The city of Trail is situated in the West Kootenay area of British Columbia's south central interior. The city is made up of an area, reaching 34.78 square kilometres or 13.43 sq mi. The city of Trail is situated along the banks of the Columbia River, just 10 km north of the Washington State border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the Selkirk Mountains towards the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. The Columbia flows directly north-south from Castlegar, turns east near downtown Trail, and next meets the Canada-United States border at the Pend d'Oreille River and Waneta.

The first mountains east of the Coastal Mountains to receive moisture laden westerly flow from the Pacific are the Monashee Mountains. Therefore, parts west of Trail, like for instance the Christina Range, Rossland Range, Rossland City, and the Blueberry-Paulson part of the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) receive greater amounts of winter precipitation, typically in the form of heavy snow...
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