British Columbia Off-Road Trails

The trip to Sol Mountain is well worth the drive; along the way, there are some fantastic views of Upper Arrow Lake; the vivid blue water is truly remarkable! The last section goes through the Monachee Provincial Park and follows Fostall Creek, which is pretty nice too.

This is an active logging road, so watch out for trucks and always bring a two-way radio with you to communicate with other drivers on the road. Sol Mountain Road is primarily a single-lane road but is pretty wide at parts.

Stay on Sol Mountain Forest Service Road; other roads branch off the main one, but just follow the signs for Sol Mountain. Near the end of the road, you’ll come to a fork in the road; if you go right, that will take you to Sol Mountain, and if you go left, there is a short but very steep climb up to a ridge and what looked like an incredible place to camp. The drive is through Crown Land, so camping is free anywhere off the road, but there are no designated campgrounds along this trail.

The road is in pretty good condition, and it does get rocky at parts; 4x4 is nice to have but not necessary unless you want to do the short climb on the left fork.

Three Valley Mable Forest Service Road is a snowmobile trail that is a wide two-lane road in most parts. The road travels through the Columbia Mountains along Mabel Lake and is an easy dirt road through Crown Land. Any 2WD vehicle should be able to make it. There are ruts in parts of the road, but it’s wide enough to avoid them.

Noisy Creek Recreation Site is a scenic campground on the northwest side of Mabel Lake. The fee is $15 per night. There are basic facilities, and campsites are right on the lake in the lush forest with mountains and trees as far as you can see.

Kingfisher, a nice camping and resort area, is the southernmost point on the trail. Mable Lake is very popular in the summer. This road can be busy. Be sure to carry a two-way radio with you.

Hidden Lake Forest Service Road is a tree-lined dirt road through Crown Land. The main attraction on this trail is Hidden Lake, a small, beautiful lake with a little dock and boat launch. When the trees thin out, there are incredible views of Mira Mountain and the other surrounding mountains.

There are three campgrounds around the lake on the southwest, east, and north sides. These campgrounds have vault toilets. The campsites are pretty nice. They have tables, fire rings, and trees in between the sites. A few of the sites also offer fantastic lake views.

This is an active logging road, so beware of big trucks coming fast; it is a double-lane road, so two cars can pass each other. There are grapefruit-size rocks on the road, but the road is wide enough to avoid them easily.

Bobby Burns Road is a thick tree-lined gravel road that offers mountain views and goes through Crown Land. It is an active logging road, so watch out for trucks and use a 2-way radio to call out your KMs as you traverse the trail.

There is a steep switchback hill, and whether you're going up or down, you'll get a great view of Mount Mara to the north and Mable Lake through the trees. The road is in pretty good condition. It is a wide two-lane gravel road with a couple of rocky sections. Any high-clearance vehicle can handle Bobby Burns Road.

The southern section of the trail travels around the north side of Bobby Burns Mountain. The area has several other cool trails, such as Hidden Lake Road and Baird Lake Road.

Stuart Forest Service Road is a pleasant drive through Crown Land and offers access to several small but lovely lakes and cool mountain views. Most of the trail is thickly lined with trees. However, the surrounding mountains are visible from several clearings in the trees. The views are amazing!

The road gets a little rocky towards the north, but the rocks are smaller than a golf ball, and towards the south, it's a gravel road. 4WD isn't needed, and high clearance is probably not necessary either.

The trail passes several lakes, including Sandberg, Stuart, and Esperson. Both Sandberg and Stuart Lakes have campgrounds, although, at Sandberg Lake, there are only a couple of campsites. These are dispersed campgrounds with a fire ring and no other facilities. 

Stuart Road is part of an extensive backroads trail system and connects with many other roads, including Whiteman Creek, South Whiteman Creek, and Bear Lake Main Roads.

