outdoor adventure story & photos by
Gord Turner
Tunnels & Trestles
Biking the Columbia & Western Rail Trail is an impressive, beautiful ride
T
he 50 kilometres along the eastern part of the Columbia and Western Rail Trail near Castlegar is an easy stretch to cycle. As volunteer trail maintainer Harry Killough points out, “It’s also one of the most impressive parts of the entire Kettle Valley rail system.” When I began my bike ride at the Paulson Detour Road just above the Paulson Bridge on Highway 3 between Castlegar and Christina Lake, I could have gone two directions — south to Christina Lake or north and then east to Castlegar. I chose the Castlegar end going north because I’d heard about the towering trestles and the remarkable tunnels. The first part of the trail travels upward at a two per cent grade until it levels out six kilometres later at Farron. This spot has cement foundation remnants of a railway station and the small community that once surrounded it. Many stations along the rail trail have these same signs of the past.
Fall 2008 Route 3
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