Seven Summits Trail Epic

Rossland, British Columbia

Adventerous mountain bikers will be thrilled by the Seven Summits trail in Rossland. This point-to-point adventure holds over 30 kilometers (19 miles) of rolling singletrack with beautiful mountain vistas, some steep ascents and thrilling descents. The sinewy trail follows ridgelines, affording views of the Columbia River Valley and the Southern Selkirk Mountains, and challenging riders with technical sub-alpine terrain.

The Seven Summits Trail is also noteworthy because it's maintained by the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society, a group that has effectively worked with private landowners to create one of Canada's premier mountain biking destinations.

Location: Rossland is 12 kilometers from the American border, a 2.5-hour drive from Spokane Washington and a 7-hour drive from Vancouver BC, Seattle WA or Calgary AB.

Length: Thirty kilometers from Nancy Greene Pass to the first summit of the Old Cascade Highway, and the Dewdney trail is another 5.4 kilometers from there.

Climbing: Approximately 3,000 feet

Terrain: Technical high-mountain singletrack

Shop: Revolution Cycles in Rossland, BC

Club: The Kootenay Columbia Trails Society

Notes: Most riders leave a car at Nancy Greene Pass, and arrange for a pickup at the bottom of the Dewdney trail. This is the most popular way to ride the trail, but fit riders have done the whole circuit from Rossland in less than seven hours. Turn south (left) onto a gravel road at Nancy Greene Pass and begin climbing. At the end of the ride, cross Old-Cascade Highway (gravel road) and descend the Dewdney Trail.

Photos courtesy of Stewart Spooner