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Merry Creek Hill
Castlegar, B.C.
June 23, 2025
Distance: 5.2 km (3.2 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 126 m (413 ft)
Just west of Castlegar, there’s a trail known as the Merry Creek Hiking Loop. It traverses an unnamed hill, which I’ll call Merry Creek Hill. Dinah and I enjoyed a quick morning trip here, followed by an afternoon hike east of the city. We brought along bear spray, although we saw none until we were driving back. A couple of hundred metres from the trailhead, a black bear and a cub dashed into the forest from the road.
The trailhead is at the end of a long gravel road with a big parking area that serves several trails, mostly for mountain bikers. But we were there to hike Merry Creek Hill.
We started on a wide trail through a serene forest and soon reached a fork, marking the start of the loop. We took the left path, which barely climbed at first. Only after a sharp right turn did it gently ascend.
We soon passed outcrops, with the hill appearing dotted with enormous smooth rocks. We climbed the largest ones, thinking any could be the summit. However, reviewing our track later, I realised the summit seemed to be an unremarkable point on the trail, with the high points varying by only a few metres. The only notable high point is a large clearing on a massive rock, offering views of the other side of the Columbia River Valley, where our afternoon hike, Dove Hill, was located.
After taking in the scenery on the viewpoint, we merrily continued along the loop, finding things of interest along the way. For a short, easy hike, Merry Creek Hill has a lot to offer.
No chance of missing the trailhead
About 100 m in, there's a kiosk displaying information including a trail map (mouse over)
We kept left at the fork, the beginning of the loop
We passed an unusual cabin
A break in the trees revealed a viewpoint topped by a fence where
Valley Trail runs. It's not a trail we took, however.
A tiny footbridge crosses a dry stream
The trail was well maintained
The trail turns here and begins gradually climbing
We started seeing massive rocks
This boulder was one of the high points
View from the boulder
Stopping on another rock
Coming to the viewpoint
Standing on the viewpoint rock
Looking across the spacious viewpoint
Dove Hill, which we climbed in the afternoon, is in the centre. Brilliant Overlook is left.
Heading back down
We followed the trail back to the start of the loop
A small stone appears to stop this boulder from rolling down
We passed through glades with wildflowers
Foamflower
