Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies: The Ultimate 5-Day West Kootenays Road Trip

The desire to go on a mountain biking road trip this summer led us to the West Kootenays, an area we'd never fully explored beyond the Nelson / Kootenay Lake area. This time we wanted to check out the trails, beaches, and hot springs around the Village of Nakusp.

Below is the itinerary from our 6 night summer vacation where we had 5 full days to explore the best of the Arrow/Slocan region staged from a basecamp on Summit Lake where we camped at a private campground called Camp Valhalla (more information on our campground at the end of this guide.)

The Ultimate West Kootenays Road Trip

From our campsite on Summit Lake we explored the nearby Nakusp area on the Upper Arrow Lake 20 minutes to the north. From Nakusp we visited 3 different hot springs 2 beaches, and we did lots of mountain biking at the Mt. Abriel Recreation Area.

Heading 20 minutes south from Summit Lake, we found more great trails to ride around the communities of Rosebery and New Denver on Slocan Lake. Forest fires prevented us from traveling further south along Slocan Lake, but we enjoyed a great day trip to Kaslo, an hour east from camp, where we drove to the top of a fire lookout on Mt. Buchanan for an epic bike descent.

Epic mountain biking in the West Kootenays

Day 1 - Mountain Biking in Rosebery / Nakusp Beach

We'd decided that we'd pair mountain biking with one water activity each day. For day one, we started our day with a drive to Rosebery where my husband and son wanted to ride Upper and Lower Butter.

"Butter" is a an intermediate downhill-specific trail with 1000 metres of descent after reaching the top of the mountain. It is most commonly accessed by driving up the West Wilson Creek FSR which was pretty good for a forestry road. The trail itself is technical in nature with natural features including roots, rocks, drops and a few wooden boardwalks.

Note: All trail links will take you to the Trail Forks website. I highly recommend purchasing the app if you do a lot of biking.

Mountain biking on "Butter" in Rosebery

After biking we headed to the Nakusp beach which had great sand and a shallow swimming area bordered by logs to protect swimmers from boats on the lake. It would be a good option for families with young kids. We also stopped at the Hut Drive In where they have 25+ flavors of milkshakes!

Sand for miles at the Nakusp Beach

We returned to camp and paddled around the islands on Summit Lake after dinner as we enjoyed the sun set and listened to loons calling over the water. It was the perfect end to the day.

Evening paddling on Summit Lake

Day 2 - Hot Springs near Nakusp / Mountain Biking at Mt. Abriel Recreation Area

Day two was a big one for us because we wanted to visit two different hot springs north of Nakusp. Since they were very close in proximity, we chose to stop in at both locations before biking.

I'd recommend choosing one of the hot springs to visit. Alternately, if you travel to Nakusp from Revelstoke, you'll pass by both of them on your travel day. Either would be great to break up the drive if you're not towing a trailer.

Halfway Hot Springs north of Nakusp

Halfway Hot springs

The Halfway natural hot springs are easy to access from Nakusp via a good logging road and a short hike. There were several pools of varying temperatures located beside the river, and there was even a changing cabin beside the pools.

We'd heard that these pools can get busy, so we got an early start and visited before biking.

Notes if you want to visit these hot springs:

They're free to visit
Wear running shoes or something other than flip flops to access the pools from the parking lot. The trail down has wooden stairs, but it's steep. Down below you'll appreciate sandals to get between pools.
There's an outhouse down by the pools. There's also a small FCFS campground above the pools! It's best suited for tents or maybe small campers/vans.
Pack out everything you bring

Soaking in the hot pool at Halfway Hot Springs

Halcyon Hot Springs

Also located north of Nakusp, these public hot springs are located at the Halcyon Hot Springs Resort, perched on a bench high above Upper Arrow Lake for stunning views while you soak. You'll pay to use the pools, but you'll also get a modern facility complete with bathrooms, showers, and a clean user experience.

At the facility you'll find a hot soaking pool, warm leisure pool with jetted swim channel (similar to a lazy river,) a seasonal swimming pool, and a cold plunge pool. They also provide pool noodles to enhance your relaxation experience.

