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LADY SLIPPER TRAIL The trailhead leaves the Goat Mountain Forest Service Road uphill through mixed forest with tall understory. Ascending through mature stands and past old veteran trees (now serving as wildlife condos), the understory opens to reveal coralroots, fungi and wildflowers. This area is home to the Ladyslipper, the trail’s namesake, in the mid-to-late spring. Here, the ground begins to level, hinting flirtatiously of Selkirk views on one side and revealing erratic boulders deposited by glaciers on the other. Passing through a floral meadow you climb to some of the greatest westward views available a short distance from downtown Creston. Cresting the summit will take you down a short trail to an Eastern viewpoint and excellent picnic location. ​ Access: From the Creston Valley Visitor Center, head north along Highway 3. Reset your trip odometer at the Highway 3/3A junction (beisde the Tim Hortons). Continue heading north on highway 3A for 4km. Turn right onto Lakeview-Arrow Creek Road. At 5.3 km, keep right at the intersection. At 6.2 km, turn right onto Foster Road. The pavement ends at the base of Goat Mountain Forestry road (6.9 km). Reset your trip odometer here. Keep right at the first three junctions you meet along the forestry road. In 6 km, you will arrive at the trailhead with a pullout for parking on the right. Trailhead Access from town: 30-40 minutes Hiking Time (Return): 1 ½–2 ½ hours Elevation Gain: 400 meters Distance (Return): 4.8 km Download Map Turn your phone into a GPS tracker and follow your trail with the AllTrails App. Find photos, directions, record your pace, distance, elevation, comments from other hikers and share your adventures with friends and family. Link here: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/arrow-mountain-via-ladyslipper-trail Trails Lady Slipper Trail Thompson Rotary Trail West Ridge Trail Thompson Rim Trail Thompson Pack Trail Billy Goat Bluffs Big Bear Viewpoint Gliders’ Point

Managing Our Community Forest for Fut ure Generations ​ Nestled between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains, w e are a not-for-profit forest corporation managing the Creston Community Forest. Our focus is wildfire risk reduction, education, recreation and community resiliency for future generations. Sign Up for Monthly Newsletter What is a Community Forest? A Community Forest is an area-based forest tenure awarded by government to communities to enhance their local control over forest management. Community forests create local jobs and keep profits within the community. We manage over 21,000 hectares of land with primary objectives to promote a healthy, sustainable community forest ecosystem, while fostering a thriving timber industry that benefits the entire Creston Community. ​ Creating local jobs, supporting industries, and generating revenue that directly benefits our community, our goal is to create a resilient, sustainable forest for our community to enjoy and engage the next generation of stewards who will shape the future of our forests. FOREST MANAGEMENT ​ Committed to managing our community forest for future generations : innovative and sustainable logging, preserving healthy forests, continuous recreational and employment benefits, wildlife habitat enhancement, and wildfire risk reduction. More Info EDUCATION Dedicated to expanding the concepts of a healthy forest: benefits of a healthy ecosystem, innovative techniques used in forestry, biodiversity, wildlife and watersheds, and our need to sustain healthy practices in the forest. More Info RECREATION Creating safe spaces to enhance your hiking experience: bridge development, trailhead kiosk with maps, developed trails, lookout points, maintenance on existing trails, over 35 kilometres of trails and planning for future trails. ​ More Info Sign Up for Monthly Newsletter Latest News What We Are Reading This Week Looking for a local winter hiking trail this winter in Creston? We've got you covered. Creston High School Students Hands On Learning: Environmental Science - Light Detection and Ranging More News & Stories Click HERE How to Get Involved Forest Stewardship Plan

THOMPSON PACK TRAIL The Thompson Pack Trail is a 4.5 km (one-way) trail that parallels and meanders along Sullivan Creek. This trail takes you through beautiful cedar-hemlock forests that boast an abundant and diverse population of fungi. This mainly shaded trail provides users relief from the hot sun, making it a wonderful summer destination. This trail was originally built in the 1930’s to transport supply up to the Thompson Forestry Lookout Tower; the tower was used seasonally as a fire lookout. The close proximity to town of this single track trail provides a great opportunity for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. ​ The Pack Trail was upgraded in 2019 including a new 16 m foot bridge across Sullivan Creek. Other work included repairs to a washout at km 1, a new split log foot bridge over a washout at about km 3.3 and the construction of a short (60 m) spur trail to the base of the Sullivan Creek Cascades at km 3.1. ​ Access Point 1: From the Creston Valley Visitor Centre, take Highway 3 toward Cranbrook for approximately 5.8 km and turn right on to Canyon-Lister Road. Continue approximately 1.5 km to 51st Street and turn left. 51st Street turns onto Vance Road. Continue to the end of Vance Road and park. Make sure to park so that others can. This location is the official trailhead and there is also a kiosk with a visitor log. Please Note: The start of the Pack Trail off of Vance Road is bordered on both sides of the trail by private land. Please respect the rights of private land owners by staying on the trail. ​ Access Point 2: From the Creston Valley Visitor Center, take Highway 3 toward Cranbrook for approximately 5.8 km and turn right on to Canyon-Lister Road. Continue 1.1 km and turn left onto Whimster Road, following the road to its end. The Mount Thompson FSR begins at that point. The road is rough and a four wheel drive is recommended. Continue up this service road until arriving at the Sullivan Creek Trailhead kiosk and park. Make sure to park so others can. From this location there are loops that can be hiked that involve the Pack Trail, the Sullivan Creek Trail, the West Ridge Trail and overlooks like Gliders Point. Trailhead access from town: 20-30 minutes Hiking Time (Return): 3-4 hours Distance (Return): ~9 km from the Vance Road trailhead; ~6 km from the Sullivan Creek trailhead Elevation Gain: ~710 m (from Vance Road trailhead) Neighbouring Trails: Sullivan Creek Trail (10.7 km one way)—This trail continues to the top of Mt. Thompson from the Sullivan Creek trailhead kiosk. Moderate hike. ​ West Ridge Trail (4.5 km one way)—This trail also continues up to the top of Mt. Thompson from several marked junctions on the Sullivan Creek trail and leads to the Thompson Rim Trail. Moderate to hard hike with some scrambling. Trails Lady Slipper Trail Thompson Rotary Trail West Ridge Trail Thompson Rim Trail Thompson Pack Trail Billy Goat Bluffs Big Bear Viewpoint Gliders’ Point

