Roundtrip Highway BC3A Kootenay Mountain Creston Crawford Castlegar
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 12-02-2021
Route Summary
Motorcycling in Canada is a true experience. You have beautiful roads, many nature parks with "wildlife", plains and mountains such as the Rockies in the west. You can enjoy beautiful nature in both the east and the west. The panoramas are beautiful and seem endless.
The roads are excellent and well maintained. Usually 2 lanes and with the necessary curves. There are several options for motorcycle trips through Canada, individually or organized.
Be surprised by this beautiful country. Plan your trip well and take the climate into account.
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Verdict
Duration
4h 46m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
292.37 km
Countries
Highway BC-3a British Colombia Canada
RouteXpert Review
This route in Canada largely goes through the beautiful winding Highway BC-3a, a beautiful winding road through beautiful British Colombia along mountains, lakes, dams and various nature parks. Departure and start is in Creston, when you leave Creston the HW BC-3a already starts and you enter the Creston Valley, this area is managed by the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area to prevent invasive species from settling in the wetlands, with especially on cattails or reed canary. At RP2 Duck Lake is on your left.
The BC-3a winds between the shores of Lake Kootenay and the mountains on your right. Between the trees you regularly have a beautiful view of the beautiful lake and the Kootenay mountains on the other side. Along the route there are several options to stop for a photo, such as at RP4, near Columbia Point.
From RP4 you continue with the Lockhart Creek Provincial Park on your right, the park has small beaches on Kootenay Lake and there are a number of small campsites if you want to plan a longer stay. In the park you can walk, fish (in season) and hunt (in season). Along BC-3a there are a number of possibilities to stop for a drink, these are indicated with a route point and POI.
At RP8 we take the ferry to Balfour, this crossing takes about 35 min and is free. The Kootenay Lake Ferry is the longest free ferry trip in the world and worth the trip for the view alone. You have a beautiful view of the lake and the mountains around it.
After the crossing you can choose to eat something in Balfour. There are a number of small restaurants and snack bars.
At RP9 you can take a break at the Kokanee Creek Provincial Park and Beach. The park has 3 beautiful white beaches and forests with lots of privacy. The area is absolutely beautiful.
We continue on the BC-3a along the banks of the Kootenay River towards Nelsen. At RP10 we come to the Nelson Bridge, which is also known as the Big Orange Bridge or BOB. This is the only bridge at Nelson over the Kootenay River. It is definitely worth stopping across the street to take a nice photo from the beach. For this you have to turn right twice at RP11 and drive back to the beach. There is also a café at the beach for a drink.
We continue the drive along the river and now arrive in an area where there are a number of dams, these are often beautiful and very impressive buildings, so ideal to stop for a photo. The first dam is the Corra Linn Dam (RP12) and was originally built in 1932 to control the upstream storage in Lake Kootenay and generate power through three 19,000 hp turbines. The dam is 16 meters high and the capacity is 51 MW.
The next dam is the Brilliant Dam (RP13), a hydroelectric dam near Castlegar, built during World War II, it is 42.6 meters high and has eight sluice gates.
The next point where we will stop for a photo is RP14, here you can walk over The Brilliant Suspension Bridge, this is a suspension bridge over the Kootenay River near Castlegar. It was built in 1913 by Doukhobors settled in the area to replace a ferry across the river. In 1966, the new Highway 3A bridge replaced it and was abandoned. Restoration started in the early 1990s and the bridge was declared a National Historic Site in 1995. In 2010 the bridge was reopened as a footbridge.
When we have boarded again we drive at RP15 over the new bridge and here you also have a nice view of the old Briljant Suspension Bridge.
Near the airport there are two sights that are definitely worth a little longer stop. At RP16 you can visit the Doukhobor Discovery Center. Here you can relive life in the southern interior of British Columbia (1908-1938). Enjoy indoor and outdoor displays, interactive educational exhibits and historical artifacts. Take a tour with friendly knowledgeable staff.
Within walking distance of the Discovery center is The Kootenay Gallery of Art, History and Science (RP17). This is a public art gallery serving the entire West Kootenay region with a variety of exhibitions and public performances for all ages. It is one of the 28 original exhibition centers built in the 1970s so that rural residents could enjoy the great works of art, regionally, nationally and internationally, as well as provide a professional venue for regional artists to display and sell their work.
After this stop, the return trip to Creston is still about 120 kilometers. This ride is enjoyable, you wind over BC-3a through a beautiful nature reserve, along the way there are several points to stop for a photo. The only option for a short stop to have a drink or refuel is in Salmo (RP19), a small village on the river Salmo with about 1140 inhabitants. The village of Salmo was featured in the historical documentary series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns (season 3, episode 1).
Via the Kootenay pass we drive to the end point in Creston.
I rate this route with 5 ***** Stars because of the beautiful roads, beautiful nature, beautiful panoramas, beautiful ferry crossing, sights and nature parks along the route.
Highway BC-3A British Colombia Canada
Highway BC-3A British Colombia Canada
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.