Ride: Sugar Lake - Sugar Lake FSR - North Shuswap FSR - Greenbush Lake. Rainbow Falls. Kate FSR.

Mostly good gravel, some loose gravel, some pavement from Hwy 6 along Sugar Lake Road, North Shuswap FSR / Sugar (Lake) FSR past Sugar Lake to Greenbush Lake. A fairly easy ride with some nice scenery along some sections. Optional side trips: Rainbow Falls (Monashee Provincial Park), Kate FSR.

Sugar Lake, Greenbush Lake, Sugar Lake Road, Sugar (Lake) FSR / North Shuswap FSR, Rainbow Falls (Monashee Provincial Park), Kate FSR

Distances are approximate.
- 0 km: turn off Hwy 6 and onto Sugar Lake Road in Cherryville at the gas station / store; look for sign for Monashee Provincial Park
- 13.4 km: pavement ends, good gravel (treated) begins
- 16.3 km: south end of Sugar Lake, cross bridge and head up west side of lake onto North Shuswap FSR / Sugar Lake FSR (treated for a short stretch)
- 29 km: north end of Sugar Lake
- 38 km: the turn-off to Rainbow Falls in Monashee Park is on the right (there's a sign), but keep left (unless you want to go to the falls)
- 64.9 km: road runs next to river before heading up hill
- 68.7 km: 51 km marker
- 72.5 km: turn right to Greenbush Lake
- 73.9 km: Greenbush Lake recreation site

On my last ride (June 11, 2026), Sugar Lake FSR was in good condition. There were numerous small pot holes, but I was able to avoid most of them. It had been raining in the area a fair amount, so the road was mostly hard-packed and dust-free. I only encountered four other vehicles on the FSR during my ride. There has been some recent logging in the area, but I did not see any currently active operations and no logging trucks on the road. I rode as far as the 48 km marker, just past a major road reconstruction project (previous landslide in 2021, I think), and about 8 km from Greenbush Lake; it was getting late and the weather was threatening. With respect to the road construction site around the 48 km mark, there is a bypass section with a moderate hill with a few ditches dug across it to limit erosion. I didn't have any problem riding across them on my CRF300L, but you might if you were riding a more street-biased adventure bike with limited ground clearance; you could probably get across them fine if you go slow and/or pick a good line.

There are no real steep hills or technical sections along the FSR. Depending on the current surface conditions, the route may be passable on some street bikes, but watch for rocks if you have little ground clearance. The road gradually narrows (generally). There is a solid road base (except if there is active construction). There is also some sand. Some stretches are very smooth with no, or little gravel in the tire tracks.

The road from Hwy 6 to Sugar Lake is smooth pavement for the first 13 km then about 3 km of good gravel. A lot of rural gravel roads in the area are treated with dust control agent (calcium chloride?), so if the road is wet you may want to avoid it because it is difficult to remove that crap from your bike. If the road is just damp, then you'll likely be fine.

There are some BC Recreation Sites (with camping) and public lake access points along the way. The lake and mountains are not visible the majority of the route west of Sugar Lake because of trees. There are some nice mountain views further past the lake beginning at about 50 km from Hwy 6.

The side road to Greenbush Lake (the last 1.4 km) is much narrower and rougher than the main FSR. The road can be muddy in a few spots if it’s wet. The last little bit is a bit steeper with loose rocks. The recreation site at Greenbush Lake offers free camping, but there are no facilities other than fire pits and an outhouse. There is lake access where you can launch a small fishing boat (if you were going in with a truck). I haven't been into the lake site since 2017.

Side Trips: Rainbow Falls in Monashee Provincial Park; Kate FSR

There are a couple of side trips that are worth taking. The first is Kate FSR which is on the left (east) side of Sugar Lake Road just before Sugar Lake. It's quite a nice and fairly easy ride. The main road only goes about 20 km or so. There's a BC Recreation Site campground on the shore of Sugar Lake out there. The other side trip is into Monashee Provincial Park. The road to the lower parking lot is in good condition. Rainbow Falls is accessible from the lower parking lot, and it's a short walk to the falls. The road to the upper parking lot is a bit rougher and steeper but passable by car if you drive carefully and slowly.

There is a road, Squaw Valley Road (according to my maps), that connects Sugar Lake FSR (near Sugar Lake) to Lumby - Mabel Lake Road, but I have not yet ridden the complete route, only the western half.

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