Creighton Valley Road is a gravel road to Echo Lake Provincial Park. There is a boat launch, day-use areas, and beaches, but no camping here. Echo Lake is a pristine lake surrounded by trees and mountains. This lake is a popular destination for water activities. It can get crowded during the summer. You’ll also pass Barbe Lakes just to the west of Echo Lake. These are two very tiny lakes.

The trail runs through Crown Land. It is a wide double-lane road. Any vehicle can handle this, and high clearance is not necessary. An offshoot towards the trail's east end runs along Echo Creek and offers superb views of the surrounding mountains and forests.

Seymour River Forest Road is a dirt track through Crown Land. The road goes through the Upper Seymour River Provincial Park. A thick cedar-hemlock forest lines the single-lane road. The road is in good condition with a few rough spots, but a 4x4 is not needed. Any high clearance vehicle can make this drive.

This trail can be accessed by the Gorge Forest Road if you're coming from the east or Ross Creek Forest Road from the west.

The road runs along the Seymour River, and when you get to higher elevations, the views of the river valley below are remarkable! There aren’t many clearings in the thick trees and vegetation, so take advantage of the few viewpoints that exist. At the end of the trail is a little trickling waterfall and a trailhead for backcountry hiking and camping. At the waterfall, the road is blocked off for motorized vehicles.

Buck Hills Forest Service Road is a gravel road that gets rocky at points, but 4WD is unnecessary. Any high-clearance vehicle can easily traverse this trail. This trail runs through Crown Land and has two nice lakes, both with recreation sites and primitive campgrounds.

Nicken Lake is the larger of the two lakes, and Goat Mountain Lake is to the east. Nicken is a wooded lake with two campgrounds, one at the northwest end and one at the east end of the lake. The individual campsites are very secluded, with trees and thick vegetation in between the sites. Both campgrounds are free and have vault toilets. Some of the campsites have lake views and access.

This trail provides access to the Aberdeen Columns hike, a short, steep uphill hike. The Columns are polygonal basalt originating from volcanic activity, rising to about 22 meters (75 feet) from the ground. They have a greenish color.

To access Buck Hills Road, you must take Aberdeen Lake Road, south of Lavington, BC. If you take the turnoff near the trail's western end, you can get down to Aberdeen Lake, which is a larger and scenic lake.

Crawford Forest Service Road is an easy dirt road through Crown Land and offers stunning views of Upper Arrow Lake and the glacier valley below. The first section of the trail is a tree-lined single-lane road that follows the Akolkolex River. To access this trail, you’ll need to start on the Akolkolex Forest Service Road, which is a pretty cool drive also.

About three miles (5 KM) into the road is Akolkolex Falls Recreation Site with a short hike down to a viewpoint of the falls and a longer hike around to reach the main view of the falls. After the falls, the climb starts on a steep switchback road, but it's not very challenging. 

Along the climb, stop and admire the remarkable views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. The road ends at McCrae Lake Recreation Site, which is a two-mile (3.2 km) hike each way.

South Whiteman Creek Forest Service Road is a rocky trail through Crown Land alongside the tree-lined creek of the same name. Although the trail is rocky, they’re all small rocks about the size of golf balls, so 4WD is not necessary, just a high-clearance vehicle.

There are spectacular views of The Fintry Gorge, which is a national protected area. The jagged peaks that surround the gorge offer incredible landscape scenery.

This trail intersects other great trails in the area, including the main Whiteman Creek Road to the east and Stuart Road to the west.

Baird Lake Road is a well-maintained dirt road that can get slightly rocky, but any vehicle can make it. 2WD or high clearance is not needed. The trail runs through Crown Land, and there is one place to camp. Baird Lake Recreation Site features the very small and wooded Baird Lake. They only have vault toilets. There is no fee to camp here.

The turnoff to the southeast offers a spectacular view of Mabel Lake and the surrounding mountains. Most of the trail is lined with thick vegetation and trees. 

To reach Baird Lake Road, you must take either Hidden Lake Road or Hidden Toledo Road towards the south.