The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, just 10 minutes west of Creston by car, is popular with hikers and cyclists for its gentle, level trails, quiet beauty and wildlife viewing opportunities. Clamber over Balancing Rock, nearby, and follow the hiking trail to sparkling mountain waterfalls. Hike up the Skimmerhorn Mountains, 10 minutes' drive from town, for a panoramic view of the entire Creston Valley. If you're a mountain biker, there are some very challenging trails just outside the town.
Lockhart Beach and Lockhart Creek Provincial Parks, located along the banks of Kootenay Lake, offer well-equipped camping areas close to a variety of water activities and hiking trails. Camping is also available in Yahk Provincial Park, approximately 40 minutes east of town.
There are a number of golf courses in the area. The Creston Golf Club and a small, par-3 course are located very near town, while the famous
Kokanee Springs Golf Resort is just over an hour's drive away. That 18-hole, 6,604-yard, par-71 Kokanee Springs Golf Course was designed by Norman Woods and features water, sand, distinctive tee boxes and spectacular drops.
There are three standout buildings in Creston. The rather squat, white Pilot Bay Lighthouse sits on the edge of Kootenay Lake and is an easy, 20-minute hike from Kootenay Bay. The Creston & District Museum building is the former home of a master stonemason, who built it between 1952 and 1967 using mainly local field stones set in white mortar. Pay close attention to this mortar as there are all sorts of objects embedded in it: ceramic figurines, railway tracks, even parts of vehicles. A former mortician built the Glass House in 1952, using empty embalming fluid bottles as his main construction material - 250,000 of them!
Many artists and artisans live and work in and around Creston and you can enjoy the fruits of their labours in shops, galleries and studios scattered liberally throughout the area. Legend Logos, for example, displays and sells hand-made Aboriginal art and crafts. From June to September, you can participate in the annual Art Walk/Art Drive along the eastern shore of Kootenay Lake. You can also take the Seven Studios tour, which showcases seven Creston artists at work. Maps for these tours are available from the Creston Visitor Info Centre.
Exhibits in the Creston & District Museum & Archives chronicle human activity in the area from pre-European Aboriginal settlement to the present day. Explore a trapper's cabin, a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse, Kutenai canoe and much more. A heritage walking tour map, created by the museum, is available at Creston Visitor Info Centre.
The Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area is one of Creston's most impressive attractions. It's a wetland area of 7,000 ha (17,000 ac) that has been preserved as a refuge for birds and waterfowl. More than 250 avian species frequent the area, including plovers, sandpipers, Osprey and kingbirds. You also have a good chance of spotting Moose, deer and River Otters. Features include an interpretive centre, marked trails, viewing decks and an observation tower.
Other interesting attractions include: the Columbia Brewery (brewer of Kokanee Beer), which offers free tours in summer; the Glass House, which was built by a former mortician using 250,000 empty embalming fluid bottles; and the Stone House Museum, which has things like figurines and model railway tracks embedded in its walls. The town has a vibrant arts community, so you should set aside some time for exploring the shops, galleries and studios displaying and selling everything from oil paintings to hand-made brooms. Freshly picked orchard fruit is another shopping must.
There are various ways to entertain yourself in Creston. You can attend a dramatic presentation by the Footlighters or a concert presented by the Creston Concert Society. You can cheer on the Creston Thunder Cats (Junior "B" hockey team) at the Scott Buyck Arena or shop 'til you drop for arts & crafts items like paintings, pottery, ornamental ironworks and hand-made dolls. And, if you visit in summer, don't forget to sample some freshly picked orchard fruit.
The 7,000-ha (17,000-ac) Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area is a pristine expanse of wetland that has been preserved as a refuge for birds and waterfowl. More than 250 avian species frequent the area, including plovers, sandpipers, Osprey and kingbirds. You also have a good chance of spotting Moose, deer and River Otters. Features include an interpretive centre, marked trails, viewing decks and an observation tower. Hands-on wildlife activities and discovery programs are included with admission.
Stagleap Provincial Park is an essential migration area for mountain Caribou. Ongoing research and monitoring of this internationally endangered animal is conducted there. The park is also an essential habitat for an endangered population of Grizzly Bears and home to healthy populations of Bighorn Sheep and Elk.
In early September, Kokanee Creek roils with colourful spawning salmon. The spawning process turns their bodies a deep red and their heads an emerald green.
Creston is just 30 minutes' drive from Kootenay Lake, where you can swim, fish, canoe and kayak or simply stretch out on the sand. Take a scenic drive along the eastern shore of the lake and you'll come across the Kootenay Lake Ferry. Hop aboard for a free, 35-minute ferry ride to Balfour. From there, follow the shoreline north to Ainsworth Hot Springs, where you can take a steamy, natural mineral bath in a horseshoe-shaped cave.
Creston is also home to the Canyon Ridge Spa, a full-service primping and pampering facility.
Kootenay Lake is 144 km (90 mi) long, which makes it ideal for kayaking or canoeing. There are a number of beaches on its eastern shore that are suitable for sunning and swimming and savvy anglers know it's full of big Gerrard Rainbow Trout, Kokanee Salmon, Bull Trout, Burbot, Largemouth Bass and Cutthroat. The Kootenay Lake Ferry ride between Crawford Bay on the east shore and Balfour on the west shore takes 35 minutes each way, and is the world's longest free ferry ride. When you're on the west shore, be sure to take a dip in the Ainsworth Hot Springs. The springs fill a horseshoe-shaped cave about waist deep with naturally heated mineral water.
Skiing is the top winter activity around Creston. You can downhill ski just 45 minutes from town, at Salmo, and cross-country ski just 10 minutes from town, in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. Two major resorts,
Whitewater Winter Resort and
Red Resort, are each about 90 minutes away. Whitewater offers deep snow, varied terrain and wide-open glades and bowls. Red offers 360-degree skiing on two mountains that feature exhilarating steeps, powder bowls, a wide selection of groomed runs and backcountry heli-skiing adventures.
Snowmobiling is another great way to spend a winter day around Creston. Suitable trails begin about 45 minutes west of town.