Southern British Columbia – the Crowsnest Highway

 2022 July 9-20

 

We spent a few days in Vancouver – we caught up with family, met Marce’s Mum Betty who was joining us for the last five weeks of our Canadian travels this year, took the bed out of the vehicle, and put the rear seats back in to allow the three of us to travel in comfort, camping with ground tents during this stage of the trip. In Vancouver we enjoyed time at parks and Hillside Pool, walking in Stanley Park and English Bay, visiting the beadwork exhibition at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwestern Art, and various culinary experiences including ice cream from Dolce Amore. We took care of some tasks including a repair to one of the lenses, acquiring a couple of camping items for the increase in the team, and packing everything for the next stage of the trip.

 

We then set off eastwards, initially to Hope, with a stop at Harrison Hot Springs, where unfortunately the public hot springs were closed, then on the Crowsnest Highway to Sumallo Grove/Skagit, Rhododendron trail, the impressive view from Cascade Lookout, Spotted Lake, and finally Nk’mip campground for our first night camping with Betty in ground tents. Our newly acquired Gusrevi tents proved very easy to set up (although the ground was stony so putting in the tent pegs was challenging). On our first time setting up camp, it took 50 minutes, which we learned to reduce to half that as we gained experience. 

Cascade Viewpoint

 

The following morning found us at a construction site, as teams were undertaking work in the campground which one would have thought could have been done pre-season. The Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre proved to be excellent, giving a good insight into the area's First Nations, with a walk through the arid ecosystem, and good displays on the culture and history. We then headed to Johnstone Creek where we walked the Loop Trail, continued to Rock Creek Station, Grand Forks, and Nelson, and enjoyed a drink at Backroads Brewing Co., before continuing to Mountain Park Resort campground for the night. We were learning that we were in peak camping season – the campgrounds were almost full (or full), making it necessary to book sites, which we had not had to do in the preceding two months. This campground was pleasant, although it’s just below the noisy Crowsnest Highway.

 

Looking back to Lake Osoyoos

Continuing east we arrived at Moyie Lake Provincial Park and then Cranbrook Visitors’ Centre, with a good view over the lake; a great place for good bird spotting. We visited the Cranbrook History Centre, then continued to Fernie, Sparwood (where we stopped to visit the “World’s Largest Truck”), then on over Crowsnest Pass to Lundbreck Falls, before continuing via Spring Hill to Fort Heritage campground. 

"World's Largest Truck"

 

Lundbreck Falls

We found that this campground was surprisingly almost empty, we camped alongside the lake, enjoying bird life and horses contesting the bank with geese, set up efficiently, and enjoyed dinner and drinks in the beautiful sunset, with the mountains to the west, and the stars coming out on a clear night. 

We were now in a very different country, this was the start of the plains country, which stretches a couple of thousand kilometers east through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, which we plan to visit next year. For now, we planned to head back into the mountains and then head northwest. 

Our next stages of the trip:

 

We’ll explore this part of the Southern Rockies before heading north, to Calgary. Then, back to the Rockies to visit Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper before returning to British Columbia and moving southwest before heading to Vancouver Island for the last chapter of the trip this year.

  

Hugs

Alan & Marce