Sol Mountain Magic

After thawing out in Vernon following our chilly pedal on Beowulf, we made our way back to Revelstoke and south down the west shore of Upper Arrow Lake. Just before the Shelter Bay ferry terminal, we took a right onto the Shelter Bay FSR, heading for Sol Mountain Lodge. We have friends who love this place in the winter and Kyle had discovered some cool trails up there while browsing trailforks. In our effort to get off the beaten path and explore some new zones, it seemed like a perfect destination.

Arrow Lakes, looking south

33 km of logging road later, we turned right at the junction, following signs for Sol away from the lake and deep into the mountains. The road started to climb, zig-zagging up the valley and into the alpine.

Going up!

We reached the lodge and took a look around. A group of guests and guides were enjoying some beers around a huge campfire after their ride and invited us over to join in. They were super friendly and told us about a good camp spot on the road just below the parking area, and got us pretty excited about the trails.

Trail side camping

Not bad for a pull-up site!

The next morning, we were up bright and early ready to hit the trails. The lodge sits right at the treeline on the edge of Monashee Provincial Park with trails right at the doorstep. The 25km trail network is all alpine single track with lots of natural rock features and alpine vistas. We had a blast riding out and back to Cariboo Pass and Sol Ridge, even when the weather rolled in and it started to rain.

Fueling up for an alpine ride

Looking back down towards Sol Mountain Lodge from the top of the first climb

Fun trails with natural features kept things interesting

Looking back to Integrity Peak

A few alpine flowers remain in early September

South Cariboo Pass

The end of the trail

Clouds rolling in

The riding was awesome, especially the rock slabs on the descent back to the lodge. It sounds like each year there will be more trails added and I hope that we can return to spend some more time exploring and maybe splurge with a stay at the lodge. I think it would be well worth it!

Super stoked, about to get soaked

Back on the whirlwind road trip, Kyle rallied the Jetta down the FSR to make the ferry in record time so we could spend the evening soaking in the Halfway Hot Springs.

Post ride soak at the halfway hot springs