Cover photo courtesy of Ashley Voykin with Tourism Rossland
Known primarily for champagne powder, little-to-no lift lines and legendary skiing, this quaint mountain town doesn’t skip a beat. There is no pause between the seasons here, only a swap of toys. Skis and snowboards give way to wheels and endless dusty singletrack, preparing this historic mining town for the next season of outdoor adventure.
To understand the trails that weave through the town and mountains today, you have to go back to the 1890s, where two ordinary Joes (no really—Joe Bourgeois and Joe Morris) discovered rich gold deposits on Red Mountain (not to be mistaken for the snow deposits that locals now consider gold). Their discovery sparked a boom that quickly turned Rossland into a thriving mining hub. So naturally railroads, trails, backcountry routes and wagon roads were built connecting the community to other small areas in British Columbia.
One of those historic routes? The Dewdney Trail—a rugged 291 miles of trail originally carved through the wilderness in the 1860s to connect Hope, BC, to the goldfields of the Kootenays. Today, a small section of that very trail offers an optional finish from the legendary Seven Summits Trail, adding one final dose of fast, flowing singletrack through dense forest and old-growth cedar groves before returning to your car. It’s a fitting grand finale: a little wilder, a little rougher around the edges, and a reminder that Rossland’s trail network is deeply rooted in the paths that built the region itself. And if Dewdney is the perfect ending, the Seven Summits is the main event.
Seven Peaks. One Legendary Day.
So what exactly is the Seven Summits Trail? Picture this: 22 miles of singletrack that strings together seven distinct peaks, each one serving up views that’ll make you forget how much your legs are screaming. Mount Lepsoe, Mount Elgood, Mount Plewman, to name a few, and four more summits that deliver panoramas of the Monashee Mountains, the Columbia River valley and rolling alpine meadows that look like they were ripped straight from a postcard.
Officially designated by the International Mountain Bicycling Association as an Epic trail (one of only three trails in BC), the Seven Summits isn’t just a ride—it’s a full-blown mountain biking pilgrimage. With roughly 4,921 feet of climbing, this trail demands respect. It will test your fitness, challenge your technical skills and reward you with the kind of earned views that Instagram filters could never do justice. The descent? Oh, the descent. Flowy berms, rocky chutes and enough variety to keep your grin permanently plastered from ear to ear.
Most riders tackle the route as a point-to-point, starting from Strawberry Pass and finishing just outside of town (if you opt for the historic Dewdney add-on), where the next logical stop is a patio with a cold beverage and a story or seven to tell. The best way to get started is with the Kootenay Mountain Biking shuttle that will drop you at the top, so you have some time to think about what lies ahead. But don’t be fooled by the calm before the storm. You’re still in for a proper suffer-fest.
The Vibe? Unmatched.
Here’s the thing about Rossland: It punches way above its weight. With a population of around 4,000, this isn’t some sprawling resort town with chain restaurants and traffic jams. It’s a tight-knit community of passionate outdoor enthusiasts who’ve built something special. The trails? Meticulously maintained by the Kootenay Columbia Trails Society and a dedicated army of volunteers who treat these paths like family. The town? Welcoming, unpretentious and seriously stoked to share their backyard with visitors who appreciate the good stuff.
A Trail at a Crossroads
Now, we’d be remiss not to mention the elephant—or rather, the proposed mine—on Record Ridge. A mining project has been proposed for the area, and while the details continue to evolve, there’s potential for portions of the Seven Summits trail to be affected in the coming years. The local community, trail advocates and the Save Record Ridge Action Committee (SRRAC) are actively engaged in the conversations, working to protect the access and experience that makes this trail so special.
What does that mean for you? It means now is the time. Don’t let the Seven Summits linger on your bucket list any longer. Come experience this trail in all its glory, support the community that built it and see firsthand why this little corner of British Columbia has captured the hearts of mountain bikers from around the world.
Your Rossland, BC Adventure Awaits
Whether you’re a seasoned endurance rider looking for your next epic or an ambitious intermediate ready to level up, the Seven Summits delivers. It’s challenging, it’s beautiful, and it’s unmistakably Rossland—a trail that embodies the grit, passion and wild spirit of this remarkable mountain town.
So dust off that bucket list, tune up your bike and point your compass toward Rossland just a couple of hours north of Spokane. The peaks are calling, the trails are waiting and the champagne powder will be here when you come back next winter.
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