Columbia River Valley, East Kootenay
and the Canal Flats
by Fida Wild
Whenever I get the chance to travel to Calgary, I branch off Trans Canada Highway 1 in Golden onto Highway 95 and drive through the magnificent Columbia River Valley.
"The Valley of a Thousand Peaks" is situated between the mighty Rocky Mountains to the East and the Bugaboo Mountains - the Purcell Mountain range - to the West in British Columbia's East Kootenay.
Highway 95 links Golden to the North with Cranbrook to the South, a scenic drive of approximately 250 km.
The Columbia River is the fourth largest river in North America and travels over 2,000 km from its headwaters, the Columbia Lake (North of Golden), to the Pacific Ocean.
The photos don't do justice to the beauty. I stopped many times to capture the scenes that especially moody weather painted on the landscape. But the magic doesn't really show.
It's a joy to travel through the the wetlands of the Columbia Valley and East Kootenay in any season.
Wildlife is abundant - Radium Hot Springs is known as the capital of the Mountain Big Horn Sheep - and the Canal Flats further south are home to hoodoos or earth pyramids - unique geological rock formations.
Radium Hot Springs is also home to the very colourful Radium Hot Springs Woodvarver. The Home of a Thousand Faces is well worth a visit.
Hot mineral pools in Radium Hot Springs and Fairmont Hot Springs are a blessing for the weary traveller and a relaxing adventure for everyone.
I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as do every time I visit the Columbia River Valley.
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What Other Visitors Have Said
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The golden glory of Golden
Hi Fida, your friend Maggy here. You 'forced' me to take the route via the Columbia Valley, and how could I say no since I want to keep you as a friend ...
Valley of joy
Why will not be a joy to travel through the wetlands of the Columbia Valley and East Kootenay in any season? your pix and post show how awesome the place ...
Beautiful!
There is a Hindi movie shot in Calgary called Koi Mil Gaya and the scenes were beautiful. But your pictures make me want to visit it!
East Kootenay
I was there…
I visited my lady friend who owns a horse ranch near Wasa, BC - not exactly in the Columbia Valley but a bit further south in the East ...
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