Parks
Park in BC (JF Bergeron photo)
Kaslo is virtually surrounded by provincial parks featuring a range of recreational activities and facilities.
While some parks have developed hiking trails and campgrounds, others are more remote, offering backcountry and wilderness access.
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park's mountain peaks, glaciers, creeks, and lakes make up the postcard beauty of this vast wilderness area. The park has 85km/53mi of well-marked hiking trails.
The Woodbury trailhead, on the eastern boundary of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, is less than a one-hour drive from Kaslo, but driving there requires a high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle. Turn right off Highway 31, 12.5km/8mi south of Kaslo, onto the Woodbury Creek Forest Service Road. Other vehicles can take the Kokanee Creek access road.
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Goat Range Provincial Park
Goat Range Provincial Park is more remote than other parks in the area. Located northwest of Kaslo, the park is noted for its "white grizzly" population – a rare type of grizzly bear with a white hued coat. Goat Range Provincial Park is accessible from Retallack, and from the southern end of Trout Lake off Highway 31. There are few developed trails or facilities in the park.
Kootenay Lake Provincial Park
Kootenay Lake Provincial Park is actually a grouping of five separate sites bordering Kootenay Lake. Davis Creek and Lost Ledge are two smaller sites accessible from Highway 31, about 30 minutes north of Kaslo. Both offer camping, and the latter has a boat launch. The three remaining sites – Campbell Bay, Coffee Creek, and Midge Creek – are accessible only by boat.
Campbell Bay is a sheltered but popular beach across the lake from Kaslo. Between Ainsworth and Balfour, south of Kaslo, Coffee Creek is a north-facing beach. Midge Creek's long sandy beach is way down the lake in the South Arm.
Pilot Bay Provincial Park
Pilot Bay Provincial Park is on the east shore of Kootenay lake across from Balfour. Pilot Bay is a sheltered harbour used by mariners as a refuge from storms. The inner sanctum of the bay is Sawmill Cove, the most protected water on the entire lake. Walking trails facilitate pedestrian access to this lovely shoreline.
Drewry Point Provincial Park
Drewry Point Provincial Park occupies a small but lovely sandy beach on the western shore of the South Arm. The beach is an ideal spot for boaters. Houseboat rentals are available from Kaslo Shipyards. These sturdy vessels were built to handle Kootenay Lake's occasionally stormy weather and ocean-like waves.
Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park
At more than 200,000ha/500,000ac, Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park spans the two major north/south valleys of the Kootenay Rockies, reaching the water's edge on the eastern side of Kootenay Lake, just north of Kaslo. Largely undeveloped, the park is both pristine and extraordinarily rugged. Hiking is a challenge in this area and requires both experience and preparation.
Stop by the Kaslo Visitor Centre for more information about provincial parks in the area.
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