Oxide Pass crossover for mountain bikers, which is marked on a map at The Sacred Ride. Your reference will be 82F/6. 23kms.
Difficulty: B2
Elevation gain: 1500′, 400′ loss
Key elevations: Porcupine TH 3500′; Oxide Pass 5000′; Oscar Creek TH 4600′
Distance: 23km round trip – bicycle
Time: 3 hours
Access: Moderate
Season: April through November
Map: 82F/6 Nelson
OXIDE PASS by Kim Kratky
Drive: Place shuttle vehicle: Oscar Creek FSR at 5.5km. From Ymir junction, drive 2km and turn left (east) on Porcupine Ck FSR. Drive 5.8kms and Park.
I did this 23 km round-trip outing on Oct. 17th in 2.75 hours with total break time of about 10 min.; it’s probably snow-free even this late in the year, but then we are lacking in snow right now. I did it south-to-north and think that’s the easiest way to stay on route. However, serious single-track types would prefer the other direction because of the exhilaratingly-steep descent on the Porcupine Creek side. Anyway, here are directions.
At Porcupine Creek road head (2 km. S. of south Ymir junction on Hwy. #6), I left a vehicle just on the W. side of the Salmo R. (ample parking). Cycle up Porcupine Creek (good quality 2WD) to about km. 5.8 or just before the km. 6 sign. At this point (3500′ 902-565, 45-50 min. of riding), locate a faint road on the L. Follow this to Oxide Pass (5000′ 896-575, 1 hr. and 4 km. from Porcupine). The roadbed is in pretty good shape but not driveable; it has the look of an old mining road with slumps, washouts, and overgrown sections. ATV traffic has recently been up to the 2-3 km. mark, but not beyond. I had to push a good deal of the top section of this (note how close the contour lines are). The road is clearly discernible through the pass, though hedged in by alder (here, it looks like, and probably is, a game trail).
Descending N. through old cutblocks into the Oscar Creek valley, the road is overgrown and steep in its upper sections (chose to walk part of this), almost obliterated by long grass in the middle portion (navigated by following tracks beaten in long grass by ATVs; a couple of broken stream crossings would be tricky even for them), and driveable in its lower part where it crosses Oscar Creek on a good bridge.
You join the Oscar Creek road at 4600′ (891-586, 1.5 km. and 15 min. down from pass). This is at about km. 5.5 on the Oscar Road. About 500 m. farther up the Oscar road, there is a hand-made arrow sign pointing S. to “Oxide Pass.” The descent to Ymir is swift and easy, although road conditions seem to vary, depending on how much work hunters have done. From Ymir, about km. 21, you simply coast back down the highway to the Porcupine road. Recommended.
Kim Kratky