Why this ride
A dense sequence of passes, valleys and viewpoint roads. It also links naturally to Kootenay Rockies.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Kootenay Lake and 31A Loop
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 296 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 32
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check provincial road reports, wildfire closures, ferries and fuel range. Specific flag: seasonal; ferry.
Seasonal context
Jun-Sep
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Nelson
Nelson is a heritage town in the Selkirk Mountains of southeastern British Columbia, built on a steep hillside above the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. Silver strikes brought miners and money here in the 1880s and 1890s, and the town's downtown, with more than three hundred restored heritage buildings, is one of the best-preserved Victorian cores in western Canada. A vintage streetcar, number 23, runs along the waterfront, restored by volunteers, and the main street, Baker, is lined with brick storefronts, cafes and bookshops.
Read the complete Nelson write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nelson sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Nakusp.
2. Nakusp
A long fjord-like lake fills the valley below Nakusp, steep forested mountains rising on either side. This is Upper Arrow Lake, part of the Columbia River, which was widened and raised into a reservoir in the late 1960s when the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was built downstream. Whole villages and orchards along the old shoreline were flooded, and their people moved. Nakusp, a village of about seventeen hundred, survived on its bench above the water, and today it is a quiet place with a lakeside promenade, a few shops and some of the best scenery in the Kootenays.
Read the complete Nakusp write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nakusp comes up 91 km in. Next is Nelson.
3. Nelson
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nelson write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
296 km in you reach Nelson.
Recorded source links
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