Eat, Sleep, Explore, Repeat!!

Welcome to Fernie!

Hello UVic!! This is my first post and I am introducing a great vacation place for you guys to travel. It doesn’t matter what time of the year, it’s worth checking out!

I moved to Fernie, part of Elk Valley, early this year in January for my co-op term and since then I’ve been loving this place. Elk Valley is in the Kootenay region, in the south eastern part of BC.

I have experienced Winter, Spring, Summer and now the Fall. Each season has its own perks and things to do.

First Week of Skiing

Winter

If you ski or snowboard, Fernie Alpine Resort is the place to go. It is a bit expensive but if you buy early bird or deals or packages rather than single passes you could save some money.

The lineups for uphill lifts are small and there are lot of trails. For beginners, they have a few easy trails and they have a lot more options for experienced skiers.

Spring

Silver Springs Lake

After four months of skiing and snowboarding, everyone is ready for spring. Mountain biking is really common in the valley and they have tons of great biking trails.

If you are one of the many Canadians who don’t mind jumping in ice cold water — good news! The lakes start to open up around this time, and my personal favorite is Silver Springs Lake. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Fernie.

It is a bit tricky to find your way to the lake as there are no clear signs or directions. It’s better to ask someone local for directions rather than finding them online. Once you reach the end of the trail you will find yourself at a peaceful place with a great view of mountains and sky blue water.

Summer

Mount Proctor hike

Finally, summer is here!! Throughout the year people talked about how awesome summer in Fernie is. There are lots of places to camps, mountain hikes, biking trails, fishing, golfing, climbing and whitewater rafting.

The local community is very active and all most everyone has some outdoor hobby. The Island Lake Lodge is a great place to visit. You can hike or drive up there. Just like most places here, it’s a very calm and relaxing site to hang out. I love to spend time by myself where I can feel the essence of nature, and this place is perfect for that.

Fall

View of Island Lake Lodge

Last but not least, the fall season. As compared to other seasons fall is bit slow paced. There are not a lot of tourists visiting and town kind of gets quieter, although it’s time for hunters to be in action.

It gets cold on top of the mountains, which drives the wildlife down to the forest making it easier for them to hunt. I am personally not into hunting but there is a big community of hunters in the valley.

The rest of us relax and wait for the ski hill to open, which is usually around mid November and then the whole cycle starts again.