The Salmo Valley Trail Society has built seven trails on the Salmo Ski Hill since 2014. Views from the top are worthwhile.
Rating: ♦♦◊◊◊
Location: The north-facing slope of the unnamed mountain southwest of Salmo.
Difficulty: B1 Moderate
Elevation Gain: +330m
Key Elevations: Base ski hill: 695m
Distance: 6.7kms
Time: 2-3 hours
Season: June to October
Access: Excellent 2WD low clearance on pavement.
Map: 82F/3 Salmo
Drive: From the town of Salmo turn south onto Highway 3 heading towards Kootenay Pass and Creston. After 1.3 km, turn right onto the Salmo Ski Hill Road. Continue for 1.9 km and park at the base of the ski hill.
Trails:
Sunset Trail: A green loop trail that goes halfway up the ski hill or can be extended to the top via Sunrise (3km loop)
Sunrise Trail: A green trail to the top of the hill, branching off of Sunset (1.5 km one way).
Inducer: An intermediate hand-built trail which now goes top to bottom. Inducer can be ridden in sections (Upper/Middle/Lower) 2.1 km total.
High Water:An alternate finish to Lower Inducer (a bit easier).
True Blue: One of our newest trails. Top to (almost) bottom. Fast, flowy and fun. Finishes on East Sunset or Drifter.
Drifter: A classic black diamond top-to-bottom ride. The first trail to get sanctioned on the ski hill (1.6 km).
Jolly Joes: The newest trail section. Built for hikers in mind. Goes from top to mid-way down (or vice versa) and can be hiked as a loop with Sunrise/Sunset.
Loop Hike: Make a loop hike by taking the Sunset / Jolly Joe trails up and the Sunrise trail down. This avoids the trails designated for downhill biking only.
Sunset Trail – takes off near the ski lodge. At 1.5 km, continue on the Jolly Joe trail, slightly steeper and using boardwalks to the top of the main run and panoramic views at 3.4 km.
Turn right (west) onto the access road at the very top of the ski hill towards a bench and the t-bar. Continue under the t-bar following the access road until it meets the Sunrise Trail on the right. Descend on many switchbacks. At 5.2 km, it meets the Sunset Trail to complete the loop.
References:
https://salmovalleytrailsociety.org/salmo-trails/
