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Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat Hiking Trails
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is the centerpiece of the West Kootenay region, offering exquisite alpine backcountry hiking to day hikers as well as backpackers. This 125 square mile mountain park occupies the rugged core of the Kokanee Range just north of Nelson, B.C.. One of the oldest provincial parks in British Columbia, it was established in response to local residents who recognized the tremendous recreational potential of the area.
The park is named after a large receding
glacier sprawled on the northern slope of the Kokanee Peak group near the
center of the park; rising above it is Mount Cond, the highest peak in the
park at 9200 feet. Radiating
Hikers in the park will occasionally encounter the remains of old mining activity. This is no accident – virtually all of the trails in use today were originally built to service the small mines that were scattered in the high country. The Silver Spray cabin and its mine site above Woodbury Creek (at 8000 feet) is a beautiful example of an alpine mine in almost mint condition. The Slocan Chief Cabin was once a bunkhouse for miners working on the ridges above. The mining heyday in the mountains has left a fascinating and invaluable heritage for today’s visitors. Hoary marmots, pikas and Columbian groundsquirrels are the most commonly encountered mammals in the park. Small herds of mountain goats roam the Sawtooth Range and the Silver Spray area. Both black and grizzly bears frequent the park. Grizzlies are most frequently encountered in spring along the lower drainages where avalanche tracks provide lush grazing and digging, and in late summer and fall in the extensive old burns of the park’s higher central reaches. The trails within Kokanee Glacier Park
are generally used from late June/early July through mid October, weather
conditions prevailing. Our Mountain Trek has a permit with the
Ministry of Lands and Parks to conduct commercial guiding within the park
boundaries, according to detailed rules. Idaho Lookout: The most visual picture we use to
represent our hiking experience is taken here at Idaho Peak. It is one of our most popular destinations from a
For beginner/intermediate hikers, a
forestry road up the (mostly) north side of the mountain allows access to
several trails that are within
For advanced hikers, the trip up Wakefield Trail to Idaho Peak is a full day! It traces up the southwestern slope of the Silver Ridge section of the mountain; early day miners toiled up this trail with supplies for mines and camps located all along the Silver Ridge. Distance is only 3.1 miles, but it takes 3 hours one way to hike it and there is a 2640 feet elevation gain, with an abundance of switchbacks. You will have earned the view at the top after hiking this trail! At the bottom of the forestry access road
to Idaho Peak is the revived ghost town of Sandon, the current site of an
interesting mining museum, many artifacts, and a gift shop (of course).
Sandon HAD the distinction of being the largest city in British Columbia
…. in 1895! In the absolute middle of nowhere, this town was the booming
epicenter of the Canadian gold rush of the late 1900s. Now, it is a great
place to visit and walk. Whitewater Glacier Trail: "Since I was a child, I periodically have this dream. It is always at the full moon. A huge white grizzly walks along. My Elders said that these white grizzlies in our ancestral land around the Arrow Lake Country are held sacred." So speaks Eva Orr, one of the few surviving elders of the Sa-al-tkw't or Arrow Lake Indian Band who still speaks the native tongue. White grizzlies were commonly known among the Lake People of the B.C. interior rainforest, especially where salmon used to spawn, and some of this beautiful color type of grizzly still survive within their territory in the West Kootenays (Mountain Trek area). The wild and rugged mountains of the Goat Range appear to have an unusually high number of these rare, predominantly white bears - perhaps one in ten are of this color variation. (quoted from the Valhalla Wilderness Society brochure). One of the best viewing trails for the white grizzly is Whitewater Glacier Trai; itl has been a staple in the Mountain Trek hiking destinations for 10 years and is a superb example of alpine hiking for intermediate and advanced hikers. Located in the Goat Range Provincial Park of southeastern British Columbia, theWhitewater trailhead is a one hour drive from our lodge at Ainsworth Hot Springs. The area of the trail has been identified by native groups as "Pic-ha-kee-lowna", meaning White Grizzly Wilderness, due to the presence of a rare aberration of genetics of grizzly bears. Tthis well-maintained trail was originally forged by those intrepid miners with their pack horses and gold fever. The well-defined trail climbs along the hillside from the (not easy to find) parking area, through a beautiful forest of spruce and red cedar. The roar of the Whitewater Creek (creeks are more like rivers in Canada) greets you in less than ˝ mile, and the trail takes a sharp left into an impressive, expansive, amazing valley.
This trail offers flexibility for beginner to advanced hikers in terms of distance. Advanced hikers can go all the way to the col of the glacier, a big hike taking 3-5 hours one way depending on speed and agility of the hikers as some of the upper reaches are talus slopes with footing that needs strong ankles and good balance! But an amazing view of the glacier is also available at a picnic area suitable for a beginner or intermediate distance hike.
Apart from the wildlife, you will view some of the tallest peaks in the southern Selkirk mountains, some of the best alpine flower meadows and high country lake zones in the Kootenays, and some of the last surviving low elevation valleys of giant red cedars, old-growth hemlock, Douglas fir and other species. Come and join us on this and many other
wilderness hikes during your Mountain Trek vacation. Our expert,
professional, and caring hiking guides ensure that your adventure is safe,
satisfying, and enlightening. Fry Creek Canyon Trail: This is a marvelous trail up the spectacular Fry Creek Canyon (in Canada, creeks are more like raging rivers – this one certainly is). It is a lower elevation trail, leading from Kootenay Lake, which offers wonderful wildflowers such as Ladies Slipper, great mushroom hunting, and possible sightings of deer, elk, moose, and mountain goats.
