Grand Forks is the starting point for interesting driving routes with circuits that show off the area's natural beauty, provide insight into its history and offer many opportunities to stop and explore.
Hardy Mountain
Close to downtown Grand Forks, this 10km/6mi drive packs a lot of discovery into a short distance. Circling the western edge of town up the flanks of Hardy Mountain, it takes in agriculture, historic sites and dry grasslands scenery. Keep an eye out for deer.
Spencer Hill Organic Orchard & Gallery
Start in downtown Grand Forks on Central Avenue/Highway 3 and drive west to Spencer Road. Turn north on Spencer and pull into Spencer Hill Organic Orchard and Gallery. Stroll through the orchard with its 18 varieties of apples and many other fruit trees. At the head of the orchard, check out the market garden. Late in the season, the pumpkins are spectacular. Browse the farm store, which is also a gallery for local artisans. Check out the display of whatever is fresh picked, including fist-sized heads of garlic, and indulge in a homemade treat like apple pie or sour cherry tarts.
Doukhobor Buildings
Continue along Spencer Road and soon see the signature brick buildings of a communal Doukhobor village on both sides. To the right is the old jam factory, to the left, a distinctive structure with a full-width white veranda. This is the former Fructova ("fruit of the valley") School, built in 1929 to teach the Russian-speaking Doukhobor children the mainstream curriculum. The building has been renovated and now houses the exhibits of the former Boundary Museum.
Fructova Heritage Centre
Turn left onto Reservoir Road and immediately into the parking area of the Fructova Heritage Centre in the restored Fructova School. Visit the classroom with "I will not speak Russian in class" written on the blackboard, and view the many artefacts relating to the area's rich mining and smelting heritage including scale models of the Granby Smelter.
Mountain View Doukhobor Village
Continue north on Reservoir Road past Saddle Lake where locals like to go skating in winter. Turn right on Hardy Mountain Road and watch for more brick buildings. The Mountain View Doukhobor Village historic site preserves the remains of the Makortoff Doukhobor Village, established in 1910, with a variety of exhibits. Opening times, posted on a sign at the entrance, are limited because of ongoing restoration. Past the Village, stick with Hardy Mountain Road, taking in the views of the valley and the Granby and Kettle rivers. At North Fork Road, turn right and return to Central Avenue/Highway 3.
North Fork Loop
Follow the course of the Granby River on a 34km/21mi drive that is all about the Monashee Mountain scenery and maybe a stop for a picnic and a swim. Also popular with mountain bikers, this route starts at Central Avenue/Highway 3. Take London Road northwest and turn right on North Fork Road to run north along the flank of Observation Mountain. Prospect Road provides access to hiking and cross-country ski trails on the side of the mountain away from downtown.
Granby River Golf Course
Further north, the land flattens out into a broad stretch of grassy rangeland dotted with ponderosa pines and cottonwoods lining the riverbank. In the hay day of mining, the river was dammed and this area was Smelter Lake. Today it hosts the Granby River Golf Course. Just past the golf course is a swimming hole that locals call the power box, relating to the hydro station that once stood here. The road meanders beside the river with views of rocky outcrops, mountains, forest and farmland.
Wilderness Side-trip
At Ten Mile Bridge, aka Hummingbird Bridge, the road crosses the river then forks. Turn north for a wilderness experience with rustic campsites, gold panning sites, rock climbing, backcountry hiking in old growth forest and pristine Granby Provincial Park, a wilderness area. Note that pavement soon gives way to gravel.
Complete the Loop
Stop for a swim in the Granby River on a wide natural sand beach in the lea of the bridge. Turn south on Granby River Road and keep an eye out for bighorn sheep. Between the 3km and 4km signposts, look into the river gorge for ruins of the dam. Pass through the site of the former Granby Smelter, now returned to nature except for the slag heaps, and reconnect with Central Avenue/Highway 3.
Phoenix Mountain Driving Tour
Mining history buffs, ask at the Grand Forks Visitor Centre, 524 Central Avenue (Hwy 3), for a map and outline of the Phoenix Mountain Driving Tour, a 21km/13mi self-guided tour of the Phoenix Interpretive Forest between Highway 3, 19.5km/12mi west of Grand Forks, and Greenwood. The drive, on paved and gravel roads, passes mine tailings, homesteads, the Phoenix mine site and former town (now completely gone) and the Phoenix cemetery. Stops of interest are posted with signs.