September 05, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Golden, Sightseeing Tours
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Located just East of
Golden, the new Kicking Horse Canyon Park Bridge section of the Trans Canada Highway is open an it is amazing. For anyone who has been stuck behind a big rig inching it's way down that spiralling canyon before, you are in for a treat. The new section of highway reminds me of the Coquihalla, nice a wide with lots of room for trucks, RV's and slowpoke's alike.
One note: The view of the new bridge is only good from the rest area at the bottom of the hill on the West side, don't expect scenic photo op's from the bride deck while driving.
July 31, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Nakusp, Hiking
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What a view!
Located just South-West of
Nakusp, Saddle Mountain Lookout is a old Forest Fire lookout post that is now used as a hiking destination.
The hike is a steady incline the whole way so plan on getting a workout. The trail is mostly dirt with the exception of the top section which is a very narrow trail on unstable shale.
Be prepared for an all day hike. There was people there that took around 3 1/2 hours just to get up to the top. If you are cardio-fit you can do the round trip with a 45 minute rest up top in 4 1/2 hours.
download a printable trail map
here. Look for the link to "Saddle Mountain Lookout Trail"
photo: Amy Wight
In this photo you can see Nakusp in the far background down by the lake.
July 05, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Nakusp, Festivals & Events
Touted as being one of the top summer festivals in North America, the
Nakusp Music Fest is putting a little West Kootenay town on the map.
Known as a showcase of Classic Rock icons, the NMF has previously welcomed acts such as Kim Mitchell, Blue Rodeo and Loverboy.
This years lineup looks good with 2 stages over three days. Headliners include Collective Soul, Tom Cochrane, and Doc Walker.
Tips:
1. Get you tickets soon.
nakuspmusicfest.caor by calling toll free 1-877-265-5565
June 27, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Nakusp, Festivals & Events
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If you plan to celebrate Canada day in Nakusp, be prepared to get woken up by a fire truck.
Members of the Volunteer Fire Department drive around town waking people up using lights, sirens, and every other annoyance thing they can think of in an attempt to get people to the Canada Day pancake breakfast fundraiser at the firehall.
Once you have a gut full of pancakes and sausages head over to the other Canada day celebrations including an old-school soap-box derby.
At night the Volunteer Fire Department puts on a celebration of Fireworks, with a surprisingly large amount of kabooms for such a small town. Show usually lasts around 13 minutes. Most people watch from the waterfron gardens.
May 30, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Sechelt, Festivals & Events
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Show and Shines are popular events in the summer here in BC. You can bet that on any given weekend there is a group of car enthusiasts getting together somewhere to share laughs, tips, stories-- and show off their work.
One of my favorite show and shine events of the summer is the "
Sleepy Hollow Rod Run and Show and Shine", in
Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast.
It's a classic car lovers weekend complete with Friday night rolling cruise, main street displays and Sunday drag races. People come from all over for this family friendly show.
If you happen to go this year it's on the weekend of August 3,4 and 5th. You will need to take a ferry to get to the sunshine coast so look into booking a
reservation soon or getting to the ferry terminal very early--it's usually packed with cruisers heading over to the coast for the weekend.
While you're up there don't forget to have some fish and chips on the waterfront in
Gibsons.BC FerriesDrive BC (for road conditions)
Coasters Car Club (Sleepy Hollow organizers)
May 11, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Kamloops, Fishing
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I just returned from a fishing trip at
Roche Lake Resort, 30 minutes south of
Kamloops in the interior of BC.
Roche Lake is weel known in the world of fly fishing as being a top-rated destination for anglers. I have been there two years in a row and found the entire place to be a great BC experience.
We camped in well maintained sites and had access to free firewood, hot showers, a pool and a hot tub for around $30/night. There are also modern Chalets that you can rent for quite a bit more. There is also a forestry site on the lake as well for around $9/night with no amenities.
The fishing was made much more enjoyable because we were given some expert advice from the staff on what lures to use. There is also a man-made spawning stream right beside the boat launch that you can stand beside and watch the fish do their thing.
Boat rentals are available. The restaurant serves up a good dinner for around $15-20.
April 20, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Pender Islands, Hiking
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A peaceful afternoon overlooking the southern gulf islands.
March 25, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
New Denver, Hiking
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Located in the West Kootenays high above New Denver on the shore of Slocan Lake, Idaho Peak is considered a must see for Kootenay wildflowers.
The deactivated forestry road that leads up to the Peak takes you through an old ghost town named Sandon, which is where we spent a few hours looking through relics of a old mining town.
Our dog Cedar loved the view.