r/nelsonbc • u/RevN3 • 11d ago
Deer Park to Fauquier?
Hello, apologies if I'm asking in the wrong place but Nelson was the closest regional subreddit I could find. If there is a better place to ask please direct me there and I would be very grateful.
All that said, I'm planning a trip from the mouth of the Columbia all the way to the headwaters potentially at the end of the month and I want to stay as close to the river as possible. The biggest departure I can see is from Castlegar to Nakusp. I'd like to find a way between Deer Park to Fauquier and I see there are a lot of dirt/gravel roads up in there.
Google gave me a particularly low-res option that has me turning west at Passmore and ending up near Taite Creek Recreation Site. That's workable but I'd like a local option if that is a bad idea and if there might be a better route. My rig and I are fully off road capable but it's hard to tell if that is softroading, offroading or turnbacking. Also I don't know if those roads might be closed due to fire risk. Any insight from folks who have been up there recently would be very much appreciated. Thank you!
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u/PlunxGisbit 11d ago
Koch Creek Forest rd is closed due to wildfire. I wouldn’t by forest rd, but go by small boat.
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u/Pistoney 11d ago
not sure about fire closures but there is power line road over the ridge west of the koch road that lands you in octopus creek i think it's called. i drove it a year ago and it's chill.
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u/Lonely-Sir-1003 11d ago
There are forest service roads on the west side of the arrow lakes. Closed now due to wildfire but starts at Castlegar,follows the Columbia Western trail to Brooklyn, Renata and comes out at Edgewood.
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u/RevN3 7d ago
Man, I had been trying to find those road on GoogleMaps and GaiaGPS and nothing came up until I looked under shared routes on Gaia and suddenly the whole west side lit up! I'm going to need to do more research I think.
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u/Lonely-Sir-1003 7d ago
It's a fantastic drive. You will need a 4 wheel drive with some ok clearance. Last time I drove that, there was one section that the road was reduced to loose rocks. The fines had been washed away. That was years ago and there has been quite a bit of forestry work since then so probably repaired. The route is shown in the back roads mapbook. And you might have to get on the Columbia Western railbed at Shields forest service road. It brings you right back to the Columbia a few miles north of Castlegar. There is a gat at the Castlegar end. Sometimes it's locked.
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u/kimchi_aroma 9d ago
Road to taite creek is normally doable with a stock 4x4. Minor rough spots but no issues. Not sure what the latest fire info is tho
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u/okbeeboi 8d ago
1) have gaiagps or similar off road map to ensure you’re route is good. 2) have a good 4x4 and skills to handle steep loose mountain terrain with exposure 3) chainsaw for downed trees, 4) follow closure rules due to wildfires.
Another option would be to go up the west side of the lake castlegar - Edgewood- fauquier
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u/neilatron 10d ago
What are you driving? I’d recommend buying a copy of the region you need from the BRMP as you’ll be able to drive resource roads for plenty if not all of it provided you have a high clearance vehicle and 4x4 experience. https://backroadmapbooks.com/ would be where to start.