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AREA DATA:
This region encompasses the
southeastern corner of the province, stretching
from the British Columbian – Albertan border at
Yoho National Park to the Canada – U.S. border
in the south, and to Nelson in the west. This
area is about 661 to 1072 kilometers east of
Vancouver, and is about an eight to eleven hour
drive by car from the Lower Mainland.
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The Eastern Kootenays are situated
within some of the loveliest scenery in
British Columbia, with cities, towns and
villages snuggled in between three
mountain ranges: the Columbia, the
Purcell, and the world- famous Rocky
Mountains. The beautiful valleys and
snow capped mountains are covered in
untouched forests, with stands of larch
and aspen providing contrasting
colourful foliage to their deep
evergreen counterparts. Shimmering icy
blue lakes can be found here, and rapid
rivers, teeming with life, hurry through
the rugged canyons to their final
destination. |
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The climate in this region varies
with the part of the Kootenays you are in. The
Kootenay Lake region boasts temperate warm
summers, and cool winters which rarely reach –
10 degrees Celsius. The Creston Valley tends to
be fairly warm and dry, with temperatures
ranging from barely freezing in the winters to
almost 35 degrees in the summers. The Eastern
Kootenays, home to several ski resorts, can
boast up to 760 cm of snowfall in the winter,
but temperature can range from -15 degrees
Celsius in the winter to 25 degrees in the
summer. We note that from Creston eastward, the
area is on Mountain Standard Time year round, so
those coming from the Lower Mainland will need
to set their clocks ahead one hour.
The Northern Rockies are sometimes referred to
as the “Serengeti of North America”. About half
of B.C.’s elk population lives in the Rockies.
This area is also home to white-tailed deer,
mule deer, mountain goats and moose.
Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park is home to one
of North America’s densest grizzly bear
populations, The “Trench”, or the 1600 km valley
between the Purcells and the Rockies is an
important flyway for birds, and over 60% of BC’s
bird species can be found here. These include
waterfowl, herons, osprey, and eagles. In
Kootenay Lake, large rainbow trout are
swimming under the surface of the icy water, as
are Kokanee, Dolly Varden char, and whitefish. |
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ACCESS:
Access to communities in the eastern Kootenays
is by paved highway. From the Lower Mainland,
you can access this area through several routes.
The Number 3 highway, following the Canada- US
border will take you though Creston and the
southern part of this region. The Trans-Canada
highway will let you access the northern part of
this region. Golden and the southern areas are
linked by Highways 93 and 95.
Distance between Vancouver and the
major cities are:
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Nelson: 662 km
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Creston: 737 km
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Cranbrook: 967 km
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Kimberley: 997 km
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Invermere: 836 km
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Golden: 713 km
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Fernie: 1063 km
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Air Service:
The regional airport is located at Cranbrook,
which is served by Pacific Coastal Airlines
and Air Canada Jazz, with service to
Vancouver International Airport and Calgary
International Airport. The other major
airport, found just outside the Eastern
Kootenays, is in Castlegar, with service to
Vancouver and Calgary with Air Canada.
Regional airports at Invermere, Golden, and
Nelson are accessible through air charter by
Alpenglow
Aviation and
High Alpine
Air. |
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Recreation in the Nelson Atea |
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MAJOR CITIES
This area is a vibrant area, with
many recreational and cultural opportunities
scattered throughout. In addition, the
Kootenay region continues to benefit from
Albertans looking for property within a 4 to
6 hour drive from the Calgary area. While
tourism is extremely important in this area,
other important aspects to the economy in
this region include mining, forestry, and
some agriculture and ranching. |
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Major centers in the area include: |
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Nelson:
This city of 9298 is consistently ranked as the
#1 small town arts community in Canada by John
Villani, expert and author of The 100 Best
Small Arts Towns in America. With all sorts
of cultural and recreational opportunities for
you, Nelson provides a warm introduction to the
Eastern Kootenays.
Recreation:
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Kootenay Lake
is home to the world-famous Gerrard Rainbow,
which can reach up to 30 pounds. Fishing
here is excellent for Dolly Varden, Bull
Trout, and Kokanee Salmon. For rainbow
trout, try the small lake chains surrounding
Salmo, as well as the Salmo River.
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There are three
gorgeous 18 hole golf courses in the Nelson
Area.
