Introduction
Cycling is an excellent mode of transportation. Choosing to commute by
bicycle helps to reduce emissions and noise, and alleviate road congestion.
Situated in the mountains along the Columbia and Kootenay rivers,
Castlegar and the surrounding area is an amazing place with many different
roads and trails suitable for bike riding. Selkirk College students and staff
should take advantage of this, and be aware of the recreation opportunities
available in our backyard. The intention this project is to communicate the
distance, elevation gain, and difficulty of cycling routes to Selkirk College.
This project’s purpose is to spark the idea that cycling to Selkirk College is
a fun, accessible, and green way to get to school.

Identifying Cycling Routes to Selkirk College
By Caitlyn Duncanson
IEP 271
April 2019
Instructor: Tracey Harvey
Photo retrieved from: https://www.bikeradar.com

Profile graphs from highway routes:

Profile graphs from highway &
secondary routes:

Profile graphs from secondary road
routes:

Profile graphs from trails & roads
routes:

Methodology
•
•
•
•
•

•

To create route layers I used the merge tool to combine existing trail
and road layers retrieved from Selkirk College’s O-drive
Elevation profiles were created using the 3D spatial analyst interpolate
line tool with a DEM layer
To determine distance I used the attribute table's summarize function
Determining shoulder availability required field work
To calculate approximated, I used the formula: Time = Distance ÷
Speed. I used each route’s distance divided by an average speed of
15.5km/h.
To make all layers with important information easily visible and
accessible, I uploaded my geodatabase to ArcGIS online and created an
interactive Web App that is shareable to the public

Limitations & Assumptions
•

•
•
•

Determining elevation was challenging, as the line interpolation tool in
the 3D analyst is time consuming and limiting in terms of configurable
options
It is difficult to see the overlapping routes, and ArcMap is limited in
correcting this
Some parts of the elevation profile graphs are inaccurate – the
elevation model layer shows the wrong elevation over some bridges
Snow and ice covering shoulders and roads makes some of the routes
above inaccessible in winter
Apprx. Time
(mins)
31

Downtown Hwy

Distance
Available
Route Type
(km)
Shoulder
Hwy
8.1
Yes

Lower Kinnaird Hwy

Hwy

7.9

Yes

31

Mid-Ootischenia Hwy

Hwy

5.5

Yes

21

Raspberry Hwy
Robson Hwy

Hwy
Hwy
Hwy &
Secondary

7.4
10.4

Yes
Yes

28
40

6.5

Most of the way

25

Hwy &
Upper Kinnaird HwyRd
Secondary

5.9

Most of the way

23

Raspberry HwyRd

Hwy &
Secondary

6.5

Part-Way

25

Robson HwyRd

Hwy &
Secondary

9.2

Part-Way

36

6.8

Yes

26

4.4
6.4
7.4
6.9

No
Part-Way
No
Part-Way

17
25
29
27

Upper Ootischenia Trail Trail & Road

5.1

No

20

Lower Ootischenia Trail Trail & Road

4.2

No

16

Route Name

Kinnaird HwyRd

Upper Kinnaird Hwy
Brilliant Rd
Lower Kinnaird Rd
Mid-Ootischenia Rd
Upper Kinnaird Rd

Hwy &
Secondary
Secondary
Secondary
Secondary
Secondary

Mid-Ootischenia Trail

Trail & Road

5.6

No

22

Raspberry Trail

Trail & Road

6.3

Part-Way

24

Robson Trail

Trail & Road

9.3

Part-Way

36

Results & Discussion

Data sources

• Although some parts of the profile graphs are inaccurate, it is evident to see the difference in
elevation gain and loss based on the which area of the Castlegar region the route starts, and the
road type. There are many routes and trails available to cycle to Selkirk College.

• DEM layer: Government of Canada: Geospatial Data
Extraction: Canadian Digital Elevation Model

• The longest distance and duration route is the Robson Hwy route, at 10.4km and takes 40
minutes. Highway routes are most suitable for someone who is comfortable biking next to traffic
• Ootischenia cycling routes to Selkirk College are the shortest routes. The Lower Ootischenia trail
is the shortest at 4.2km and a 16 minute ride. Trail routes are best suited for individuals who ride
mountain bikes. As evident by the profile graphs from some of these routes, the terrain on the
commute to Selkirk College will be rugged.

• Trail Layers:
O:GISdata:prj_specific:castlegarfriendsofparksandtrails:data:o
riginal:selkirk:shape:oots_trails
and O:GISData:campus:trails:2010selkirktrails
• Roads Layer:
O:GISdata:infrastructure:transportation:dgtl_road_atlas.gdb_
DGTL_ROAD_ATLAS_DPAR_S
• Orthophoto (for data analysis, not map):
I:orthos:castlegar:orthophoto:castlegar_25cm_colour_sid

If you have an ArcGIS online
account and want to use the
Cycling Route Web App created
for this project please visit:
http://selkirk.maps.arcgis.com/ho
me/item.html?id=4e2fc8fbe0844
92f8020a68cf4d8993a