Sitting in a natural outdoor mineral pool staring at the majestic Purcell mountains across the Columbia Valley in the distance, with the setting sun peeking through the tree line, it’s hard to imagine more peaceful surroundings.
It’s like you’ve died and gone to Alpine heaven.
Images: Best B.C. waterfalls
Images: The best attractions in B.C.
The locale is the world famous and historic Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, Canada’s largest odourless mineral hot pools, where you can choose from a more intimate and smaller private hot springs for guests of the accompanying hotel — my preference — or the larger public pool with its more panoramic views of the mountains and valley.
Either way, you can’t really lose.
It turns out the Kootenay Rockies region of British Columbia is full of many delicious experiences as a four-day jaunt through the vast area of ski towns, golf resorts and hot springs, more than proved.
And you don’t have to deal with the post-Olympics crowds from nearby Vancouver as you might have had to back in February and March.
From the hard-core hedonist to the well-toned adventurer — and somewhere in between — there’s an activity or outing for everyone to enjoy whether it’s mountain biking, golfing, tennis, hiking, horseback riding or winding down with a massage and a soak in outdoor hot springs.
And — if you go off-season — you will find discounted prices for both rooms and services.
Our group started by arriving at Calgary International Airport and then leisurely driving the glorious four-hour-long route south through the foothills to the Rockies, stopping at the classic Chuckwagon Cafe about halfway in Turner Valley, Alta., for a home-cooked burger and fries.
“If if ain’t Alberta, it ain’t beef,” goes the local saying and while it’s not exactly gourmet dining, the Chuckwagon is definitely worth a stop.
From there we passed through the Crowsnest Pass and crossed the B.C. border and into the gorgeous ski-lovers’ town of Fernie, where friendly folk work at such funky stores as Gi’vr Shirt Works, Hempire and the Art’s Coop on the main drag.
It reminds me of Whistler in the ’70s.
When we arrive at the rustic but beautiful Lizard Creek Lodge — which rests at the bottom of the ski hill just outside of town — we are greeted with a
heavenly massage in the hotel spa, but still drag our relaxed selves back to the main street that night to chow down at the Red Tree Lodge Restaurant.
The eatery’s walls are adorned with paintings and photographs by local artists. It’s not surprising that people who live in such heavenly surroundings are inspired to create art in food as well as oil on canvas, and Red Tree’s desserts, in particular, are mouth-watering.
The historic town is also rich in legends and lore. These include The Ghostrider, the shadow of a horse and its rider — a native chief angered over his jilted daughter — that appeared on nearby Mt. Hosmer and The Griz — a man born in a bear cave. The Griz is credited for Fernie’s impressive annual accumulation of powder, a feat accomplished by shooting his musket into the sky.
Our rest in Fernie is short-lived as an energetic guide named Conrad from Sacred Rides takes us for an ambitious mountain bike ride through the Elk Valley the next morning, an activity, it should be pointed out, suitable only for the most fit.
This is followed by a more low-key and fun round of nine holes of golf later that afternoon at the St. Eugene Golf Resort Casino, a couple of hours down the road near Cranbrook, B.C. St. Eugene was once St. Eugene Mission, a residential school for aboriginal children that has been re-invented as a modern day tourist destination by the local Ktunaxa Nation, whose nearby graveyard is visible from the golf course.
The children’s sad stories are not forgotten and downstairs is an interpretive centre, where a video featuring interviews with some of the victims is shown. From the video, it is clear the victims will never forget this painful chapter of their past but wish to move on from it now.
The next morning, we move on to the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort for what turns out to be one of the trip’s highlights, and an unplanned stop at that.
A freak snow storm prevented us from going horseback riding through the mountains in nearby Kimberley, B.C., so instead we headed to Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park for what is the best soak of the trip.
There’s clearly something in the water at Radium.
It loosens your joints, soothes away any aches and pains, and relaxes you to the point of bliss. If it was up to me, I’d still be there.
That was followed by more fun after dinner that night at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in the form of campfire dessert making inside a 7-metre-high white teepee in the nearby woods organized by BC Rockies Adventures.
Well-fed and relaxed, I drifted off to a deep sleep as one can only do in the mountains after a day of activity, which in this case, didn’t involve much other than soaking in various natural outdoor hot springs.
It was only the next morning, as I prepared to leave, that I discovered the best soaking place of them all at the resort: A one person tub built into the mountain side above the historical bathhouses with a glorious view of the valley and mountains below.
Next time I’ll head there first.
Nature is the greatest healer for the soul. And by the time you’ve spent at least a fortnight in the Kootenay Rockies, your body will be thanking you too.
If You Go
To British Columbia
Getting There
Air Canada and WestJet fly direct to Calgary. From there, it’s about a four-hour drive to the Kootenays. Air Canada and Pacific Coast (from Vancouver only) fly direct to Cranbrook, B.C. (Cranbrook International Airport is possibly the most scenic airport I’ve ever seen.)
Places To Stay
In Fernie, Lizard Creek Lodge, lizardcreek.com or 1-877-228-1948. Near Cranbrook, B.C., St. Eugene Golf Resort Casino, steugene.ca or 1-866-292-2020 and Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, fairmonthotsprings.com or 1-800-663-4979.
MORE INFORMATION
For details on travel in British Columbia, contact hellobc.com or 1-800-HELLO-BC. For the Kootenay Rockies, contact KootenayRockies.com or 1-800-661-6603.
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