Granite Pointe Golf Club
is found in Nelson, while
Balfour Golf
Course and
Kokanee Springs
Golf Course are found along Kootenay
Lake. In addition,
Salmo Golf Club
offers a challenging 9 hole golf course for
your enjoyment.
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Once winter hits,
people flock to this area to hit the slope.
The Nelson area offers many opportunities
for skiing and snowboarding, with heli-skiing
and cat-skiing opportunities, and world
class
Whitewater Ski Resort
located just south of Nelson. Also try
Salmo Ski Hill, located near the
town of Salmo.
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In the summer,
Kootenay Lake offers multiple water-sport
opportunities, including boating, canoeing,
kayaking, house boating, and swimming,
Kootenay Lake’s fresh, clear water offers
scuba divers a chance to view one of the
largest concentrations of freshwater wrecks
in North America.
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Duck Lake |
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Creston:
Creston is a bit of an oddity in the Eastern
Kootenays, with climate and scenery more
appropriate for the Okanagan than the Kootenays.
This community of 4795 is rapidly becoming a
family and retirement hot spot due to the laid
back lifestyle and balmy climate. Creston is
also famous for its produce, with apple
orchards, cherries, and other produce ripening
from May to September.
Recreation:
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Fishing for bass is great at Duck
Lake, 20 minutes north of Creston. In the
winter, Duck Lake normally freezes solid,
allowing for ice fishing for diehard
fishermen.
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Creston offers the
Creston
Golf Club, with an 18 hole course
with beautiful views at every hole.
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Creston is a hot spot for hiking
and biking, with a network of trails
stretching through the Creston Valley.
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In the winter, 30 km of trails are
maintained for cross-country skiers in the
Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.
Cranbrook:
This city of 18,476 is the
services hub for the Eastern Kootenay area, with
all government and financial services available
here. Home to College of the Rockies, Cranbrook is known as an urban community with a
rural feel.
Recreation:
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Try your rod and reel
in some of the loveliest lakes in British
Columbia. Premier Lake is known for its
Rainbow and Brook Trout, while Moyle Lake is
home to great fishing for Rainbow, Dolly
Varden and Kokanee.
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Cranbrook is a golf
lover’s paradise. There are four golf
courses in the Cranbrook area:
Cranbrook Golf Club,
St Eugene
Mission Golf Resort,
Mission
Hills Golf Course, and
Way Lyn
Executive Golf Course.
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While camping and
hiking in the region, why not try one of the
nearby Hot Springs, prevalent in the area.
Lussier Hot Springs is very popular, but
there is also Ram Creek Hot Springs and
Dewar Creek Hot Springs.
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A short drive away is
Fort Steele Heritage Town, a
restored and recreated 1890’s town featuring
historical re-enactments throughout the
summer season.
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Fernie:
As
we enter the winter playground of the BC Rocky
Mountains, we note that Fernie is a thriving
community with a population of 4611. Fernie was
selected by Outdoors Magazine as
part of North America’s “Top Twenty Dream Towns”
in 2004.
Recreation:
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Fishing in this area is excellent year
round. Try the Elk and Fording Rivers to fly
fish for cutthroat and bull trout, while the
lake chains in this area are excellent for
regular summer fishing and ice fishing in
the winter.
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Skiing in the Fernie Area |
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Welcome to “Powder Highway”!
Fernie
Alpine Resort is an award winning
ski hill with lots of fresh powder for
skiing enthusiasts. In nearby Elkford,
Wapiti Ski Hill is quieter, but
with the same great ski able terrain. For
the adventure enthusiast, several companies
in the area offer cat skiing opportunities,
far from the maddening crowds.
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In the summer, the Fernie area has several
golf courses to challenge the pro.
Fernie Golf & Country Club is ranked
within the Top 25 of BC’s golf courses.
Sparwood offers another scenic golf
experience at
Sparwood Golf Club,
and Elkford offers you the Mountain
Meadows Golf Club.
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The skiing trails of winter turn into
excellent hiking and mountain biking trails
in the summer. Fernie is host to the
TransRockies Challenge, considered by many
to be one of the toughest mountain bike
races in the world.
Kimberley:
The fun continues year round in the Kimberley
area. This community of 6484 is known as the
“Bavarian City of the Rockies”, as the community
is German themed, with Bavarian style buildings
in the downtown, The Platzl pedestrian mall, and
the yearly accordion festival.