Contact Us Box 551 Creston, BC, V0B 1G0, Canada 250.402.0070 Daniel Gratton: dgratton@crestoncf.com

BACK Forest Education Join us for exciting educational opportunities! We offer engaging field trips for school groups, including primary and high school students. Don't miss our annual trips: World Environment Day and National Forest Week. Field Trips On World Environment Day (June 5th), we explore climate change and ways to reduce our impact on the planet. Activities like nature scavenger hunts, tree planting, and weaving skills make each trip unique. During National Forest Week in September, Grade 5 students embark on a forest ecology adventure. They learn about biodiversity, wildfire protection, and compassing, and take part in wood cookie painting and tree identification. It's a fun-filled day with approximately 80–150 students attending. Summer Students We hire two summer students each year for hands-on fieldwork. They gain valuable experience in forest technician work, including silviculture surveys, block layout, timber cruising, and trail building. For more information on forest education, email Daniel Gratton at dgratton@crestoncf.com or call 250.402.0070 . Join us in exploring and learning about your local community forest!

BILLY GOAT BLUFFS The Billy Goat Bluffs trail was developed in June 2018 by the generous and hard-working volunteers through the Creston Community Forest as well as the Trails for Creston Valley Society. This 2.7 km (one-way) trail takes you up to a rocky outcrop overlooking the Creston Valley. This trail provides hikers with easy-access hiking right outside of town. On the way up the trail passes through an old apple orchard, a fuel mitigation area completed by the Town of Creston in 2012, several rocky viewpoints and several large, old Ponderosa pine trees, some with bear claw marks. At the top of the bluffs, hikers can enjoy the scenery by sitting at the beautiful picnic table crafted by woodshop students from Prince Charles Secondary School. A short trail to the north from the picnic tables leads to a bench with a great view of Duck Lake and the lower end of Kootenay Lake. ​ Access: From the Creston Valley Visitor Center, head north on Highway 3 towards Wynndel. After 2.6 km, turn right onto Helen Street (at the Tim Hortons). Continue on Helen Street for roughly 350 meters – the trail head will be located on the left, next to an information board about the trail. A small parking area may be found on the right hand side of the road. Trailhead Access from town: 5-10 minutes Hiking time (return): ~3 hours Elevation gain: 369 meters Distance: 5.4 km (return) Trails Lady Slipper Trail Thompson Rotary Trail West Ridge Trail Thompson Rim Trail Thompson Pack Trail Billy Goat Bluffs Big Bear Viewpoint Gliders’ Point

What We Do We are a not-for-profit forest company who log to mitigate fires and contribute funds back into the community of Creston. Forest Operations We are deeply rooted in the values of our community. Silviculture, Harvesting and Fire Mitigation are sustainable treatment methods we practice to match with the community’s values. Read More Forest Education At the Creston Community Forest Corporation, we foster hands-on learning within our community. Learn more, about our exciting educational opportunities for secondary and post-secondary student. Read More Forest Recreation We are proud to build a network of scenic hiking trails in the Creston Valley area. We encourage people to enjoy each trail as part of their well-being and enjoyment. Read more for a full list of our six trails. Read More Billy Goat Bluffs Trail silviculture and summer students Birch Creek road Creston Community Forest_edited Billy Goat Bluffs Trail 1/14

FOREST OPERATIONS Fuel Mitigation Fuel mitigation is to address the growing risk of intense wildfires in our region. With hotter and drier summers, wildfires have become more frequent and severe. By removing excess fuel, such as woody debris and dead trees from specific areas, we create more fire-resilient forests that act as barriers to fire spread. The amount and type of fuel removal are tailored to site-specific conditions, resulting in a forest that experiences low-intensity surface fires. Implementing fuel mitigation, especially in the Wildland Urban Interface, is vital for communities across B.C. to enhance their fire protection measures. FOREST OPERATIONS Wildland Urban Interface The Wildland Urban Interface is where our community meets the wilderness, with dense forests and thick undergrowth. This zone covers a significant portion of Creston and its surrounding areas. While it offers great recreational opportunities, these areas pose a risk to businesses, homeowners, and private landowners in the event of a wildfire. These forests are more prone to high-intensity wildfires due to the abundance of fuel, such as deadfall and dense shrub layers. As this zone encompasses a large part of the Creston Valley, many people are directly exposed to the threat of intense wildfires. That's why wildfire risk reduction through fuel mitigation work has become increasingly important as communities recognize the risks associated with these transition areas. To read about some of our previous wildfire mitigation projects, visit our blog . For perspective of how much area is at risk to wildfire by being located within the Wildland Urban Interface, check out the video.