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Kootenay Rockies Region
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Copyright © Lodging British Columbia. All rights reserved. British Columbia Lodging & Campgrounds Association 3003 St. John's Street Port Moody, BC Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions |
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The best way to describe
the Kootenay Rockies is as Canada's most stunning
The National Parks Corridor was opened up with the development
of the Canadian Pacific railway in the 1880s with the quest
to unite Canada through trade. Highway 1 connects the corridor
which
is home to four of Canada’s most treasured national parks
Glacier National Park, Mt. Revelstoke National Park, Yoho National
Park and Kootenay National Park as well as the cities of Revelstoke
and Golden. Each park offers visitors unique experiences. Hiking
trails are abundant and lead to some of the sights and wonders
that make British Columbia world-renowned. If you're looking
for snow-capped mountain peaks, glaciers and icefields, flowered
alpine meadows and wildlife, you can spend days in any one
of the parks. Go paddling on mesmerizing emerald green lakes
while
watching moose and bears on the shore. Explore mysterious hoodoos
- granite formations weathered into spires by ages of wind
and rain. Rest beside melt-water streams and roaring waterfalls
edged
by dense forests or brightly flowered meadows. If you're looking
for wildlife, the national parks provide you with your best
opportunities. The parks are home to countless species of small
and large animals,
including mountain goats, elk, eagles and marmots. These animals
are often seen outside of protected areas grazing in clearings
and beside roads. 
The Valley of a Thousand Peaks is located between the Rocky
Mountains in the east and the Purcell Mountain Range to the
west. The mighty
Columba River flows north through the entire Valley. The Columbia
Valley features one of North America's longest continuous wetlands
- a bird and wildlife watching paradise.
Amidst the untamed wilderness and rugged mountains, the valley
is home to some of the province's most elegant golf courses.
The beautiful tree lined fairways are set against forested
mountain slopes. The clubs offer challenging play, professionally
maintained
courses and groomed outdoor luxury that never lets you forget
the enormity of your surroundings.
If you are looking for luxury that comes straight from the
wilderness, then mineral hot springs are a required visit.
Places to visit
include Fairmont Hot Springs and Radium Hot Springs. Whether
or not you believe the springs possess special therapeutic
and healing properties, there is no arguing the pleasure warm
relaxing
water can bring. More rustic and undeveloped springs are scattered
through the mountains. 
The Elk Valley wedged into the heart of the Canadian Rockies
is approximately 60 kilometres from the Alberta and Montana
borders. From its source at Elk Lakes Provincial
Park, the Elk River makes
its way through Elkford, Sparwood and Fernie before joining
the Kootenay River, near Cranbrook. The river offers
fantastic fly-fishing. The Crowsnest
Pass cuts straight through the continental divide linking
Southern
Alberta with the stunningly beautiful
Elk
Valley. Thomas Blackiston of the 1800’s Pallister
Expedition saw, and is credited with naming, the Crowsnest
Pass through
which
Highway 3 now passes.
Prior to the settlement of the Elk Valley, the area was
inhabited by migrant Indians who visited the hunter’s
Eden each year to harvest fish and game to carry them
through the winter
months.
Migrants of the Tobacco Plains Band of the Ktunaxa (Kootenay)
Indians were likely the first to enter the Elk Valley.
Some of their artifacts and drawings can still be found
in the
area. The first white man known to travel though the
pass was Michael
Phillips in 1873. He returned the following year in search
of gold and was disappointed to find only coal. It was
coal that
opened up the development of the valley. 
Kootenay Lake, the largest natural lake in the Kootenay
Rockies is flanked by forested mountain slopes. The lake
was created
as the great icefields retreated after the last ice age.
The valley is bounded by the Selkirk Mountain range to
the west
and the Purcell range to the east. Peaks ranging from
2100 - 2750
metres (7000'- 9000') dominate the terrain, with year-round
ice fields on the northernmost mountains. The slopes
are heavily forested with a mix of pine, douglas fir,
hemlock
and cedar,
and support a large and diverse range of flora and fauna.
