British Columbia Highway 23

Highway 23
Nakusp – Mica Creek Highway
Route information
Maintained by British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Length	248 km (154 mi)
Existed	1926–present
Major junctions
South end	Hwy 6 in Nakusp
Major intersections	Hwy 31 at Galena Bay Hwy 1 (TCH) near Revelstoke
North end	Mica Dam north of Revelstoke
Location
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Highway system
British Columbia provincial highways
← Hwy 22A → Hwy 24

Highway 23 is a north–south highway that straddles the Columbia River in the Columbia Country region of British Columbia, Canada. Its section north of Revelstoke is formerly known as the Big Bend Highway and was part of the original routing of Highway 1. The Big Bend area was well known as there was a gold rush there, beginning in 1864. Travelers used canoes or river steamers until a dirt-surfaced "highway" was built on the east bank around the Big Bend, from Revelstoke to Golden, from 1930 to 1937, opening officially in 1940, and it served as the trans-provincial highway until 1962 when the Rogers Pass portion of the Trans-Canada Highway was opened.

Highway 23 was initially opened in 1964, and it was re-aligned through the latter half of the 1960s. Realignment of the highway also occurred in the early 1980s, in anticipation of the creation of the reservoir for the Revelstoke Dam (Revelstoke Lake), which flooded lower parts of the highway.

Route details

Highway 23, which is 250 km (160 mi) long, begins in the south at Nakusp, where it meets Highway 6. Highway 23 winds north along the eastern shore of Upper Arrow Lake for 49 km (30 mi) to its junction with Highway 31 at Galena Bay. The Upper Arrow Lake Ferry continues Highway 23 across Upper Arrow Lake to a location known as Shelter Bay. North of Shelter Bay, Highway 23 follows the west bank of the Columbia River for 49 km (30 mi) to where it meets the Trans-Canada Highway. Highway 23 follows the Trans-Canada east through the city of Revelstoke for 1 km (about ½ mi), finally turning north after leaving Revelstoke.

North of Revelstoke, Highway 23 entirely follows the east bank of Revelstoke Lake for 151 km (94 mi), past the old townsite of Mica Creek to its northern end at the Mica Dam facility.

Major intersections

Regional District	Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Central Kootenay	Nakusp	0.00	0.00	Hwy 6 – Nelson, Castlegar, Vernon	Hwy 23 southern terminus
Columbia-Shuswap	Galena Bay	44.97	27.94	Hwy 31 east – Trout Lake, Kaslo
	​	46.82	29.09	Upper Arrow Lake Ferry crosses Upper Arrow Lake Kilometrage does not include ferry
	Revelstoke	95.87	59.57	Hwy 1 (TCH) west – Salmon Arm, Kamloops	West end of Hwy 1 concurrency
		96.42	59.91	Revelstoke Bridge crosses the Columbia River
		96.88	60.20	Victoria Road – City Centre
		97.31	60.47	Hwy 1 (TCH) east – Golden	East end of Hwy 1 concurrency
	​	247.82	153.99	Mica Dam	Hwy 23 northern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

External links

• Official Numbered Routes in British Columbia by British Columbia Driving & Transportation