Tour the Greenway Trail
Take a tour on the Greenway trail and enjoy the varied landscape and natural beauty of Cranbrook Hill. At UNBC, one can connect to Forests for the World, travel north-west to Otway, or continue south to the Blue Spruce Campground on Kimball Road.
Note: The mountain pine beetle is impacting the Greenway, views have changed, the forest is more open, this is a working forest please be prepared….
UNBC to Forests for the World (0.8km)
Travel on a trail surrounded by a mixed-wood forest with large birch trees and reach the south-east corner of Forests for the World.
UNBC to Blue Spruce (5.8km)
Initially an open canopied forest with large birch trees and lush understory is encountered. You then enter a dense forest which is comprised of large Interior Douglas-fir trees with evidence of past logging activity. A viewpoint is eventually reached, at which point Kimball road is followed to the Blue Spruce Campground.
UNBC to The Otway Ski Area (18km)
Travel north-west from UNBC to Otway. After a mild ascent, the trail reaches a high point with panoramic views of local mountains such as Tabor Mountain. The trail then descends to a beaver pond and small lake, and eventually passes an old mine site. Next, the headwaters of the major drainage in the greenway are reached. The trail follows the drainage. This section is one of the most scenic parts of the greenway. The trail alternates between open south facing slopes with colorful meadows, and forested north facing slopes. As one leaves the drainage, a private woodlot with a dense mixed-wood forest is encountered. One eventually emerges from the trees and parallels a regenerating forest which has an open sunny aspect. Next, the greenway enters a denser forested area with a fairly consistent canopy of interior Douglas-fir, spruce and birch groves. With a slight fall in altitude, the greenway enters the Otway ski trails where it descends beside a small creek until reaching the biathlon area. The final section of the trail meanders through a lodgepole pine forest, following the ski trails until it reaches the parking area of the Otway Ski Center.
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