June 15, 2026: Chief Isadore Trail: Mayook Segment to Wardner

Audrey Stands next to a map of the Mayook segment 

Welcome Back for the 2026 entries of my journey on the TransCanada Trail  (TCT), my multi-year ride across the great nation of Canada!  My starting point this year, is the point I stopped last year, the Rampart rest area on Highway 3, between Cranbrook and Wardner, BC.  So to save time, I will always refer to the TransCanada Trail as the TCT.  Joining me this year is my sister Audrey; she will be driving my support vehicle.  Thank You Audrey!  

The area I am riding now, is geologically known as the Rocky Mountain Trench, a valley that extends almost a thousand miles, south to north across BC, along the western edge of the Rocky Mountains.  The Trench is the source location for all four of the major rivers in BC: The Fraser, Columbia,  Peace, and Liard.  The Kootenay River - the major river in this area, just west of the Rockies is considered as part of the Columbia River System.  Once I cross the Kootenay, the climbing will begin!

Traveling between Cranbrook and Wardner,  the Chief Isadore Trail predates the development of the TCT.  However, the Chief Isadore Trail encounters private property on its way to Wardner.  An interpretative sign detailed how the Mayook Trail segment was built to circumvent the private property.  Two local men were enthusiastic about building a new trail and started a process to raise funds for building the trail.  In order to get some federal funding for the new trail segment, they had to complete an application process, in which they had to demonstrate the significance of  a new trail in this region (it would connect two other existing trails), and that they had the wherewithal in addition to the federal funding to complete the new trail  project.  Their deadline was 2017, in time for Canada's 150th anniversary.  The ten mile trail was completed in timely fashion, and became officially part of the continuous TCT.  You can be assured TCT riders notice and appreciate the places where  the local effort goes above and beyond. I reflect on the massive enterprise of building and connecting 18,000 km of trails which connect all three oceans that border Canada. In a multitude of areas along the trail, local organizers had to raise funds, in order to build the links between existing trails.

The Mayook segment was a great start for my TCT journey this year.  I noticed that I was doing a lot of climbing during the first five miles of the trail, and had my GPS indicated that I had achieved 600 feet in elevation.  I expect to do a lot of climbing this year, as I have to get over the Great Divide.  So it seemed a good start on my first day.  That is until I found myself descending. Yes, descending down below the elevation at the start.   Two steps forward, three steps back.   

Along the Chief Mayook Segment 
We start the ride for 2026!

Distance:  21 miles.
Starting elevation:  2700 ft
Highest point:  3300 ft
Ending elevation: 2480 ft
End point:  Wardner.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 16, 2026 - Lake Koocanusa: Cooperation! If we could only bring back the good old days

Image
Lake Koocanusa  Today we leave the village of Wardner, and head southward toward Baines Lake, and our nearest connection to the US border, for  this year.   At the end of the day, we cross Lake Koocanusa, another milestone on our trip across Canada.   Our route leaves the village and climbs steeply for the next couple of miles on a gravel road.  However the condition of the road deteriorates, and it becomes questionable whether Audrey, driving the Escape will be able to navigate the same path I am biking upon.  (When Audrey and I can travel the same route, it promotes security that we can remain in close contact, especially if I find myself in need.)  As we are traveling along, we both became concerned whether we were actually on the path of the TCT, due to lack of signage and ambiguous directions ("left at a fork") in the guidebook.  The road surface had  become quite rocky with some potholes  which stretched across the road, ...
Read more

First Kilometers: Victoria to Esquimalt

Image
  Symbolic start: back wheel starts the journey made wet from the  salt water of the Pacific Ocean October 15, 2013 A thousand mile journey begins with a single step, or in this case, with one revolution of the bike’s wheels. A completed journey ties the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.  After taking a tour of Victoria by bus, it was around 2:30 and time to actually start the bike journey, if indeed I was going to do this. Actually it was a pain to roll/carry the bike down to the water. There was a steep embankment, and this was just a symbolic tradition, and pointless unless the ride spans the entire nation. That would be a far more ambitious goal, possibly in the future. The current goal was more Forrest Gumpian: I would ride until I got tired of riding. Then I would stop. Just a tiny start would be all that could be accomplished in 2013.  6 days later I would be attending an actuarial conference in San Diego. For now this was a one year commitment.  If I enjoye...
Read more

June 20: Crowsnest Pass: Sparwood to Coleman

Image
  Crowsnest Pass Today we achieved a milestone on the trip across Canada.   It has taken me several years longer than I first expected (if I can really say I expected to make it this far), we put a wrap on British Columbia, and enter the second province - Alberta!   It was around a 1000 foot climb to get to the top of the Crowsnest, but it was easier than I expected.  I had a nice road to ride the shoulder, as BC 3 becomes Alberta 3.  The grade was mild, and  I had  nice weather.  Crowsnest Pass is the lowest elevation pass that crosses the Canadian Rockies, and so it seemed like I got off rather easy.  (No worries: there would be more passes in the future, and harder.)   Reaching Alberta, I took some time to reflect on my tour of British Columbia.  There was definite intent when I started the trip to cross Canada from west to east.  I had no idea how far I would make it across Canada - still don't really know th...
Read more