Penner: The roads less travelled in the West Kootenays

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An hour into our peaceful paddle along the pine-lined shores of Upper Arrow Lake, the unthinkable happened. A jet-ski sped out of a nearby bay and tarnished the glass-smooth water. “That’s literally the first time this summer I’ve seen a boat out here,” said our SUP guide, Pam Howse, who also owns and operates The Spa at the Halcyon Hot Springs Resort. “Typically, the only other life we see out here is wildlife.” Fortunately, in less than a minute, the “interrupter” vanished in the distant gleam. And, once again, we had the idyllic mountain lake to ourselves.

Yes, unwanted encounters with other humans are possible in the West Kootenays. But, trust me, they are few and far between. If you’re looking for peaceful waters, seldom-seen shores, and space galore, this is your ticket. 

In fact, the deeper you go into the Kootenays – think places like Crawford Bay, Kaslo, New Denver, Silverton, and Nakusp – the quieter things tend to get. True, there’s a drive involved (about six or seven hours from Calgary) and a ferry crossing (or two), but the payoffs are well worth the effort. And the beautiful drive itself (you can go the southern route via the Crowsnest Pass or take the busier Trans Canada Highway via Revelstoke) is, of course, part of the adventure. 

We (my wife, Dawn, joined me on this trip) kicked off our Kootenay adventure with a short stop in Fernie for a spectacular high-alpine hike at the Fernie Alpine Resort with some of our good friends. A scenic chairlift ride, alpine meadows smothered with wildflowers, and a difficult scramble to an aerie viewpoint along the challenging Polar Peak hike were highlights. 

After saying goodbye to our friends, we continued further west, past Cranbrook and Creston, and north along the scenic and serpentine road that hugs the banks of beautiful Kootenay Lake.  

Cozy Crawford Bay – an artisan stronghold where weavers, potters, painters, and the like, ply their craft – was a wonderful tone-setter for what this under-the-radar region is all about. Unexpected discoveries like historic lighthouses (i.e. Pilot Bay Lighthouse), roadside waterfalls (Fletcher Falls and Ione Falls), ghost towns (Sandon is a must-stop), and hot springs (Halcyon and Ainsworth) can occur around any bend in the road. In my opinion, having a loose itinerary that allows you to stop and explore at will is ideal.  

After crossing Kootenay Lake on the ferry, we hunkered down in Kaslo (at Wing Creek Resort, a quaint lakeside retreat just north of town) where we explored the historic downtown, sipped craft beer at Angry Hen Brewing, played nine holes at the awesome and eclectic Kaslo Golf Club, and enjoyed a lakeside dinner at the historic Kaslo Hotel. A half-day kayak adventure with Kaslo Kayaking (we visited petroglyphs and a remote waterfall) and watching the star-splattered night sky from our porch patio at Wing Creek were also highlights. 

Without a doubt, the tagline for the Arrow Slocan tourism region – “The Best Place You Have Never Heard Of” – is one of the best I’ve come across. Compared to most other lake-and-mountain sub-regions in the Kootenay Rockies, this area just doesn’t get a ton of traffic. It’s not uncommon to have a trail, golf course, river, or even an entire lake! – completely to yourself. Vast stretches of lakeshore and forested crown land are void of development.  

Of course, at one point in time – the late 1800s – the brothel-filled boom town of Sandon (located near New Denver) was home to over 5,000 money-hungry miners. But fires and floods soon derailed the town, much of which was precariously built over a raging creek, and Sandon died almost as quickly as it was built. Today, you can stroll along the creek, visit the museum, the old city hall, the power station, and a few other remnants.      

Sitting snug on the eastern shore of Upper Arrow Lake, Nakusp is another scenic outpost with plenty of charms. On our final two days, we enjoyed many of them. The Valley of the Springs Winery, a spa treatment and SUP experience at Halcyon Hot Springs Resort, mountain biking at Mount Abriel, and a phenomenal glamping experience at Fraser’s Market Cabins. 

At Fraser’s Market Cabins, located 15 minutes south of Nakusp, we made cowboy coffee in the morning, read books in the hammock, did the beekeeper experience, and sauntered three kilometres down the white sand beach that borders beautiful British Columbia wilderness. How many people did we see on our stunning sunset stroll? Not a one. Par for the course in the West Kootenays.