The hot springs are open to non-resort guests and reservations are not required.

Seasonal swimming pool at Halcyon Hot Springs

Floating around the circulating channel in the warm pool

Mountain biking at Mt. Abriel

The Mt Abriel Recreation Area is located 10km north of Nakusp. There is a great FCFS campground on site or you can drive to the park for the day.

Intermediate / advanced riders can access phenomenal trails across the highway from the campground either by riding the climb trails or shuttling the Turner Road forestry service road. I'd rate the road double black as far as shuttle roads go and we had to shift into 4-wheel drive to climb to the very top. Fortunately the reward was high.

My boys loved "Ride On" which descends 1000 metres of height from the top of Mt Abriel. Features included rocky technical sections with slabs, root drops, steep pitches, and flowy sections with berms and jumps.

Lots of slabs on "Ride On!"

For a slightly tamer drive, turn off Turner FSR on to the North Flank Road which doesn't climb as high. It still accesses great trails but you won't need 4-wheel drive. (High clearance is still ideal.)

My boys' favourite trail off North Flank was "Dusty Panther" which descends about 250 metres and ends in the campground. My son actually said this was his absolute favourite trail that he rode on our trip.

Beginners will find an assortment of fun trails on the campground side. "Sky Captain" was my favourite (it was like a flowy pump track) and I also enjoyed the Lake Trail where there was a beautiful wooden boardwalk bridge to ride over.

After our long day of hot spring soaking + biking, we enjoyed dinner in Nakusp at the Leland Hotel where they have a lakeside patio. The cuisine was basic pub fare, but the setting can't be beat for dining out in Nakusp.

The Mt. Abriel Trails are phenomenal for intermediate/advanced riders!

Day 3 - Day Trip to Kaslo / Mt. Buchanan

Mt Buchanan has a historic fire lookout site on its summit complete with tower still standing. And you can drive to the very top!! The road was steep and rough, but it was very driveable with a high clearance truck (maybe an AWD vehicle and a confident driver.)

This trip was high on our vacation priority list because I love fire lookouts and my boys were excited by the idea of riding down 1300 metres from the summit!

Mt. Buchanan Fire Lookout, Kaslo

There's a great trail that leaves from the summit called the "Friendly Giant." It's rated green for beginner-friendly riding, but you must be comfortable with downhill riding and berms! (And be able to actually descend 1000+ metres on a bike - which is no small feat!)

The trail is bi-directional, but you'll have a lot more fun starting at the top if you have a shuttle driver! If you enjoy climbing though, the trail is well designed to be ridden in either direction and you'll certainly earn that ride down!

And note if you plan to shuttle riders on this one, research the ending spot before you start up the road. Your riders will be ending further up the highway towards Kaslo! I drove all over the mountain trying to find my boys. Beginner riders may also want to try the lower section too before committing to the full descent! I tried the bottom third and it was enough for me. Next time maybe I'll try the middle third.

My boys loved the flowy trail with all its berms, jumps, and rollers. They finished on an intermediate trail called "High Commander" that they especially loved! I know we'll be back next summer.

And, for the shuttle drivers, bring your hiking shoes cause there's a lovely loop trail at the top which visits a beautiful viewpoint over Kootenay Lake and Kaslo.

Trying the lower half of the Friendly Giant

Day 4 - Beach Day at McDonald Creek Provincial Park

We'd heard great things about McDonald Creek Provincial Park near Nakusp, so we loaded up the paddleboards and a kayak, and set out to explore.

While we were just visiting for the day, there is a provincial park campground at McDonald Creek. Reservations can be made online. Next time we're definitely camping here!

The main attraction for day users here is the large public sandy beach which requires only a short 20 second walk to access from the day use area.

Day trip to the West Kootenay Bahamas

From the main public beach you can also paddle over to the lagoon on the far side of the lake. It only takes 20 minutes but you'll feel as if you've arrived in the Bahamas on your own private island.

As always, remember to pack out what you pack in and note that there are no facilities beyond the main beach. You won't find bathrooms or anything like that on the far side of the lake.

