Highway 23 in its entirety is 250km long. The southern portion from Nakusp to Revelstoke is known as the Nakusp-Mica Creek Highway. Highway 23 starts at the south in Nakusp, at an intersection with Highway 6. It goes north along the shore of Upper Arrow Lake down a windy road to a junction with Highway 31 at Galena Bay. It then takes a ferry across Upper Arrow Lake to Shelter Bay. From here, it continues north along the Columbia River to a junction with Highway 1 in Revelstoke. From Revelstoke onward, Highway 23 is known as the Big Bend Highway, and is famous because of its gold rush.