Recreation:
Kimberley
is a popular skiing destination with fresh
powder, night skiing, and snowboarding at
Kimberley Alpine Resort. Several companies
offer cat skiing and heli-skiing opportunities.
Continue your golfing vacation with three golf
courses to choose from in Kimberley.
Kimberley Golf Club,
Trickle Creek
Golf Resort, and
Bootleg Gap Golf
Course all offer a fresh challenge for
the golfing enthusiast. Further away, Canal
Flats offers
Th’Flats Golf Course,
a 9 hole executive golf course.
The provincial parks in the area offer hiking,
camping, and biking opportunities during the
gorgeous summer season. Wasa Lake, in
particular, is one of the most popular lakes in
the East Kootenay areas, with swimming,
canoeing, and kayaking in one of the warmest
lakes in the province.
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Golfing in Golden |
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Invermere:
This
community of 2858 is a year round recreational
getaway, close to ski hills and hot springs,
mountains and lake chains. It is also the
service hub for the communities in the Columbia
Valley, with all services to be found here.
Recreation:
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Windermere, Alce, and Whiteswan Lakes all
have extremely good trout fishing, with Alce
and Whiteswan stocked specifically for this
purpose. We note that Alce Lake is closed to
boating and is fly fishing only. Windermere
and Whiteswan both allow boats.
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This is a skier’s paradise with two world
class ski resorts located next door.
Fairmont Hot Springs Ski Resort
offers both downhill and cross country
skiing opportunities.
Panorama
Mountain Village Ski Resort is one
of British Columbia’s most popular skiing
destinations, located in the Toby Creek
Valley.
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In the summertime, you can tee off at any
one of a number of golf courses located in
the area. These include
Eagle Ranch
Golf Resort,
Spur Valley
Greens, 2 courses located at
Radium Hot Springs Resort,
Greywolf at Panorama (ranked as one
of the Top 10 courses in Canada by
Golf Digest in 2005),
Windermere Valley Golf Course, 2
courses located at
Fairmont Hot
Springs Resort, and Edgewater
Hilltop Par Three.
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In both summer and winter, the world famous
hot springs located in this area soothes and
relaxes after a busy day on the links or the
slope. Go to Fairmont Hot Springs or Radium
Hot Springs, just outside Invermere.
Golden:
This community of 4020 is nestled between two
national parks, and world famous Banff National
Park is just on the other side of the border.
With majestic mountains, lovely lakes, and
rushing rivers at every turn, recreational
opportunities abound in Golden.
Recreation:
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Try fishing the Columbia River for char,
lingcod, kokanne, and rainbow trout, or hike
into the alpine lakes in the various
provincial and national parks to try your
rod against the trout found there.
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The new
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
offers fresh powder on steep slopes
overlooking scenic vistas. If you want to
escape the crowds on the slope contact the
many operators in the area who offer heli or
cat skiing.
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The
Golden Gold & County Club
was ranked by Score
Magazine as one of the top 100 courses in
British Columbia
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For expert kayakers and rafting enthusiasts,
the Kicking Horse River canyon offers the
longest succession of class IV rapids in
Western Canada. For those looking for a more
placid ride, the multiple lakes and the
Columbia River is perfect for novice canoers
and kayakers.
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PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL PARKS
The Eastern Kootenay Region is home to
Yoho National Park and Kootenay
National Park, and also includes part of
Glacier National Park. Just over
the B.C.- Alberta border is world famous
Banff National Park. We note that a park
pass is required for all visitors to national
parks, and can be purchased at the park gates.
There are many provincial parks located
throughout the Eastern Kootenay Region,
protecting historical sites, fragile wildlife
habitat, and untouched wilderness for future
generations to enjoy. The British Columbia Ministry of
Tourism, Sports & the Arts maintain forest
recreational campsites in
this area. |
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Yoho National Park |
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Welcome to the Eastern Kootenays- a year-round
recreational getaway in our beautiful British
Columbia.
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For More Information:
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Kootenay Rockies Tourism
City of
Nelson
Creston Valley Visitors Information
City of Cranbrook
City of Fernie |
Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce
Tourism
Golden
Parks Canada
BC
Parks
Forest Recreational Site Locator |
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