The Best Summer Adventures in a Unique Part of BC
Fernie’s reputation as a powder Mecca precedes it, but the small-and-mighty mountain town in BC’s East Kootenays might be even better when the snow melts. In fact, it’s a bit of a cliché around town for locals to say, “I came for the winter but stayed for the summer.”
When I lived in Calgary with my family, we first crossed provincial lines because of the deep snow. But over time, we extended our visits into the summer, drawn by the warm weather, family-centered amenities and mountain biking trails.
Our “aha!” moment came one summer when the kids were big enough to hike the easy two-kilometre loop around Island Lake, a scenic alpine lake located about a half hour drive from town. We navigated beneath huge cedar boughs and over gnarled tree roots, past thimbleberry and Saskatoon berry bushes that lined the pathway (stuffing our faces along the way), to a lookout over the water. The lake was completely still, the dramatic peaks of the Lizard Range in sharp contrast to the blue sky.
It felt like we had this piece of mountain paradise to ourselves; an old growth forest playground where our kids could be active in the wild and nurture a love of the great outdoors. Over the years, we kept exploring new spots and returning to old haunts. This summer we’ll return with our (now) teenage son and see how these adventures have aged.
Canoe (or Hike) Around Island Lake
Rent a canoe from Island Lake Lodge and embark on a meditative paddle around the small isle in the middle that gives the lake its name. Canoeing with kids can be dicey—ours may have almost tipped the canoe at first paddle-dip—but once we settled into a rhythm they chilled out and took it all in: lily pads, soaring limestone pinnacles, and once, a mama moose and her baby grazing near the shore.
There’s also a network of hiking trails from the lodge, including the Lake Trail and the magnificent Old Growth Trail that begins at kilometre four on the access road and ends at the lake. Check to make sure the access road and lodge facilities are open to avoid disappointment.
Try Lift-Assisted Hiking at Fernie Alpine Resort
Buy a family pass to ride the Timber Chair (weekends only) or Elk Chair up to trails of all abilities that wind through a few of Fernie’s wildflower-studded alpine bowls. We love the Mammoth trail, a 1.75-km hike from the Lost Boys Café that descends to the ‘Mammoth Droppings’—enormous boulders that fell long ago during a landslide—before looping back up to the Lost Boys Lookout trail.
Families with young children can burn off energy at the Elk Grove Forest Playground, or learn about Fernie’s wildlife and geology at Nature Bob’s Interpretive Centre, both located at the top of the Elk Chair. Pro tip: If little legs poop out, you can always ride the chairlift back down!
Pedal the Lazy Lizard
I’m not what you’d call a mountain biker, but I couldn’t resist climbing into the saddle to ride the Lazy Lizard, a flowy and very family-friendly trail between Island Lake Lodge and Mt. Fernie Provincial Park. My daughter totally schooled me on the 339-metre descent that features gentle berms and numerous wide bridges as it winds down seven kilometres past giant cedars and Engelmann spruce trees, with plenty of mountain lookouts along the way.
Of course, you have to pedal up the trail before you get the downhill thrill (the lodge doesn’t allow vehicle shuttles up the access road), but you can break up the round-trip adventure with a stop at the Bear Bistro, which has a kids’ menu.
Spend a Day at Surveyor’s Lake
Located a 30-minute drive west of Fernie in Kikomun Creek Provincial Park, Surveyor’s Lake was our go-to summer cool-down spot. There’s a dock to jump off for swimming, and you can rent stand-up paddle boards, kayaks or pedal boats from Out N’ Aboat Rentals/Turtle Haven Rentals right from the beach.
We always paddled to the lake’s quiet coves—or under a bridge and into adjoining Engineer’s Lake—to look for western painted turtles sunning on logs. There’s also a three-kilometre hike around the lake that affords good vantage points for turtle spotting.
Fernie seems like the type of place that will always be the wild outdoor playground I remember. I can’t wait to see what new adventures we discover with a teen in tow.