And if you're paddling to the back lagoon, please remember, people are here to relax, so leave those speakers behind, find a different party spot, don't start a campfire on the beach, pack out your garbage, and don't bring glass bottles!!! We found glass in the sand which is not cool.

If you're looking for a peaceful place to escape the crowds and sunbathe on a sandy "island," you'll love this park and remote area.

Paddling around at the back of the lake from McDonald Creek

Day 5 - Galena Rail Trail, New Denver / Nakusp Hot Springs

The Galena Trail starts in Three Forks, approx. 10 km east of New Denver. The main trail is only 5km one way until you reach the edge of New Denver. We continued on the Lower Galena Trail to Rosebery for a total of 11km point to point.

The highlight of this trail is the cable car near the beginning which crosses over Carpenter Creek. There is no way around this, so those with a fear of heights may not love this trail. You load your bike into the cart and then pull yourself across the creek to reach the far side. Families with young kids may have to make a few crossings if the kids can't ride alone.

The Galena Trail cable car crossing

The trail is a true delight to ride through a lush forest of large Devil's Club plants, and other than a couple of steep hills down and up from the creek, it's a lovely rail grade ride that's fun for all abilities.

The trail is most fun to ride in the gradual downhill direction towards New Denver but experienced cyclists will easily ride it both ways. I'd start in Rosebery or New Denver if riding out and back so you can enjoy cruising back to the vehicle at the end.

For shuttling, we started riding together as a family and then my husband turned around at the 5km mark as we were approaching New Denver. My son and I continued to Rosebery where my husband met us at the end.

The Galena Trail is a family favourite!

Other things to note:

You could "maybe" fit a chariot or bike trailer into the cable car but you'd have to detach it from the bike and collapse it. Easier to "not" use one.
The trail is a designated non-motorized greenway.
Early season it's a good idea to check trail reports to make sure the cable car is good to go for the season.

Crossing Carpenter Creek in the cable car

We returned to camp for lunch, and then headed to the Nakusp Hot Springs for some afternoon relaxing. These hot springs are located at the Nakusp Hot Springs Chalets and Campground Resort, but the pools are open to the public with no reservations required.

The facility is small, one circular hot pool and a separate cold plunge pool, but we loved the place! We were there pre-dinner when it was extremely quiet, and had the place to ourselves. We shared the pool with one other couple and chatted away as we floated around on the pool noodles provided.

It was a great relaxing pool and I highly recommend visiting mid day when the resort guests are off exploring.

We ended the day with dinner at Chumley's restaurant in Nakusp where they have phenomenal Mexican food and a pleasant outdoor patio.

Every hot spring pool should provide pool noodles

Peaceful afternoon relaxing at the Nakusp Hot Springs

More Information on our Basecamp at Camp Valhalla

We chose to stay at Camp Valhalla because we wanted an RV site with full hookups for our trailer. The campground also has tenting sites and a variety of other sites (some with power and or water.)

There is a small beach on site along with a dog beach as well and a boat dock for launching kayaks, canoes, or small fishing boats.

The campground attracts a lot of large groups so don't expect it to be terribly quiet, but it's a great basecamp, ideally situated between Nakusp and New Denver. From this campground you can access many great trails, hot spring pools, and beaches.

Reservations can be made online early winter (I believe it was around February) so check their website at the beginning of the year.

Evening paddling on Summit Lake

Great way to unwind at the end of the day!

Resources and More Information on Mountain Biking in the West Kootenays

Visit the Arrow Slocan Tourism Website for more information on things to do around Nakusp and the surrounding area.

Visit the Kootenay Dirt Website for a complete list of bike regions across the East and West Kootenays.

"Kootenay Dirt is a consortium of nine destination marketing organizations in the BC Kootenays. With more than 680 world-class trails for all levels of experience, including people with disabilities, three bike parks, and incredible mountain culture to offer visitors, these destinations are sure to satisfy any bike enthusiast or beginner biker alike." - Kootenay Dirt

This trip focused on the Arrow/Slocan Region with one day trip to Kaslo, but this summer we've also done a lot of biking in the East Kootenays around Cranbrook, Kimberley, Invermere & Panorama, and Golden.

You'll find information on each of these regions on the Kootenay Dirt Website.