Winter trails and sites: Kootenay-Boundary recreation district

Recreation Sites and Trails BC lists 46 sites and trails in the Kootenay-Boundary district with winter use, most of them near Nelson, Nakusp, Castlegar and Kaslo. The main winter activities are cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ski touring. The 10 trails add up to about 211 km.

Snowmobiling: 13 Cross-country skiing: 16 Ski touring: 12 Snowshoeing: 9 Ice fishing: 10

Open the full BC Crown land map

Trails (10)

NameWinter useLengthNearest communityStatus
Castlegar Nordic Cross Country Ski Trails Ski touring, Snowshoeing 55.9 km Castlegar Open
Crusader Creek Trails Snowmobiling 58 km Slocan Open
Giveout Creek Snowmobile Trail Snowmobiling 36.6 km Nelson Open
Lyle Creek Trail Cross-country skiing 9.4 km Kaslo Open
Macbeth Trail Icefld Cross-country skiing 7.3 km Kaslo Open
Peter Roulston Ski touring, Snowshoeing 5.8 km Nakusp Open
Record Ridge Trail Cross-country skiing, Snowshoeing 21 km Rossland Open
Wensley Snowshoe Snowshoeing 4 km Nakusp Open
Wensley Xc Cross-country skiing 8.3 km Nakusp Open
West Arm (White Queen Mountain) Ski touring, Snowshoeing 5 km Nelson Open

Recreation sites (35)

NameWinter useNearest communityStatus
24 Mile Snowmobile Area Snowmobiling Castlegar Open
Barrett Lake Cabin Ski touring, Snowmobiling Ymir Open
Beaver Valley X/C Ski Trails Cross-country skiing Nelson Open
Blackjack Cross Country Cross-country skiing Rossland Open
Bonnington Steed (Traverse) Cross-country skiing, Ski touring Nelson Open
Box Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Cameron Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Caribou Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Catherine Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Clearwater Nordic Staging Area Cross-country skiing Nelson Open
Cooley Lake Ice fishing Nelson Open
Copper Hut Cross-country skiing Nelson Open
Crusader Cabin Ski touring, Snowmobiling Nelson Open
Giveout Cabin Snowmobiling Nelson Open
Glenmerry Shelter Cross-country skiing, Snowshoeing Castlegar Open
Grassy Hut Cross-country skiing Nelson Open
Huckleberry Hut Cross-country skiing, Snowmobiling Nelson Open
Idaho Peak Cross-country skiing New Denver Open
Little Wilson Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Mary Simpson Cabin Ski touring, Snowmobiling Nakusp Open
Meadow Mountain Snowmobiling Kaslo Open
Meadow Mountain Cabin Snowmobiling Kaslo Open
Mosquito Lake Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Mud Lake Cross-country skiing, Snowshoeing Grand Forks Open
Paulson Cross-Country Ski touring, Snowshoeing Castlegar Open
RIPPLE / LIGHTNING CABINS Cross-country skiing Creston Open
Rossland Range Ski touring Rossland Open
Saddle Cabin (Snowater) Ski touring, Snowmobiling Nelson Open
Sasquatch Lake Snowmobiling Nelson Open
Snowshoe Lake Ice fishing, Snowshoeing Nakusp Open
Steed Hut Ski touring Castlegar Open
Valhalla Hills Nordic Ski touring Hills Open
Walker Creek Cabin Snowmobiling Grand Forks Open
Wilson Lake East Ice fishing Nakusp Open
Wilson Lake W Ice fishing Nakusp Open

Interpretive forests (1)

NameWinter useNearest communityStatus
Kaslo Interpretive Forest Cross-country skiing Kaslo Open

Status as listed by Recreation Sites and Trails BC when we last checked; a listed activity is what the site is managed for, not a grooming report. Linked names have a camping page on this site; the icon opens the official listing.

Snow depth nearby

Snow stationElevationSnow depth7 days agoDistance
Redfish Creek 2,100 m 0 cm (Nov 1) 0 cm 34 km
New Denver East 653 m 1 cm (Nov 1) 1 cm 35 km
Fauquier Water Treatment Plant 519 m 1 cm (Nov 1) 1 cm 40 km

Automated stations of the BC River Forecast Centre, provisional data refreshed daily; most stations sit high in the mountains, so valley snow is usually much less. Stations reporting impossible jumps are left out.

Parks open in winter nearby

Source: Recreation Sites and Trails BC (sitesandtrailsbc.ca), read November 1, 2026; trail lines and site locations: BC Geographic Warehouse (Open Government Licence – British Columbia). Check closures, avalanche conditions and road access before you go.