If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will have learned that I have spent a week of every summer for the last ten years visiting the Invermere area of British Columbia. My husband's family (well, a portion of it - he has a big family) opts to get together and rent a house, and then we spend our week lounging on the beach, eating way too much food, and trying out as many activities as we can. I have several posts on this region, but even with all of those posts, I still haven't written about everything we've done (and not yet done). So I'd like to take this time to kind of 'wrap up' my thoughts about the Invermere area, and share with you all of the lovely things to see and do. Enjoy!
Hiking / Exploring
Juniper Trail - This is a trail located right next to Highway 93, and takes visitors straight down into a gully where you can find great views of the canyon walls surrounding the rushing waters of Sinclair Creek. This trail meanders just beyond where the falls come down from Sinclair Canyon, which I have already written about. The trail is moderately difficult just due to the incline, but my two-year-old and three-year-old kids handled it just fine so most hikers will not have a problem.
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| Strolling along Juniper Trail, down to the creek at the bottom. |
At the bottom of Juniper Trail, you can continue hiking on into the woods and connect to other trails, or you can enjoy the small area at the bottom. A wooden bridge takes you across Sinclair Creek and several lookout points give you views of the small falls and the pretty waters. We just hiked to the bottom, played Pooh Sticks on the bridge, took some photos of the creek, and headed back up again. At the top, we almost bumped into a mountain sheep grazing near the hood of our vehicle, and had to patiently wait for him to move on before entering the car. The kids loved that!
We have hiked this trail a few times, both with and without children. If you don't go exploring at the bottom of the gully down some of the alternate paths, then this is a quick hike of about 30 minutes or so, and is very peaceful and enjoyable.
Columbia Valley Road Side Stop - This is just a regular ol' pull out from the main road between Radium and Invermere, but the view is fantastic! We like to stop at least once every holiday to get out of the car, walk around, take some photos of the view, and enjoy the majesty that is the Columbia River Valley.
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| The Columbia Valley road side stop offers an amazing view. |
Olive Lake - I have wanted to explore the area around Olive Lake for years now, and this year we actively decided to stop and hike its perimeter. Of course, as luck would have it, it was closed due to recent bear activity. So we only had the chance to stop near the rest area, walk down to the lake edge on one side, take a couple pictures of its brilliant green colour, and then had to leave again. Maybe next year I can have an actual full post just on Olive Lake, because I suspect it will be worth it.
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| The waters of Olive Lake are an amazing green color, hence the name! |
Red Earth Creek Trail - We have only ventured on this trail for a short distance, back when my son was just a baby and my daughter, well, she was just a baby too, really. I had to turn back after about ten minutes on the trail to feed my son, so we haven't given this trail its proper dues. However, what we did see was pretty awesome, with tall trees towering on either side of a hillside pathway. We will be going back to hike this one when the kids are older!
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| The lush pathway that is Red Earth Creek trail. |
There are many other hikes around the area that I haven't covered here, and obviously we haven't tried them all yet. Maybe next year, with the kids old enough to do a bit more independently, we can review some of them for you!
Adventures
Boat and Seadoo Rentals - There are a few places in Invermere to rent motorboats and seadoos. Out of the ten years we have been visiting Invermere, we have only rented seadoos once. After that year, it became law to have a boating license. One member of our party received his boating license, but has forgotten it at home basically ever since then. We had a blast that ONE year we rented the seadoos, however. My goal this year is to get my boating license (which you can study for and take the test all online through a government website) and hopefully next summer we can rent either a motorboat or seadoos or maybe even - gasp - both!! The kids would probably love to jaunt around Lake Windermere in a racing boat!
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| Renting seadoos was a really fun way to spend the afternoon! |
Water Sports - Of course, with Invermere being a lake-side town, there are tons of water sports to be had. In the past, we've done kayaking and paddle boarding. We haven't gone out in a canoe at all, although that is an option as well. Since we aren't boat renters (yet!), we haven't had the chance to really do any water skiing, tubing, or kneeboarding, but those are all on the books for the future. Once again, you can rent any of these things at the multiple marinas and rental shops in town. So if you are feeling very Olympic today (that's a 90s movie reference, because I am getting old), there are tons of chances for you and yours to get out and get active.
