Sunken Creek Trail (Fort Steele)

Site Description: This historic trail that traverses across the top of Horseshoe Creek joins the Victor Mine in Mause Creek to the Dibble Mine in Sunken Creek. From the Mause Creek trailhead, the first part of the trail follows an old road for 1.5 km to the historic Victor Mine site. 20m beyond the old buildings, the Horseshoe Basin trail heads west (right) across a gentle slope toward the creek. The miners who laid out this well-defined trail paid careful attention to building a trail with consistent grades. Hikers going from Victor Mine to Dibble Mine climb 90m in the first kilometre. Then the trail descends 490 m over the last 3.5 km to join the Sunken (Lost) Creek Trail near the Dibble Mine. From this trail one can enjoy expansive views of the Kootenay River valley with the Purcell Mountains in the distance. Skilled route finders with a topographic map can return via Dibble Pass and Tanglefoot Lake, making this a loop trail.

Driving Directions: Main Access: This trail can be accessed from either Mause Creek or Sunken (Lost) Creek. The following trail description is based on accessing the trail from Mause Creek. For detailed access directions, refer to the Tanglefoot Lake Via Mause Creek Trail information or the Sunken (Lost) Creek Trail information.