Top Things to do in Kootenay Rockies
Top Hotels in Kootenay Rockies
- 1. Coast Hillcrest Hotel
- 2. Hume Hotel & Spa
- 3. Gateway Motel
- 4. Prestige Lakeside Resort, BW Premier Collection
- 5. Days Inn & Conference Centre by Wyndham Cranbrook
- 6. Fairmont Hot Springs Resort
- 7. Ramada by Wyndham Revelstoke
- 8. Rocky Mountain Springs Lodge and Restaurant
- 9. Swiss Chalet Motel
- 10. Bighorn Meadows Resort
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10 Free Things to do in Kootenay Rockies That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia including Castlegar Sculpturewalk, Emerald Lake, Takakkaw Falls, Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail, Baker Street, Skimmerhorn Winery and Vineyard, Wapta Falls, Natural Bridge, Kootenay Lake Ferry, Marble Canyon.
Restaurants in Kootenay Rockies
1. Castlegar Sculpturewalk
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 131 reviews
Castlegar Sculpturewalk is an annual exhibition of outdoor sculptures, located on a pleasant walking tour in downtown Castlegar. Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favourite sculpture via ballot - the winner of the People's Choice award is purchased by the City for the permanent collections. All of the artworks are available for sale or lease. Ballots/maps are located in red ballot boxes along the route (the start of the route is at the Kootenay Market (635 Columbia Avenue), though you can begin the walk from anywhere. Ballots/maps are also available at the Castlegar Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, or the Kootenay Gallery.
Reviewed By erikblaney - Powell River, Canada
I stumbled across this walk over the weekend and was blown away by some of the sculpture pieces. This is an easy walk with plenty of interpretive signs along the way. I really liked the Indigenous Camas preservation area the most
2. Emerald Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,286 reviews
Peaceful lake nestled in the mountains and surrounded by lush, green forest.
Reviewed By RAEF715
Before our trip, without really knowing about the beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies, by 13 year old mentioned having a dream about being out on a beautiful lake with mountains around, and he wanted to do that, so a canoe trip here was a top goal on our trip. After hitting some construction traffic on the way, we got in the lot just a couple minutes before the deadline- he and my wife ran in and got the last canoe, while my other son and i just enjoyed the late afternoon light hitting the lake. Just a memorable time, and quite the contrast to the white water rafting we had completed earlier in the day. Louise and Moraine are incredibly beautiful, but loved our time at Emerald Lake.
3. Takakkaw Falls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 885 reviews
The falls, in the northern half of Yoho park, drop 833 ft -- making it one of the highest waterfalls in Canada. The falls are spectacular in early summer, when melting snow and ice provide ample runoff.
Reviewed By Roving545392
I went twice. Once with fellow adult friends and again with my daughter and my young grandchildren. Photos cannot capture the depth of this waterfall. Five levels...and the height is phenomenal. The spray coming off and down into the river continually changes the surrounding view. The large boulder slide directly to the west of Takkakaw Falls is also a sight to behold. Climbing to the base of the fall is exhilarating and hiking nearby trails offers view after view after view of Takkakaw and many other beautiful sites in YOHO. Picnic tables along the banks the Kicking Horse River at the trailhead make for a perfect spot to enjoy a meal while your eyes feast on this spectacular waterfall.
4. Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 779 reviews
Reviewed By CalgaryDukefan - Calgary, Canada
It is very easy to drive right by some road side stops. This is one to stop and smell the cedar. A very well constructed boardwalk brings you into an oasis minutes from the highway. It is an easy walk through a forest featuring magical cedars and plenty of other vegetation. Highly recommend making the stop as both kids and adults will enjoy.
5. Baker Street
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 434 reviews
Reviewed By WhiteTee - Chilliwack, Canada
One of the great streets in all of British Columbia for restaurants, bars, shopping and views. There is a really good vibe on this street.
