Funky Finds on the Powder Highway

Home / Blogs / Funky Finds on the Powder Highway

November 4, 2022

Funky Finds on the Powder Highway

With over 7.2+ million acres of terrain to be conquered, we suggest multiple visit to the Powder Highway to experience it all!

It is home to 100+ operators along this route and it is the birth place of heli-skiing. CMH Heli-Skiing was the first to take visitors out into the alpine in 1965, why Selkirk Snowcat Skiing was the first to take skiers/riders cat-skiing in 1975.

Other fun facts you may not be aware of: Revelstoke Mountain Resort has the most vertical in North America at 1,713 m/5,620 ft and it is home to the longest run (the Last Spike – 15 km/9.5 mi). While, the Kimberley Alpine Resort has the longest lit night-skiing run.

To assist you with your Powder Highway road trip, here are some of the most unique finds you can discover on and off the slopes along this route:

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to Panorama Mountain Resort
(2-Hour Drive)

#1 — At Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, in Golden BC, you’ll experience the ‘most elevated dining experience’ in Canada at 2,347 m/7,700 ft. – the Eagle’s Eye Restaurant (access by gondola, and you don’t need to ski or snowboard).

*Kicking Horse Resort’s Eagle Eye Restaurant, photo by Kari Medig*

#2 — The ‘Biggest Paddle in the World‘ — located on Highway #95 south of Golden, (access by vehicle).

#3 — The Whiteway (34-km/21-mi) on Lake Windermere connecting the communities of Invermere and Windermere (access by vehicle, then on ice skates, fat-bike or Nordic).

The Whiteway in Invermere, photo by Zoya Lynch

Panorama Mountain Resort to Fairmont Hot Springs Resort to the Kimberley Alpine Resort
(1 hour & 45-minute drive)

#4 — Rejuvenate in a hot springs mineral pool soak at either Radium Hot Springs or Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.

#5 — The incredible and natural formation of the Hoodoos near Fairmont Hot Springs along Highway 93/95, (access by vehicle, hike to the top on foot).

The Hoodoos in Fairmont Hot Springs, photo by Kari Medig

#6 – A Bavarian Feast at the Old Baurenhaus restaurant, a 350+ year old farmhouse from Germany, in Kimberley. Offering a delicious 8-course meal, with many farm-to-fork menu items, (access by vehicle).

Kimberley Alpine Resort to the Fernie Alpine Resort
(1 hour & 30-minute drive)

#7 — Canada’s Largest Cuckoo Clock is located in Kimberley’s Platzl. Be sure to feed the meter to hear the town’s mascot ‘Happy Hans’ yodel, (access on foot).

#8 — World’s Largest Truck (a short side-trip to Sparwood, east of Fernie) is located on Highway #3. This is the biggest capacity truck (can fit two greyhound buses and two pick-up trucks) and the only one of its kind ever built, (access by vehicle).

Fernie Alpine Resort to Nelson (Whitewater Ski Resort)
(3 hours & 45-minute drive)

#9 — Experience a traditional Swiss Raclette dinner at the Birch Meadows Lodge in Fernie. This delicious meal centres around your own table grill — great for small groups, (access by Nordic or snowshoe).

#10 — Snap a photo with a ‘Sasquatch’ in Creston at the Columbia Brewery, home of our Kokanee Beer, (access by vehicle).

#11 — Discover the ‘World’s Biggest Penny’ — located on Highway #6 in Salmo. The Giant Penny is 2.5 m (8 ft.) high and honours the Penny Power campaign of 1995, where Salmo residents collected pennies and donated them to the Government of Canada to reduce the national debt, (access by vehicle).

#12 — Side trip along the East Shore of Kootenay Lake to reach Nelson, crossing the lake on the ‘longest free ferry in the world‘.

*Kootenay Lake Ferry at Balfour, photo by Shannon Harrison*

#13 — And an extended side-trip to Ainsworth Hot Springs with the natural horse-shoe shaped cave is a must, (access by vehicle).

*Ainsworth Hot Springs cave interior, photo courtesy of the Resort*

Nelson (Whitewater Ski Resort) to RED Mountain Resort
(1 hour drive)

#14 — Let your taste-buds be infused with ‘garlic’ at the Outer Clove Restaurant in Nelson, (access on foot).

#15 — Along this portion of the route we have eight craft breweries — Angry Hen, Backroads, Lion’s Head, Nelson, Rossland, Savoy, Torchlight and Trail. Many offers tours & tastings, be sure to sample their seasonal brews too, (access by vehicle, then on foot). In total we are home to 16 breweries in the Kootenays (eastern & western maps).

*Photo courtesy of the Rossland Beer Company*

#16 — The “Brat Station” at the base of Gray Chair at RED Mountain Resort in Rossland – enjoy gourmet sausages from around the world, (access on ski/snowboard).

RED Mountain Resort to Revelstoke Mountain Resort
(4 hours & 15-minute drive)

#17 — Visit the Nakusp and Halcyon hot springs, both resort springs offer incredible views in tranquil and relaxing settings.

*Halcyon Hot Springs Resort, photo by Kari Medig*

#18 — One of the biggest ‘Smokey the Bear’ is located on Highway #1 near Revelstoke. The real-life Smokey the Bear was an orphaned black bear cub rescued from a wildfire, (access by vehicle).

#19 — Mt. Begbie Brewing in Revelstoke is one of the 18 craft breweries in the region. Be sure to include a stop in one of these tasty breweries along the loop.

#20 — On route to the Powder Highway in Yoho National Park (Highway 1-Trans Canada, Calgary to Golden BC), you’ll pass the Natural Bridge and during the winter months the water freezes (access by vehicle, then foot) or travel further down this road to Emerald Lake for a Nordic ski or snowshoe.

With high levels of snow throughout the region and winter driving conditions in effect, it is very important to check highway conditions and travel advisories while traveling through the Kootenay region. Winter tires are needed on your vehicle from October to April and Road Safety at Work has some great ideas for items to pack in your car such as windshield scraper & snow brush, shovel, warm blankets, snacks/beverages. DriveBC is a great resource with real-time webcams and road statuses.

Know Before You Go – Plan ahead so you can travel safely and responsibly. Familiarize yourself with weather, road conditions, general alerts for travellers and provincial health orders & recommendations.

Cover/top photo by Kari Medig of the Hoodoo hike in Fairmont Hot Springs.

Please tag your images with @PowderHighway and @KootRocks on Instagram to be featured in a future social post. For travel deals and specials – sign up for our Consumer Travellers Newsletter.

Top 5 Kootenay Rockies Road Trips

The Kootenay Rockies region in the southeast corner of British Columbia, Canada is epically known as BC’s Mountain Playground. And, we offer some of...

Thu, May 4, 2023