Paper Bag
Svoboda System, Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

A local’s favourite, Paper Bag is a must do trail when visiting the area. The Bag is a gnarly long and fun downhill ride made up of numerous rock slabs and steeps. To keep you honest, a few short quick uphills are thrown in for good measure at the beginning of the trail. The rock slabs make the trail exciting to ride, especially if you’re not use to riding them. The last section of Paper Bag will see you descending quick and fast on a section of steep terrain all the way down to the Burlington Northern Railway Corridor path. From there you pedal south for about 5.2 km on the gravel pathway back to the parking lot.

Descending Paper Bag will take about 25 minutes to an hour, but don’t forget to include the 45 min – 1 hour ride up the Svoboda Road to get to the trailhead and the shorter pedal back to the parking lot from where the trail spits you out. Round trip you’re looking at anywhere from 2 – 3 hrs.

Please avoid riding this area in extremely dry or wet condition as not to damage the trails. Knee pads and a full-face helmet are not required, but they sure come in handy if you take a spill down one of the many rock slabs.

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Trail Stats

Distance: 3.8 km
Time: 30 min - 1 hr
Elevation Gain: 50 m
Elevation Loss: 568 m
Min Elevation: 579 m
Max Elevation: 1,100 m
Technical Rating: Advanced
Physical Rating: Moderate - Hard
Season: May - October
Permit Required: No

Trail Location

Trailhead: Parking to access the Svoboda Network of trails is located off of Elwyn Street. For detailed directions on how to access the carpark, see the Svoboda Trail System page. Park your car and ride your bike up Svoboda Road to access Paper Bag. The trail is well marked and located to your left (west) 4.5 km up Svoboda Road.

GPS: N49 31.619 W117 13.741 (TH)

Downloads

Map: available at local bike shops
GPS Map (GPX): click here
Google Earth: click here
Nelson Cycling Club: click here
Trail Report: click here

Google Earth trail view only works if you have the program; download it here (free)