Pedals, Peaks and Pints in BC’s Epic Nelson Kootenay Lake Region
The heart of BC’s beautiful Nelson Kootenay Lake region is on two wheels. Put an ear down in the area and you’ll discover its heartbeat is a rhythmic combination of outdoor adventure followed by relaxation in the water and on land.
Here’s how to best enjoy this epic adventure destination in the southern interior of British Columbia.
On Two Wheels (or Two Feet)
Affectionately known as “the Kootenays,” this area is a friendly, gorgeous setting for unwinding in nature and getting your adrenaline pumping in the Great Outdoors. Whet your appetite for adventure by cruising downhill over spinning spokes. Mountain biking has gripped the Kootenays like the riders grip their handlebars for nearly 40 years.
Local avid rider Peter Moynes says Nelson—a town with a population of 11,000 on the west arm of Kootenay Lake—has been a British Columbian mountain biking epicentre since back when mountain biking first became a thing.
With long vertical descents full of steeps, roots, rock slabs, bridges and airs, this region has seen plenty of progression. There are endless options for beginners to hardcore riders, and new trails are constantly stacking on the 180-plus that currently criss-cross the area.
Many of the new trails being built throughout the area’s Purcell and Selkirk mountains have chill cross-country vibes, machine-built berms, and fast, flowy, bidirectional tracks. Smaller towns and lesser-known areas to ride are trailblazing much of the growth and development of the region’s trail networks.
Take Kaslo, for instance. Swaddled between stunning peaks along North Kootenay Lake, and only an hour drive from Nelson, the beat of this quiet village is electrified by the mountain biking scene. Kaslo is surrounded by a growing web of mountain biking trails that snake along the Kaslo River and form a network through the nearby True Blue and Mount Buchanan Recreation Areas. There are gentle railway grades along forest trails; short, sweet, steep rocky tracks; and long undulant rides to choose from.
One of the notable new trails built in the modern flowy style and freshly finished in 2024 is the green rated Friendly Giant. The trail was a “huge undertaking for the region,” Moynes says. It took three years to complete but was worth all the work and grant the town got to develop it. He says the result is “an incredibly beautiful, long, out-and-back trail.” It’s a smooth, enjoyable eighteen kilometers that has stunning views of stretches of lake and endless peaks and culminates at the top of Mt Buchanan.
Not all the modern trails in the region are being built as bidirectional and flowy, though, and this is good news for mountain bikers who rely on technical rides to feel the pulse of this spectacular place.
The Monster, for example, is a Kaslo adrenaline junkie’s dream: 11 kilometers of downhill double black diamond, complete with jumps, views and hairpin turns.
The small communities across the lake are, as mountain bikers might say, sending it. Crawford Bay, Gray Creek, Riondel, Boswell and beyond—collectively known as the East Shore—have also been hard at work building new trails in the old style. Moynes says these trails may be machine made, “but are basically classic single-track riding.”
Riondel, situated ten kilometers north of Kootenay Bay, recently added two downhill singletracks to their trail system: Tam O’Tiger, an intermediate one-kilometer trail, and Lucky Charms, a 1.5-kilometer blue run.
Beyond these two additions, the East Shore’s Crawford Peninsula has a network of options, including the Height of Land trail which connects with the Fraser Hill Viewpoint trail. Both boast several pretty lookouts, one of which overlooks the Kokanee Glacier and begs a breather. While these might require some mountain biking experience—or just some well founded confidence on the pedals—the East Shore has plenty of trails with a spectrum of difficulty ratings for every level of rider.
The quickest way to access the trails of the East Shore is via the Kootenay Lake Ferry—a free cruise that takes you from Balfour to Kootenay Bay complete with stunning views second only to the panoramas off many of the trails near the mountain biking mecca itself—Nelson.