Allowing for different fitness levels, this "relatively flat" trail has destinations for lunch at 2 to 7.5 mile distances one way. The lunch spots are at the side of the water, and sunning on rocks is a frequent pastime during this break. The elevation gain is only 787 feet for this trail, but the beauty of the water and the mossy forests, scenic bridge, and the thrill of navigating your way over a rock slide (for those who go the further distance) jumping from one to the next on boulders as big as Volkswagens (the old kind), is the Kootenay version of "The Stairmaster"!! Monica Meadows Trail: Oh, Monica! We can say that, without much qualification, this is the most spectacular alpine meadow accessible by driving and hiking, probably anywhere on earth.
Want some more information? Check these links: How to buy hiking boots; Outdoor gear/clothing; Hiking Levels at Mountain Trek; Hiking tips; Hiking Trails at Mountain Trek.
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away from the central height of the land
around the glacier, Kokanee, Coffee, Woodbury, Keen, Enterprise, and Lemon
creeks have deep cut valleys that descend to Kootenay and Slocan Lakes.
This drainage pattern has allowed the development of a system of trails
that, like the creeks, radiate from the park core with numerous
interconnecting links for extended hiking. The historic Slocan Chief
Cabin, located near the central trail junction and just below Kokanee
Glacier, provides accommodations and a focus for various hikes in the
park. Two other glaciers (Woodbury and Caribou), over thirty alpine and
subalpine lakes, extensive alplands and forested valleys, magnificent
scenery, and about 75 miles of well-maintained trails make this park a
hiker’s paradise.
trails include: Gibson Lake to Slocan Chief
Cabin (5.5 miles one way distance takes 4.5 hours one way, 1500 feet
elevation gain, moderate hiking level); Kokanee Glacier Trail (from Slocan
Chief cabin to the glacier- I mile one way takes 1 hour, 950 feet
elevation gain, easy to moderate hiking level); Woodbury Creek Trail (5
miles one way takes 4 hours, 2500 feet elevation gain, moderate hiking
level); Silver Spray Creek Trail (4 miles one way takes 4 hours, 3335 feet
elevation gain, moderate-difficult hiking level); Joker Millsite to Slocan
Chief Cabin (3 miles one way takes 3 hours, 1848 feet elevation gain,
moderate to strenuous hiking level); Joker Lakes Trail (3 miles one way
takes 3 hours, 1772 feet elevation gain, moderate to strenuous hiking
level); Enterprise Creek Trail (6.5 miles one way takes 5 hours, 2067 feet
elevation gain, moderate hiking level); Paupo Creek Trail (4 miles one way
takes 3 hours, 2300 feet elevation gain, moderate hiking level); Lemon
Creek Trail (6 miles one way takes 5 hours, 3700 feet elevation gain,
moderate with last portion strenuous hiking level).
scenery point-of-view, and there are the two trails to Idaho Peak: Idaho
Trail and Wakefield Trail. The top of Idaho Peak (elevation of 7480 feet)
affords a 360 degree view of mountain peaks and lush alpine meadows.
Fantastic! The other beauty of this trip is that we
can accommodate beginner/intermediate, as well as advanced hikers:
everyone gets to the top!
reasonable walking distance of the upper
ridge and all the views. There are parking opportunities at different
levels, from which an intermediate or beginner distance can be hiked. The
destination is a forestry lookout tower which is "manned" during
the summer months to look for fires; given the extensive view, it is a
perfect place. The upper trails are well maintained, and offer the most
incredible views and flower meadows. There are at least 30 varieties of
wild flowers growing throughout the season, which is late June/early July
through early October.
This valley is a popular area for feeding
for grizzly bears at various times during the year. The bear feed on the
gentle east side of the valley, and the hikers walk on the maintained
trail on the steep west side of the valley. A perfect situation for
as-safe-as-you’ll-get viewing of grizzlies in their natural habitat. And
yes, we have seen white grizzly bears here – quite a thrill to watch.
The photo below is taken of Mountain Trek guests watching two white
grizzlies, likely siblings, playing and cavorting on the wildflower meadow
on the far side of the valley. (Unfortunately, the bears were so far away
we couldn't get a clear shot of them on camera).
Herds of mountain goats, often with their
babies, are viewed frequently from this trail (after all, the mountains
containing Whitewater Glacier are called "The Goat Range"). Rock
hounds will delight in a mountain of "serpentine" rock, dark
emerald green with a "soapy" feeling; however, as this area has
recently been deemed "The Goat Range Provincial Park", hikers
may take pictures and memories, but nothing else.
In the spring, the roar of the water is
so great in parts that you cannot hear your fellow hikers, except for
occasional shrieks of amazement. You hike along immersed in your own
thoughts and the power of nature. It is a spiritual awakening, and the
reason this trail is the favorite of many of our guests.
The parking area faces a spectacular wall
of glaciers. A short but steep trail, with seven (count them, and you
will!) switchbacks, lead to a rolling meadows area with an abundance of
wildflowers, alpine lakes and waterfalls, incredible rock formations,
beautiful golden larch trees (in the fall), and many footprints of grizzly
and cougar, make you feel as though you have left civilization behind in a
different century! The meadows are surrounded completely by mountain peaks
and incredible hanging glaciers. Words fail. Come and see it.