A magical alpine meadow, surrounded by a cirque of peaks on the edge of Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. With opportunity to either picnic or peak-bag, this trail gets you to the alpine and lets you chose your own adventure from there.
McKean Lakes is a worthwhile alpine destination, tucked away on the edge of Valhalla Provincial Park. The road is long, the trail is steep, but the lakes are cradled beneath impressive peaks.
The trails at Bannock Point lead to scenic bluffs overlooking Slocan Lake. You can stay the night at the backcountry campground or just wander the awesome upper trail with mossy forest and wide viewpoints.
The Beatrice Lake Trail offers steady hiking through forests and wetlands as it traces an old mining road, following a chain of lakes through Valhalla Provincial Park. There are several backcountry campgrounds along the way at Emerald and Cahill Lakes until the trail finally ends at distant Beatrice Lake.
Do you think driving to the top of mountains is overrated? Do you really want to earn it? The Wakefield Trail gets you up to Idaho Peak using your own two feet. It’s a hard, steady climb that traces old mining routes to the top of Silver Ridge.
**2024 : wildfire burned close to the lookout, but it is still standing. ** Skycastle (aka Lemon Lookout) is an old fire tower offering panoramic views of the Valhallas and Slocan Valley. You’ll have to march yourself up a long steep overgrown road, but it’s worth it to get to a special place. This…...
Let’s be honest. There are many hikes that end in climatic viewpoints all up and down the Kootenay River valley. This is yet another one, and although the lookout offers a big view of Crescent Valley and Playmor Junction, the trail itself is underdeveloped and underwhelming. This content is available exclusively to members of West…...
Mt. Gimli is a striking pillar of rock, towering high in the Valhalla range. This hike is tough, but rewarding. The trail leads up to the base of Gimli where it wraps around to a final ledge. Here, hikers can look down into the Mulvey Basin lakes, or just spin and spin and take…
Turquoise lakes, mirrored pools, and circles of peaks all around! The hike to Gwillim Lakes goes from ‘impressive’ to ‘fantastically incredible’ and doesn’t stop there! This is one of the region’s best hikes and a worthwhile backpacking destination for a weekend in alpine paradise.
The Slocan-Evans Creek trail is a ‘there and back again’ hike, following the Slocan lakeshore along the edge of Valhalla Provincial Park. The turnaround point is the bridge over the roaring Evans Creek, but the trail continuously opens up into rocky meadows and lapping crystal-blue shoreline.