With just a little bit of elevation gain, bikers and hikers can gain vistas of ragged blue peaks, green treed hills, and arms of the shimmering lake pooling in the valleys. Catch your breath as your lungs heave from the effort of the ascent and drink that eye-popping scenery: a combination sure to make your heart sing. Aptly named and highly recommended, the Fairly High trail near Nelson is one of those routes that will reward all the work your legs and lungs put in. A quiet 18.5 kilometer out-and-back multi-use trail, Moynes says it is a “great trail for climbing and descending.”
While all the new trails are exciting, they don’t overshadow the thrills and history seen by what Moynes describes as “old school gnarly single tracks,” especially those imprinted with over 30 years of tire tracks.
“We still have all the classics in Nelson,” Moynes says, adding that people still love to ride there. Morning Mountain, for example, is a local heartthrob. The 50-acre multi-use regional park, and the trails that run beyond its boundaries, have become one of the region’s top spots to cycle, and for good reason. It has something for everyone. “It’s great for downhill flowy type trails, but [we] also have classic single track out there,” says Moynes.
The dedicated and engaged cycling clubs of Kaslo, the East Shore and Nelson are the reason all these trails exist and stay open and why “there’s so much riding around here,” says Moynes. Hundreds of kilometers worth of trails, in fact. You could ride all day.
Get Wet
That much time in the saddle sounds like a recipe for soreness to me, and begs the warm antidote of Ainsworth Hot Springs to soothe tender areas and gently ease clenched muscles. Locals and tourists alike rotate between the hot atmospheric caves, the cold plunge and the hot pool for ultimate relaxation and healing. The steaming spirit waters of Ktunaxa peoples—one of three Indigenous cultures that traditionally inhabit the region—are conveniently located for post-adventure soaks too. It’ll take you 45 minutes to drive up from Nelson or 20 minutes driving south from Kaslo.
Hot water isn’t the only thing you can get yourself into here. The glacier-fed heart of the region, Kootenay Lake, awaits paddle and fishing hook. Its cold character is invigorating and refreshing and provides an excellent surface for a variety of water sports. Plus, there are plenty of places to camp alongside and be lulled to sleep by its lapping waters.
Eat and Drink
All that fresh air and exercise, whether its mountain biking, hiking, paddling and sprinting from the cold plunge back into the hot pool at the hot springs, is sure to turn a day of tending to your heart’s desires into an evening of focusing on your rumbling stomach. Luckily, the region is studded with exceptional dining and drinking options.
If you’re looking for a good brew to close out the afternoon’s adventures, pull up a stool wherever you find yourself: Kaslo and Nelson both have some fine breweries to visit. Find a cold, frothy après-ride sip, and likely some fellow mountain bikers, at Nelson Brewing Co, or go enjoy some live music year-round at Kaslo’s Angry Hen.
For food, Moynes suggests small, locally owned Red Light Ramen or Broken Hill in Nelson, where the heartbeat is beer, whiskey and delicacies straight out of the smoker. As he is someone who’s ridden many of the trails in the area and would know how they work up an appetite, I trust his recommendations.
Personally, after hours of mountain air and leg burning activities, I crave rich warm pastas and sweet things, so my vote for food would be to fill up on homemade Italian food and dessert at Marzano in Nelson.
The fun doesn’t end with fading daylight and a full belly. Head into the back alley between the Hume Hotel and Broken Hill to find Easy Tiger, a speakeasy that promises great drinks and a good time to match your amazing day out on the trails.
The Nelson Kootenay Lake region doubles as a beloved cornerstone of British Columbian mountain biking culture and community and a special place to visit. I’ll be back someday, even if it’s just to laze around in the Kokanee Creek Provincial Park campsite for a couple days between paddle boarding on the lake and hiking deep into that spacious, wild, word-class scenery once again.
I’ll see you there.
This article was sponsored by Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism
Two mountain ranges, six communities, and one awesome experience of culture, outdoors and relaxation. Come discover the East Shore from Wynndel to Riondel, cross the glacial-fed Kootenay Lake over to Balfour, on a free ferry, and journey along the shoreline to Ainsworth Hot Springs, Kaslo, North Kootenay Lake and Nelson BC.
