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
Countries
The 10 Best Nature & Wildlife Areas in Kootenay Rockies, Kootenay Rockies
Discover the best top things to do in Kootenay Rockies, British Columbia including Waterfront Walkway, Bugaboo Provincial Park, Swansea Mountain Recreation Site, Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre, Glacier National Park, Idaho Peak, Source of the Columbia Trail, Maiden Lake, Fairy Creek Falls, Vermilion Pass.
Restaurants in Kootenay Rockies
1. Waterfront Walkway
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 106 reviews
Reviewed By sasha51 - Santa Rosa, United States
The best thing to do in this lovely small town is to take a stroll along this waterfront and enjoy the quiet beauty of the mountains and lake on one side and beautiful gardens/landscape on the other side
2. Bugaboo Provincial Park
3. Swansea Mountain Recreation Site
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By GK360 - Seattle, United States
We (2 adults, 2 teens) had a very fun adventure traveling to the top of Swansea Mountain. We found Swansea Mountain Rd access off of Windermere Loop Road and began the climb. We were in a 4x4 vehicle, which is *required* if you're driving to the parking spot up top. We had our sights set on driving to the top, which was half of the adventure! The road is solid, but definitely has sizeable potholes, grooves and bumps. The hike from the upper parking to the summit is short but steep. Any level of hiking experience can do it. The views from the top are fantastic and worth the drive/climb. Note: do your best not to ride the brakes all the way back down. Downshift and take your time. Very fun adventurous drive, fun (short) hike, beautiful views.
4. Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 102 reviews
The Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre offers environmental education programs, events and tours at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA). The CVWMA is a 17,000 acre wetland habitat that is internationally recognized as a wetland of importance (Ramsar Site) as well as an Important Bird Area of Canada. Educational initiatives include: school programs, summer nature camps, guided canoe and walking tours, and a variety of special events suitable for people of all ages. Join us seasonally from May-October for programs. Access to trail systems that meander through the wetland is possible year round. Viewing towers and boardwalks provide unique opportunities to explore this magical place.
Reviewed By kyerstenk - Creston, Canada
Beautiful scenery, frogs, turtles, water birds and birds of prey, sometimes moose, deer or elk...great walking trails with tons to explore and learn about nature! Make sure you know what stinging nettle looks like, and avoid touching it, as it does border some parts of the well mowed trails. No matter your skill level and age of wee ones, you can have a beautiful walk identifying all sorts of critters! Well marked trails, long loops or short strolls, if you have kids that need to get out and explore, this is the place for it! Pups welcome, too, but keep them on a leash and please pick up after them. Great advanced trail across tje road, balancing rock trail, as well for the more adventurous...
5. Glacier National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 147 reviews
Reviewed By EkMusafir - Pune, India
We passed through the Glacier National Park on our coach tour of the Canadian Rockies in August 2019. We were driving along the Trans Canada Highway to Banff National Park and stopped for a while at the Rogers Pass National Historic Site which is at the centre of Glacier National Park. We could see the high mountain peaks with dense pine forests and active glaciers. There is a lot of wildlife in the forests like bears, wolves, deer, elk, caribou and many more. We saw some stuffed exhibits of these animals in the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre. The park has many trails, campgrounds, and some backcountry huts and cabins. The park is known for its heavy snowfall and avalanches, and maintaining the Trans Canada Highway which passes through the park is a constant challenge. The Canadian Armed Forces help in the task to keep the roads clear with the help of Howitzer cannons which we saw stationed near the Rogers Pass Discover Centre.
6. Idaho Peak
7. Source of the Columbia Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
The source of the fourth largest river system in North America starts here within the Village of Canal Flats. Bubbling out of the ground from deep springs, and filling Columbia Lake with its awe inspiring jade blue green colour, the mighty Columbia River is turned loose, flowing north, then turning south and west and finally emptying into the Pacific Ocean, over a 2500 km journey.
8. Maiden Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By BenLar137 - Calgary, Canada
Just behind the big box grocery store on the east side of town is a tiny, beautiful lake that has lovely trails around it. On our last visit here, the fall colours in the trees around the lake were just sizzling. And there were some birds on the water too for the birder in the family. There's a good coffee shop a few hundred metres away, and this is stunning place to polish off that cuppa... If you're in for a longer walk, the lake is part of a big loop of trails that bring you to the east side of town - we didn't have time for that. Perhaps next time.
9. Fairy Creek Falls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By JesicaDDT
Park at the Fernie Visitor Centre and you will find the trailhead easily. There are also pathways behind Canadian Tire to bike or run to the trailhead. We recently hiked this with our eight year old daughter. Slow incline with a variety of different scenery along the way, including an ancient bathtub, meadow, giant hollow tree, magical forest, raging river and thundering falls at the end. There is a wooden red fairy toadstool at the falls for donations so remember to bring some coins (especially magical for kids). Remember you are heading for the “Fairy Creek Falls” as opposed to the “Fairy Creek Trail” which continues up the mountain. Plan for about a two hour easy hike (return) to leave plenty of time to smell the flowers. Breathtaking views! This would also be a great trail run too. We will definitely go again!
