Canada Apex from Hedley
Apex from Hedley Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

27.1
PDI
13.1 mi
DISTANCE
4,476 ft
GAINED
6.4 %
AVG. GRADE
FULL CLIMB STATS
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Page Contributor(s): Jos Beckers, New Westminster, BC, CAN

INTRO

Apex from Hedley is one of the great gravel bike climbs of Canada: 21.1 km (13.1 mi) of dirt and rock up the Nickel Plate Road from the Similkameen Valley, gaining 1,364 m (4,476 ft) at a 6.4% average grade. It is the backside of Apex from Penticton, and on Strava it goes by the name "APEX, the hard way!" The road is all gravel but manageable on a road bike, and a gravel or cross bike is the more comfortable choice.

The bottom half is the hard part. A run of tight switchbacks lifts you out of the valley, followed by steeper, looser sections around rock outcrops, all with wide views of the Similkameen Valley. Once you enter the forest the surface improves and the grade slackens, and you emerge into alpine country as the road passes the former Nickel Plate mine on its way to a gentle summit near Nickel Plate Lake. A small cemetery with unmarked graves from the mining days sits beside the road near the top.

Once you leave Highway 3 behind you may not meet a single vehicle until you reach the Apex ski village, which is mostly deserted in summer, so this is a remote ride. The climb has a southern exposure and can be very hot in summer. A rockfall closed the Nickel Plate Road about 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Hedley on December 9, 2025, pending a geotechnical assessment, so confirm with AIM Roads that the road is open before you ride.

PLAN YOUR ROUTE

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Apex from Hedley climbs from 536 m (1,757 ft) to 1,876 m (6,154 ft), gaining 1,364 m (4,476 ft) over 21.1 km (13.1 mi) at an average grade of 6.4% (7% climb only). 55% of the climb is at 5-10% and 15% is at 10-15%.

The profile splits neatly in two. The first 10.5 km (6.5 mi) gain about 889 m (2,917 ft) at 8.5% through the switchbacks and steep, rocky sections. The remaining 10.6 km (6.6 mi) gain about 452 m (1,483 ft) at 4.3%, easing through the forest and alpine sections with a couple of nearly flat kilometers near the top.

The steepest 500 m averages 11.3%, the steepest kilometer 11.0%, the steepest 2 km 10.1%, the steepest 5 km 8.8% and the steepest 10 km 8.7%. In miles, the steepest 100 yards (91 m) average 12.0%, the steepest quarter-mile (0.4 km) 11.5%, the steepest half-mile (0.8 km) 11.1% and the steepest mile (1.6 km) 10.3%.
Roadway:  The Nickel Plate Road is gravel from bottom to top and is generally well graded, but the loose sections around the rock outcrops above the switchbacks call for care. It is manageable on a road bike, though larger tires are recommended, and puncture-resistant rubber is wise because of the sharp rocks. A rockfall closed the road about 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Hedley on December 9, 2025, pending a geotechnical assessment - confirm with AIM Roads that it is open before you go.

Traffic:  Minimal. Expect a handful of vehicles at most once you leave Highway 3, and the Apex ski village at the top is mostly deserted in summer.

Parking:  On the side of the road at the start of the climb - Map;  Street View.
Provisions:  There is no place to get food or water on the climb. Stock up in Hedley three kilometers north of the start: the Hedley Country Market has groceries and the Grand Union Cafe serves coffee and baked goods, and there is a store you can see on this map (Map;  Street View). Past the finish, you might find something at the Gunbarrel Saloon six kilometers beyond the top (Map), but do not count on it outside ski season.

Gear:  This climb is all gravel, so a gravel bike is recommended, although the ride can be done on a road bike. On a road bike, use at least 28mm tires, and consider a compact crankset with a wide cassette - one of our contributors climbed it on a Roubaix with a 34-tooth chainring and a 32-tooth cassette. The climb has a southern exposure, so carry plenty of water, and check conditions at the finish with our Weather tool before you go.
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
A great out and back would be this climb + Apex from Penticton - 111 kilometers and 3,217 meters (Map). If you would like a bigger day, The Gravel Cyclist's Guide to British Columbia lists a 157 km (97.6 mi) loop from Oliver with 3,219 m (10,561 ft) of climbing over the Fairview and Apex gravel climbs.

Hedley grew up around the Nickel Plate gold mine, and the nearby Mascot Mine, which operated from 1936 to 1949, hung on a cliff above town with an aerial tramway carrying ore down to the mill. The Hedley Heritage Museum and Visitor Info on Daly Avenue is worth a stop before or after the ride, though it is open seasonally. Near the top of the climb, Nickel Plate Provincial Park, established in 1938, centers on Nickel Plate Lake, and Stemwinder Provincial Park near Hedley has camping.

ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Difficulty: Strenuous
2/5
Road
5/5
Traffic
3/5
Scenery

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Jul 12, 2023
difficulty: Strenuous
scenery: 3
traffic: 5
road: 2
Jul 12, 2023
scenery: 3
traffic: 5
road: 2
July 2023 - this is definitely not rideable on a road bike. On 42C tires @ 34/36 PSI, I was losing traction in places and the descent was very rough.
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CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Apex from Hedley

Ride 21.1 km to 1,876m gaining 1,357m at 6.4% average grade.

This gorgeous Canadian bike climb is located 320 km east of Vancouver at the edge of the Northern Cascades and the Intermontaine Belt (a physiogeological region in the Pacific Northwest).  The climb is named after Apex Mountain which is located in the BC interior west of Penticton.  

Thanks much to Jos Beckers, Vancouver, BC, CAN for his this write up and all the photographs on for this climb.

Hedley-Nickle Plate Climb, British Columbia - Climbed by Jos Beckers and Matt Church of the Fraser River Fuggitivi cycling club (New Westminster, BC) on July 21, 2018


The second ranked gravel climb on this page after McBride Peak, the Hedley- Nickle Plate climb is also known as the “APEX, the hard way!” segment on Strava.  As of August 2018 some 50 attempts had been recorded for the climb with climbing times ranging from 1hr 45 mins to over 3.5 hours. Given the number of attempts we were surprised this iconic climb wasn’t listed on PJAMM cycling, so here it is.

Cycling Hedley to Apex - cyclist on road, mountains in front

Start of the climb.


The entire climb is dirt and rock, mostly very well graded but with some looser segments around rock outcrops after the initial stitchback sections.  A gravel or cyclocross type bike is recommended for this climb although certainly the climb is doable with a properly equipped and geared road bike. One of us used a Specialized Roubaix with a compact chainring (34t) and 32 cassette and lightly treaded tires, the other a similarly equipped Giant TCX cross bike.  Puncture resistant rubber is important on this climb given the sharp rocks and gravel.


The initial part of the climb is steepest and characterized by many switchbacks.

Hedley to Apex bike climb - cyclist on hairpin

Cyclist coming up the hairpins.

On the harder packed and rocky sections it is reasonably possible to stand and power up the grade but these sections are few and far between and interspersed with looser but well graded gravel. The entire bottom part of the climb is characterized by great views of the Similkameen Valley, both west and east. At the end of the switchback sections there is a rocky outcrop which overlooks the part of the climb just travelled.

Climbing Hedley to Apex by bike - view of hairpins, meadow and lake

View down of the hairpins.

Beyond that the road conditions worsen temporarily with several loose sections around rock outcrops. Once entering the forest the road conditions improve again and the gradient slackens. At the end of the forest section you will enter the alpine and there are once again great views to be had.

Bicycle climb of Hedley to Apex - gravel road and lake

Entering the Alpine section of the climb.

The gradient also continues to slacken. Once you reach the former Barrick Nickle-Plate mine you will have almost made it, only a couple more kilometers of continually better graded road and easy gradients to be tackled. The gentle summit is near Nickle Plate lake.

Bicycle ride Hedley to Apex, gravel road border by pine trees

Summit

 To your right you will see a cemetery with several unmarked graves associated with former mining operations. From here the road becomes undulating and will subsequently start descending towards APEX passing the Nickle Plate cross-country ski area along the way. If descending the paved road from APEX towards either Penticton or Green Mountain Road, watch out for those huge cattle guards on the straights and loose gravel in the switchback turns.


The climb has a southern exposure which can make it very hot in summer. Given the climbing time and remoteness of the area, make sure to bring sufficient hydration and nutrition. While we came across a handful of cars and one motorcyclist during our longish ascent, once leaving Hwy 3 behind, you may not encounter a single soul until hitting the APEX ski resort, which is mostly deserted in summer.

The two of us made the mistake of not refueling in Hedley after tackling the 30 km headwind and uphill section from Keremeos to the start of the climb (and after tackling the Fairview gravel climb between Oliver and Keremeos before that). We ended up spending much more time on the climb than needed, and most of that mid-day time somewhat undernourished (gels and cliff bars only take you so far) and having to manage our water supply. We were lucky enough to find a functioning water hose on the side of the deserted APEX Mountain Inn. Proper nutrition wasn’t had until much later, after rejoining Hwy 3a. The pie at the Twin Lakes grocery store and gas station tasted awesome but lunch at 4:30pm was a little late for our liking. From there on, if like us you started in Osoyoos, the long descent through the White Lake Grasslands Protected Area with gradients that neither require pedaling or braking, is about as awesome as cycling gets.