Kootenay Rails & Heritage

BC’s Mountain Playground

Photo Credit: Thompson Okanagan/Darren Robinson

Header Photo Credit: Andrew Penner

BC’s Kootenay region is alive with history and heritage.  Full of pristine mountains and rivers, this area boasts wonderfully restored heritage towns, incredible rail history, thriving arts communities and gold rush boomtowns.

Covering so many of the region’s quaint areas, you are invited to explore and experience the lifestyle, culture, and community of Canada’s west.  Savour the last days of warm weather and enjoy all that BC’s Mountain playground has to offer with stunning panoramic vistas and scenic roadways.

TOUR ITINERARY

DAY 1 – OSOYOOS, BC

Travel like a local today and climb aboard the restored 1912 Steam Locomotive for a picturesque ride on the historic Kettle Valley Railway.  Enjoy scenic vistas, bountiful orchards and lush vineyards. Our home for the night is the Best Western Plus situated on the shores of Osoyoos Lake in Osoyoos.

DAY 2 – NELSON, BC

Enjoy visiting the Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre to learn about Canada’s only desert and the legends and culture of the Syilx people.  Then, experience Doukhobor life with a guided tour through the Discovery Centre enroute to Nelson via the Crowsnest Hwy.

EXPERIENCES & HIGHLIGHTS

Ride the rails aboard a restored Steam Locomotive along the famed Kettle Valley Railway. Step aboard the S.S. Moyie in Kaslo, stroll Nelson’s heritage-filled Baker Street and ride Streetcar #23.

DAY 3 – NELSON

It’s ‘All Aboard’ Streetcar #23 for a guided tour of “The Queen City” of Nelson. In Kaslo, step onboard the S.S. Moyie, the world’s oldest intact passenger sternwheeler.  Back in Nelson, spend the rest of the day exploring Baker Street and the towns’ many heritage buildings.

DAY 4 – CRANBROOK, BC

Prepare for stunning scenery enroute to Cranbrook, a town created for the railway and rooted in nature and grounded by culture.  Visit the acclaimed Museum of Rail Travel and celebrate the glory days of a bygone era. Our home for the night is the beautiful St. Eugene Resort Casino.

SPOTLIGHT

St. Eugene Mission Resort is a repurposed residential school owned and operated by the First Nations of the area.

The Canadian Museum of Rail housed the largest collection of cars in North America of rail travel in Canada in the early 1900’s.

DAY 5 – THREE VALLEY GAP, BC

Discover Kimberley, known for its Bavarian theme, and the world’s largest cuckoo clock.  In Revelstoke visit the renowned Railway Museum or stroll its charming downtown – the choice is yours.  Tonight enjoy a BBQ dinner and Ghost Town tour at the quaint and quirky Three Valley Lake Chateau for our final night.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Bavarian City of Kimberley, BC is home to the World’s largest standing Cuckoo Clock!  Built in 1972, it stands 22 feet high and is 12 feet wide.

DAY 6 – RETURN HOME

Photo by Mitch Winton