SELKIRK LOOP SELKIRK LOOP - International Selkirk Loop

Salmo • Ymir
Considered the hub of the Kootenays,
located at the crossroads of Highways 3B and
6, the tale of the quiet town of Salmo is chronicled
in a most unique fashion. Seven elaborate
stone murals paint a picture of the community’s
mining and forestry heritage, big game, and big
rigs – all created by students enrolled at Salmo’s
Kootenay Stone Masonry Training Centre.
Every year in August, the annual Shambhala
Music Festival, an internationally known music
festival is held at the Salmo River Ranch.
Cyclists love the abandoned Burlington
Northern Railroad Line that has been converted
to a “rails to trails” route, the Salmo-Troup
Trail. A scenic, fat tire route, the trail extends 48
km, or 28.8 miles, south from Nelson to Salmo.
Salmo Ski Hill provides thrills, as it is
famous for night skiing on fully lit runs and small
lift lines.
Follow Highway 3 east of Salmo toward
Creston for a good opportunity to view bighorn
sheep near the top of Kootenay Pass. Stop
and breathe that pure, alpine air at Stagleap
Salmo • Ymir
BrItISh ColumBIa
“It’s a great part of
the world, better
than Europe.”
–R. Allen Brown, Hayden, Idaho
Ymir Peak on a winter day
Provincial Park, one of the most accessible
backcountry parks in British Columbia. It is at the
summit (1,774 meters or 5,820 feet) of one of the
highest paved highways in Canada.
Between Salmo and Nelson on the Salmo
River is the tiny community of Ymir (pronounced
why-mer), complete with a small, rustic camping
park right in town. For a glimpse of Ymir’s
colorful mining past, visit the historic Hotel
Ymir & Saloon. Operating since 1896, it has the
distinction of being the oldest, continuously run
establishment in the region. The grand, old lady
has gone through many loving restorations. Ymir
promises a “Wild and Woolly” time.
For a taste of backcountry powder followed
by a stay in a yurt, arrange to be picked up in
Ymir for the time of your life with Wildhorse Cat
Skiing and Ymir Yurts.
Just west of Salmo on Highway 3B is the
Selkirk Loop’s Rivers, Dams and Mines Super
Side Trip (page 55).
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