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 New Denver is naturally beautiful and rich in history: View the sub-alpine lakes, dense forest, and flowing rivers of Valhalla Provincial Park, hike the rugged terrain of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, wind your way through the old-growth forest of Goat Range Provincial Park, or stop for a swim at Summit Lake Provincial Park.
New Denver’s approximately 100km/62mi of abandoned rail beds are perfect for walking or cycling. Lakeside and forested campsites are also within close proximity. In summer, fishing, swimming, and paddling are popular activities in and around New Denver, while winter offers alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing.
Air & Land Activities Walk or cycle some 100 km/62 mi of abandoned rail beds as well as challenging mountain trails in the New Denver area. The new Slocan Valley Heritage Trail is a 50km/31mi stretch of level rail bed along the Slocan River. Take a scenic walking trail along the shores of Slocan Lake. Easy to moderate hiking trails wind through Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. For a rugged trek, try the Wee Sandy Creek Trail in Valhalla Provincial Park.
North of New Denver cyclists can set off on the 13km/8-mi Galena Trail, a route that follows rail beds past abandoned mines, over bridges and boardwalks, to a creek crossing by cable car.
Camping in New Denver  Outdoor enthusiasts will find many vehicle-accessible campgrounds near New Denver. Rosebery Provincial Park’s forested campsites are tucked along the banks of Wilson Creek. Summit Lake Provincial Park has lakeside and forested sites. Backcountry campers can set up at Valhalla, Goat Range, and Kokanee Glacier Provincial Parks. Valhalla Provincial Park has nine camping areas, accessible by water taxi.
The magnificent peaks of Valhalla Provincial Park are popular for mountain climbers. For beautiful views of the Selkirk Mountains, play a round at the nine-hole Slocan Lake Golf Club.
Buildings & Architecture  Return to the time of pioneers and prospectors by touring New Denver’s heritage buildings. Take the self-guided Historical Walking Tour past buildings that date back as far as the 1890s. See the two-storey Bank of Montreal building, built in 1897, which now houses the Silvery Slocan Museum. View St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, built around the turn of the century and still serving the local Catholic community. You’ll also see a host of other heritage buildings, which were originally built as residences, hotels, and shops.
Arts, Culture & History  Visit Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre which honours the memories and experiences of the over 20,000 Japanese Canadians who were forcibly relocated to internment camps in BC’s interior during World War II. The Kohan Reflection Garden was also built in remembrance of the Japanese-Canadian internees.
New Denver’s Silvery Slocan Museum recalls the town’s mining, transportation, logging, and pioneer life. Head south of New Denver to visit the Silverton Gallery and Silverton Outdoor Mining Museum. Two ghost towns as well recall the area’s silver-mining boom. East of New Denver, visit the Sandon Museum located in the historic Slocan Mercantile General Store. Also see the abandoned buildings of the former mining and sawmill town site of Retallack.
Stop in at the Hidden Garden Gallery for art exhibits, musical performances and readings by local writers, or in nearby Kaslo, step aboard the S.S. Moyie, the last operating passenger sternwheeler in Canada is dry-docked.
Entertainment The annual Hills Garlic Festival in September features organic garlic and garlic-flavoured foods, as well as local arts and crafts, produce, and live entertainment. Live music, dance and theatre events are held throughout the year in New Denver, close by in Kaslo, the annual Kaslo Jazz Festival is held every August.
Natural Sights, Parks & Wildlife Explore sub-alpine lakes, mountain peaks, waterfalls, rivers and isolated beaches of Valhalla Provincial Park. The park is popular for camping, hiking, rock climbing, paddling, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park attracts experienced hikers, mountaineers and backcountry campers to its rugged wilderness. Several lakes offer good trout fishing. You may spot Golden Eagles, Mule Deer, Black and Grizzly Bears. Old-growth forest, alpine lakes and meadows make up Goat Range Provincial Park, popular for backcountry camping, hiking and fishing, and home to Grizzly Bears, Mountain Goats and Caribou. Summit Lake Provincial Park offers vehicle-accessible camping, as well as fishing, swimming, and paddling. You may spot Mountain Goats, eagles, hawks, and kingfishers.
Mountain Views
 Idaho Peak is one of the area’s famous viewpoints, accessible by following a steep, unpaved road some 12km/7.5mi out of Sandon. A short walk through alpine meadows leads to the Idaho Peak forestry lookout.
Rest & Relaxation New Denver is located near three natural hot springs. Nakusp Hot Springs sits in a narrow canyon of the Kootenay Rockies, offering two natural outdoor pools. Halcyon Hot Springs overlooks Upper Arrow Lake and has four pools of varying temperatures. Ainsworth Hot Springs on the west shore of Kootenay Lake is a unique horseshoe-shaped cave where hot, odourless mineral showers fall from the cave's roof into a waist-deep pool.
Water Activities  In summer the shallower bays of Slocan Lake warm up, providing terrific swimming. The lake’s west side sandy beaches can be reached by water taxi. Bannock Point, just south of Silverton, has a small, sandy beach. Summit Lake’s pebble beach is also popular for swimming.
Anglers at Slocan Lake come for rainbow and bull trout, Kokanee, and whitefish. Fish for rainbow and cutthroat trout at Summit Lake. Upper Arrow Lake is populated with rainbow and bull trout, whitefish, burbot, and kokanee, as well as the great gerrard rainbow trout. Valhalla Provincial Park also offers great lake fishing. Paddle amid the spectacular scenery of Slocan Lake, or kayak the Class I to Class III rapids of the Slocan River, negotiating shifting log jams.
Winter Activities Snow brings skiing and other outdoor pleasures to the New Denver area. Check out Summit Lake Ski Hill where a t-bar lift services 152 m/500ft of vertical. The area’s abandoned rail beds make for challenging cross-country skiing, while snowshoeing is great in the local mountains. For steep slopes and tree-skiing, check out the cat-skiing operator based in nearby Retallack. Ski touring is also available in the Valhalla Range for alpine skiers, telemarkers and snowboarders.
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