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| Kayaking in the wetlands, surrounded by mountains. Amazing! |
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| My favourite photo of our paddle boarding adventure, in which my sister-in-law is in mid-fall! |
Hang Gliding - This was something I wanted to try last summer. I even had the establishment all picked out and I had contacted them for pricing and availability. And then we chickened out. So maybe next summer I will have a fantastic and exciting blog post about this activity. Maybe...
White Water Rafting - You can go white water rafting with a couple of companies in the local area. We have gone twice: once though a company in Radium, and once through a company in Golden (which is admittedly a bit of a drive from Invermere). Both companies were great, we had a fantastic time, and I would definitely go white water rafting again in a heartbeat. Much, much recommended!
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| The rush of white water rafting is exhilarating! |
Relaxing
Kinsman Beach - Our favorite place to relax in Invermere is at the Kinsmen Beach. In fact, when we are on our family B.C. holiday, the beach is basically a daily occurrence. There is a floating dock, paddle board and kayak rental shop, canteen, splash park, and of course, a beach. Our kids love swimming (this year my daughter embraced her life-jacket whole-heartedly and swam all the way out to the floating dock where she went down the slide into the lake), and playing in the sand pit is always a hit.
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| Grandma shows my son the view of the mountains from Kinsmen Beach. |
The only negative aspect of this beach is that the ONLY sand is found on the sand pit, which I suspect is dump trucked in weekly. The rest of the beach is painful rocks and pebbles, so we often wear water shoes when we visit. But overall, the experience is very positive and relaxing.
There is another beach in town, called the James Chabot beach. It has more sand and is better 'beach-wise' but we prefer the Kinsman Beach with its multiple amenities, convenient location, and relaxing atmosphere. It is up to you to decide which you like more!
Commercial Hot Springs - One cannot come to the Invermere area and not visit the famous Radium Hot Springs. Fairmont Hot Springs is also within driving distance, but personally I think Radium is of better quality. The water is hotter, the surroundings more picturesque so you feel like you are right in the actual mountains, and it just feels like a 'hot spring'. I find Fairmont feels more like a regular pool, and isn't as warm or relaxing. But that's just my personal opinion.
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| My little family enjoying Radium Hot Springs. |
Natural Hot Springs - My current favourite 'natural' hot spring in the Invermere area is Lussier Hot Springs, located in Whiteswan Provincial Park. I won't go on and on about it, as I already have a blog post dedicated to that site (see the list below), but I will tell you this place is amazing. Fairmont USED to have a natural hot spring, but it has been destroyed since I first visited it. So Lussier is also your only choice in the area for a natural hot spring.
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| Lussier Hot Springs are incredibly beautiful! |
Gerry's Gelato - And of course, what is a holiday without ice cream? Hands down, the best ice cream in Invermere is Gerry's Gelato. I won't even go into more detail. Just go there and eat it and you'll see what I mean. And no, Gerry has not sponsored this post! (No one ever sponsors my posts. I am the brokest travel blogger you will ever meet.)
Arrowhead Brewery - With the craft beer movement going strong across Canada, you can expect to find one or two breweries in almost every city. Invermere is no exception, with Arrowhead Brewery being the local specialty. The adults in our little group like to stop there at least once during our yearly stay in Invermere to grab a sampler platter and enjoy the eclectic atmosphere of the place.
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| Arrowhead Brewery in Invermere, B.C. offers a wide variety of beers. |
Past Posts on the Invermere region
Since we have been visiting this area for a decade now, naturally I have written a few posts about things to see and do surrounding Invermere. If you are visiting, and looking to fill your days, try out some of these posts for inspiration!Go White Water Rafting in the Rocky Mountains
Soak in a True Natural Hot Spring in the Canadian Rockies
Update: Fairmont Natural Hot Springs 2014
B.C.'s Lussier Hot Springs
How I Learned to Stand-Up Paddleboard in the Canadian Rockies
Sinclair Canyon: Gateway to Beauty
Return Holidays: Why You Can't Discount a Repeat Trip
Kayaking in the Rocky Mountains of Canada
Explore the 'Home of 1000 Faces' in Radium B.C.
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