Rainbow trails

Rainbow Trails

CAMP INFO: The trails and camp where built for the Endurance riders of BC for there Ride Over Rainbows Competition. With the help of both BCHBC and the ERABC the camp is a great place for any riders whom love the open trail. The camp is a large meadow with two outhouses and there is water available at some times of the year. The Backcountry horsemen of BC help maintain the trails and every Canadian Thanksgiving get together for 3 or 4 days for days of riding and fun.

TRAIL INFO: Ride Over Rainbows is an annual Competition held by the Endurance Riders of British Columbia! This challenging trail, on and around the Coutlee Plateau Southwest of Merritt, includes 8,900’ of vertical gain over 100 miles on logging roads and cow and game trails. Views are of four separate valleys and mountain ranges. Start and finish lines are at base camp with an ‘out’ vet check for the 100 mile ride. The winning time for the 100 mile ride in 2002 was 13 hours; the 50 mile ride was 5 hours, 20 minutes. Base camp is a remote forestry camp with no amenities. It is, however, easily accessible by truck and horse trailer and large/long rigs!

Click here for printable PDF file of the rainbow trail map

Directions: From Southwest: Take Highway 1 to Hope then Highway 5 through the toll booth ($10 CDN). 33 K’s past the toll booth take the Coldwater Road exit. Proceed west on Coldwater Road for 12 K’s; turn Left onto Patchet Road (gravel); just past the 6K marker turn right up a steep single land dirt road for 2K’s into camp.

From Southeast: Take Highway 97 to Highway 97C which goes into Merritt. Just before entering the town turn Left onto Coldwater Road. Proceed south for 18 km’s to Patchet Road; turn Right and proceed as above. From North: Take Highway 5 south to Merritt and use the 2^nd exit. Proceed as above after turning Left onto Coldwater Road. Printable map below.

Printable Map to Rainbow trails

Click on map above for larger image

Every year at Thanksgiving a group of Horsemen from all over B.C. get together for days of great rides and big evening feasts at the meadow at Rainbow trails. This year was like no other. The food was unbelievable. One couple had a generator to get a huge rotisserie going over the open campfire to roast the largest Prime rib I have ever seen. There was 25 of use for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a huge pot luck with crab, salmon , prawns, turkey , pumpkin pie , pumpkin cheese cake, and all the salads you could dream of. We washed it down with lots of wine and whiskey. The riding was great we saw lots of bears and even a head of wild Indian Horses. Pictures below of horses.