Today people cross Kootenay Lake on a car ferry. As late
as the 1950’s,
a fleet of sternwheelers was the only link for many of
the towns and villages that surround this large
body
of water. The settlements of Riondel, Kootenay Bay, Crawford
Bay, Gray Creek and Boswell are strung along a thin band
where Highway 3A follows the east side of the lakeshore.
Wilderness is always close at hand and human residents
share the landscape with large populations of deer, elk,
moose,
bear, mountain goat, cougar, and coyote. Kootenay Lake
remains ice-free
in winter, and wetlands at both ends of the lake and
at Crawford Bay, including the 7000 hectare Creston Valley
Wildlife Management
Area, host over 260 species of migrating and nesting
birds
- even wild swans and pelicans!
Nelson is a funky mountain community set on the west
arm of Kootenay Lake. As one of the oldest communities
in the
province,
many
of its buildings are restored heritage sites. Take a
walking tour of several Victorian homes while exploring
a city
whose many artisans and musicians create a relaxed and
laidback
feel. In the shadow of the mountains, life often moves
a little more
slowly than anywhere else in the province. 
The
Central Kootenay area is defined by the arc of the Columbia
River that flows south on to Washington Sate. The Columbia
River has shaped the communities that sit on its banks.
A bridge across
it prompted the first settlement at Castlegar, while
the sternwheelers that plied the river facilitated both the
founding
of Trail
and the successful gold mines of Rossland.
About 100 years ago, prospectors came to the West Kootenays,
attracted by its rich ore deposits. Mining ghost towns
can be found now, silent relics of past treasures. Some backroad
travel
to these ghost towns will enhance your visit to this
extremely
beautiful region. Visitors can learn about the development
and history of the area at mining museums in Kaslo and
New Denver.
If you are a skiing enthusiast, you will be eager to
try some of the best powder skiing in the world. The towering
mountains
often receive 23 metres of snow per season and contain
more
than a dozen snow sport areas. Red Mountain, for example,
has been
critically acclaimed as holding some of the finest snow
sport resources in North America. Many other hills in the region
offer snowcat excursions to the most exciting runs and
helicopter
charters
can hunt out the best powder. 
The Arrow Lakes and Silvery Slocan area is today home to tranquil
valleys that are remote and sparsely populated. This was not
always the case when in the late 1800s prospectors flocked
here from all over North America in search of rich mining claims.
Only a few made fortunes the majority worked hard for meager
wages. The mining legacy is evident all over the region in
charming small towns and villages that are built in the valleys
of the Selkirk mountain range. The Arrow Lakes
owe their present size to the Hugh Keenleyside Dam near Castlegar.
Prior to 1969, the Arrow Lakes were two
smaller lakes joined by a 32 km. (20 mi.) river. The Arrow
Lakes run from Revelstoke in the north, south to Castlegar
and are the main drainage system for the west Kootenay. This
is angling country. Lakes large and small are teeming with
rainbow and cutthroat trout, Dolly Varden, and kokanee. Two
different ferries cross Arrow Lakes. The Upper Arrow Lake Ferry
travels from Shelter Bay and Galena Bay connecting Highway
23. The Lower Arrow Lake ferry crossing is the Needles Ferry
that connects Highway 6. Communities along the routes include
Slocan, Nakusp, the Sandon Ghost town and Shelter Bay. The
Silvery Slocan area exploded in the 1890s with the development
of silver and lead mining and communities like Slocan, New
Denver, Silverton and Sandon sprang up. Mines were worked until
high production costs and low ore prices ended the boom. Rail
lines from the north and south connected with steamboats plying
Slocan Lake that created a vital link in the region's transportation
network. The last train traveled the Slocan Valley rail line
in 1993. Today, a tug and barge service continues to ferry
rail cars from Slocan to Roseberry. 