6. Skimmerhorn Winery and Vineyard
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 104 reviews
Reviewed By EddyGT4
Good BC wine, incredible tapas lunch and service staff that were exceptional. On a beautiful fall day a spur of the moment visit from Cranbrook took us to the visitor's center in downtown Creston where because it had a bistro, we were directed to the winery. We were greeted by April and given a table with a Tuscan like view overlooking the valley. April assisted with the tapas menu, we sampled some of Skimmerhorn's red wines and thoroughly enjoyed a memorable experience.
7. Wapta Falls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 182 reviews
Reviewed By rusky1415 - Easley, United States
We enjoyed the short hike to Wapta Falls. The waterfall is wide, but very pretty. The color of the water is amazing. You can view the falls from the side and continue down the path and see them from a few other various angles.
8. Natural Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 620 reviews
Reviewed By reneew192
Definitely stop at the Natural Bridge on your way to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park it is a very picturesque spot and well worth seeing. Very early October was a great time to visit with no crowds so you can really enjoy this beautiful place ????
9. Kootenay Lake Ferry
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 187 reviews
Reviewed By L4929FPsusans - Athol, United States
Big ferry, very efficient staff in loading and unloading. A very enjoyable and picturesque ride. Would be nice if they had ice cream cones in the coffee shop, but the ice cream bar was okay.
10. Marble Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 259 reviews
This place is temporarily closed.
Reviewed By Tigerman777
If you have limited time, make sure to check out this canyon because it is SPECTACULAR!!! If you're staying in Banff, it's only a half hour northwest off highway 93, from Lake Louise about a half hour southwest. It's only 15 minutes off highway 1/transcontinental. I couldn't believe how beautiful and peaceful it was. I got there about 6:00pm after spending some time checking out the Radium Hot Springs (highly recommend, reasonable price for soaking, only $5.50CAD), Verdant Creek (also highly recommend, water a different color from others, with interesting views of the shale rock), Sinclair Canyon and Paint Pots. The whole area is simply beautiful, but I think Marble Canyon (known as a slot Canyon) is the best!!! When I was there later in the day, the water reminded me of my favorite drink, pure white almond milk????. Simply spectacular!!! One of the neatest things here is to see two different colors of water meeting: the emerald rock flour brought in from glacial water from the Tokumm Creek and that milk white water from the Vermillion River. It's really obvious the white water wins. The white brilliance of the rock makes it obvious why it's called Marble Canyon. Near one of the sets of steps you'll see a chain link fence with a latch on the left to open a gate to go down to the river. I did so, not to swim, which is not a good idea( water quite fast moving, with a lot of boulders to crash into), but to put my hand in it. I put my hand in it three times to smell it. Twice to get any smell off my hands, once to get the true sense of its aroma. I even cleaned out my nose a little to make sure I would get the true smell of it. I was surprised how good the aroma was. . It smelled a little bit like coconut and cinnamon. Really cool????. There are some stones you could put in the water to see just how much like shiny marble the dolomite rock looks like (caused by the swirling water of the river). There are a couple of areas in the canyon where it might be possible to touch both sides at the same time if you could get close enough, but please don't try it. You get a nice view between the Canyon walls on several of the bridges. When you think you're done, please keep going until the waterfalls. There are several waterfalls to be aware of. One of them you may not even see until you turn around to go back after seeing one of them. You won't get a great view of it though, unless you go in winter and are an ice climber. They're marvelous to see????. Make sure to take a seat on the cool red chairs up a hill a little, it's the only place I stopped to do so. You can see Vermillion Peak when looking back over the first bridge over Marble Canyon. It is quite imposing. Mount Whymper is also visible behind the red chairs. I can't forget the fact you can find flowers as well in some areas on the trail not too far from the falls, like near those chairs. In conclusion, due to the serenity, the astounding beauty with so much diversity, simplicity to see the Canyon (an elderly person in decent shape could do it pretty easily, maybe someone with a walker would not be recommended though, there are several flights of steps to navigate) and the lack of crowds here, I would recommend to anyone to visit here. Most people don't even know it's in the area. It's not the largest Canyon by any means in the Rockies, but in my opinion it's the prettiest????. Thanks for reading. If you feel this information has benefited you, it would be appreciated if you would tap the ???? button below.
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