Prince George / Full trip pack
Backside Trail
- Loop
- 9 km
- Elevation gain
- Not established Gentle slopes
- Walking time
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Moderate Loop
loop
A roughly 9 km loop uses several named forest paths behind UNBC, including an informal Backside segment. Frequent junctions make it a navigation walk through a network rather than a single signed trail.
1. Getting there and parking
Drive up University Way past the university entrance and follow the sign for Cranbrook Hill Greenway parking. Take the next right, then the first left into the trailhead lot. Begin from this Greenway entrance if following the junction sequence below; starting from another Cranbrook Hill lot changes the route. Carry the current network map because informal trail names and signs can change.
Parking: Use the Cranbrook Hill Greenway lot reached from University Way beyond the UNBC entrance: the next signed right, then left into the lot.
Drive from Prince George: 8.4 km · approximately 12 minutes. Estimate; allow for road conditions and stops.
Modeled one-way driving time from downtown Prince George using mapped road speeds, rounded up to a whole minute. No live traffic or invented forest-road multiplier. This estimate is to the UNBC Greenway lot. Choose your walking route and return plan separately; the network has several other entrances.
2. Walking the route
Begin on the Green Trail, passing the Bear, Old and Swampy connections. At the major junction by the replica pit-house, go left, then left again at Blue Spruce. Follow Blue Spruce toward Sawmill, passing the first Climbing Wall entrance. On Sawmill, continue beyond the second Climbing Wall connection and Carters Cut. Just after a small footbridge, the old steam engine is on the right and Backside leaves opposite it. Take Backside, pass the faint Survey Line branch on the left, then turn right at the next three-way junction. At the following three-way junction turn right onto Tyner Finder. Take the next left, then right at Sundown. At the next junction go left and keep left at the immediately following fork to return toward the Greenway lot. Treat this as a source-described sequence, not proof that every sign is still present.
- Begin on Green Trail and pass the Bear, Old and Swampy branches. At the major junction beside the replica pit-house, turn left.
- At the Blue Spruce junction, turn left again and continue toward Sawmill, passing the first Climbing Wall connection.
- On Sawmill, pass the second Climbing Wall connection and Carters Cut. Immediately after the small bridge, locate Backside opposite the old steam engine.
- Follow Backside past the faint Survey Line junction. At the next three-way, take the right branch, then right again at the following three-way toward Tyner Finder.
- At the next junction turn left, then right at Sundown. Turn left at the following junction and stay left at the fork just beyond it to return to the Greenway lot.
The return
This source describes a 9 km loop from the UNBC-side Greenway lot. Other network entrances change both its start and distance.
3. Route map
Mapped named trail
© OpenStreetMap contributors. Route geometry is available under the Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0. · Line source · Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 · Source-line database: https://hikingprincegeorge.com/data/osm-route-lines.geojson
Partial elevation profile
Partial elevation profile
This chart covers only part of the route. It does not establish the full hike or a return journey.
2.29 km along source section 1 of 1, in its mapped direction.
Approximate 90 m terrain model along this mapped section. Separate sections are not joined. This chart does not measure total trail ascent or establish current access; use the guide’s published outing measurements.
Copernicus GLO-90 terrain elevations via Open-Meteo (CC BY4.0); linework: Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0
Copernicus DEM 2021 GLO-90 via Open-Meteo. Linework source: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/441665408. Sampled and rounded for display.
Source: https://open-meteo.com/en/licence
Licence: CC BY4.0 elevation data; Open Database License (ODbL) 1.0 linework · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Profile source checked: 2026-10-18
Published locations
Numbered points match the map. Use the role beside each point. A summit or park reference point is not a parking location.
| Place and role | Coordinates | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Backside Trail published Greenway parking access; Backside reached on foot | 53.887200 -122.820800 | Contributor parking entry626075 publishes53.8872,-122.8208 for GreenwayTrailparking; Ramblers explicitly starts Backside via UNBCGreenwayparking.
Parking-position observation from2025listing; access is corroborated by City ForestrsForTheWorld page. This does not establish overnight camping permission or the Backside junction position. https://park4night.com/en/place/626075 |
Measurement notes
9 km
Gentle slopes
Your trip notes
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