

    Shortly into our ride on Day 3, we’re on the beautiful eastern shoreline of Kootenay Lake. We’ll ride the lake-shore to Crawford Bay, cross the lake by ferry to Balfour, and then follow the western shoreline to Ainsworth and overnight at the Ainsworth Hot Springs Lodge.
    On Day 4, we’ll ride to Kaslo and then climb above Kootenay Lake into the Selkirks before descending into the beautiful Slocan Valley. We’ll explore New Denver on Slocan Lake and then head north to Nakusp, on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake.

    We’re almost midway through our adventure at a point where you likely are convinced that the scenery can’t possibly improve. Wrong! Day 5 is absolutely incredible as we ride south along the Arrow Lakes and then board a ferry at Faquier to cross Lower Arrow to Needles. From Needles, we’ll climb among the high snowcaps of the Monashees to Monashee Pass and then begin our descent into the Okanagan Valley. Following an overnight in Cherryville, we’ll ride into the heart of the Okanagan to vibrant Kelowna, on the eastern shore of Okanagan Lake.

    A well-earned layover day is planned for Day 7, with several optional activities from which to choose, including a morning hike along the restored trestles of beautiful Myra Canyon. Another viable option, of course, would be to do nothing other than vegetate poolside at our Lakeshore Lodge, overlooking Okanagan Lake.

    Rested—we’re ready for Day 8. We’ll climb from Kelowna to McCulloch Lake and follow the Kettle River south to Midway, named for its geographic position midway between the Rockies and the Pacific. We’ll overnight in Midway and then ride east into Doukhabor Country to Grand Forks at the confluence of the Granby and Kettle Rivers. The Doukhabors were a religious sect that fled persecution in Russia in the late-1800’s,
settling initially in Saskatchewan and subsequently migrating to southeastern British Columbia.

    We’re into our final day and we’ll follow the Kettle River south across the border to Republic. And, to dispel any thoughts that this final day is just a downhill cruiser to the finish line, we’ll launch into one last heroic climb as we leave Republic. After, all, the Kettle Range stands between Republic and that finish line, and Sherman Pass (5,587') is our portal over the Kettles. From Sherman’s summit, we then can say that it’s almost all downhill to Kettle Falls on the Columbia. We’ll call it a tour at Kettle Falls and van shuttle back to Spokane.

Total Mileage — 627

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