Road Trip: The Scenic Kootenays

We had been housesitting on Vancouver Island and in West Vancouver for the first few months of 2024. A four-week break between sits starting at the end of April combined with a family gathering at a Washington state park seemed like a reasonable excuse (and decent timing weather-wise) to get Artie (our co-parented Mercedes-Benz Sprinter/Roadtrek van) back on the road.

From the Olympia area in Washington, we headed east and then north, taking our time, and really slowing down in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, an area that we had driven past frequently but never taken the time to explore.

Olympia to Newport

We’d driven across Washington several times in the past, so we made a point of taking different routes where we could, and stopping to see some places that we have only driven right by before. From Yakima, we took South Canyon Road (Hwy 821), winding north along the Yakima River–a scenic route well worth the extra time. A little further northeast, we camped up on a hill in Crescent Bar, overlooking the Columbus River.

Outside of Spokane, we hiked around Riverside State Park and then camped further northeast near Diamond Lake. We spent two nights there so we could spend one day exploring Newport, Calispell and the surrounding area.

Sandpoint

In Sandpoint, we camped at the Bonner Valley Fairgrounds and explored the town by bike.

Creston to Crawford Bay

We camped for two nights at Mountain Creek Resort, east of Creston. This gave us time to explore the town and to purchase and install a new water pump (part of the fun of owning a recreational vehicle). We found a wonderful, out-of-the-way place to have a coffee and treat at sister-owned Good Company Coffee with its patio overlooking vineyards and mountains beyond. On the premises is third sister’s Brittany’s Flower Farm.

From Creston, we drove up the east side of Kokanee Lake to Crawford, where we camped for the night at Kokanee Chalets, RV Park, and Campground. Crawford is said to be a great spot to wander among artisan galleries and studios, but perhaps it was the time of year, time of day, or day of the week–it just wasn’t that for us. On the recommendation of the campground manager, we walked to the pub for a drink and some live music before turning in for the evening.

Crawford is just a few minutes away from the Kootenay Bay ferry terminal where we caught the ferry to Balfour across Kootenay Lake.

Kaslo

From Balfour, we drove up the west side of Kootenay Lake to Kaslo, where we stayed in the Kaslo Village Campground for two nights. The campground is right in town so it was very easy to explore Kaslo on our bikes. From every angle there are spectacular mountain views across the water.

Duncan Dam

We originally planned to continue north from Kaslo on Highway 31 past Trout Lake and around the top of the curve to Galena, possibly taking the ferry to Shelter Bay. When we read that a large portion of the road was gravel, could be muddy, was narrow and filled with logging trucks, we decided that Artie deserved to be treated better. Instead, while in Kaslo, we drove up Highway 31 partway to Duncan Dam and returned to Kaslo for the night. On the way, we pulled into Kootenay Lake Provincial Park Lost Lake Campground. We’ve put this sweet little spot on our list for a future trip.

Nakusp and Slocan

The next day, we drove northwest around the Kokanee Glacier, through New Denver on Slocan Lake, and further northeast to Nakusp on the long and skinny Upper Arrow Lake. We camped at the Nakusp Municipal Campground, exploring this scenic town by bike.

Leaving Nakusp, we retraced our route back through New Denver and then headed south along the east side of Slocan Lake to Slocan, where we set up camp at Springer Creek RV Park and Campground. We hiked the trails from the campground and rode our bikes into the town of Slocan and along the Slocan Valley Rail Trail.

Nelson and Kokanee Creek Provincial Park

From Slocan, we drove south through Crescent Valley and then east through Nelson to Kokanee Creek Provincial Park where we stayed for two nights. We have family in Nelson and enjoyed a BBQ dinner with a houseful of multigenerational cousins. The next day we rode our bikes on the Nelson Rails to Trails pathway, high above the town and roamed the streets of town as well./p>

Christina Lake and Grand Forks

On our way to Grand Forks, we stopped at Christina Lake, which we had heard a lot about. The lake is lovely, and is well set up for an influx of seasonal visitors with a massive parking lot, but there doesn’t seem to be much else there, certainly not to support year-round living.

We have two sets of friends who are now living in Grand Forks. We enjoyed a delightful lunch with ex-nomads, now home renovators and landscapers extraordinaire. Our second meet-up was with an ex-colleague and his wife, very new residents of the town. Their new home came complete with a full-hookup RV spot, and they were kind enough to allow us to spend the night.

Heading Home

Only a half-hour west of Grand Forks, we stopped at Night Sky Campground for the night. We parked right on the river, and Ken had a chance to toss a line in before we made the final drive back to the Vancouver area.