Last updated on September 11th, 2023 at 07:33 pm
If you are looking for an awesome road trip option, consider a West Kootenay road trip. The great part about exploring the West Kootenays is that you can make the road trip as long or as short as you want to take in any number of towns and sights. We only had a few days, so we did a loop from the Galena Bay Ferry to Nakusp, Kaslo, Trout Lake and back to the ferry in three days. With lots more to see and explore, we will definitely be returning to do a longer version of the West Kootenays Road trip.
This was an area we had never visited before but with an incredible number of absolutely gorgeous campgrounds to pick from, it would be easy to spend way longer at any of the places. We also completed our West Kootenay road trip towards the end of May, this meant all our stops were fairly quiet. I’m sure if you plan this trip in July or August it may be considerably busier.
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Our Three Day West Kootenay Road Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Revelstoke to Nakusp
The drive from Revelstoke to Nakusp, is truly beautiful, made even more scenic by the free Upper Arrow Lakes Ferry which you have to take to cross the lake. Once on the other side of the lake, the highway follows the lakeshore on and off for the whole drive. It really is spectacular.
There are a number of amazing spots to stop along the drive, you’ll first pass Halcyon Hot Springs, a gorgeous hot springs located right beside the Upper Arrow Lake. For those who like a more rustic hot spring, the rough drive up a forestry road further down the highway will take you to the Halfway Hot Springs. This is a popular spot with a steep trail down to the hot springs so prepare accordingly.
Before you know it, you’ve arrived at Nakusp, we opted to camp at McDonald Creek Provincial Park for our first night of our West Kootenay road trip. This is an awesome campground, modern and clean with many lake view camping spots and big beach areas. If you have more time, it is well worth staying here for more than just one night.
After we had set up camp, we headed back to Nakusp and up the winding mountain road for a soak at the Nakusp Hot Springs. This hot springs has two pools, a warm pool and a hot pool and it offers beautiful views of the forested valley it sits in. There is a campground and cabin accommodation located at the hot springs if you want to spend the night.
We headed back to town though and stopped for a bite to eat at a local restaurant in Nakusp before heading back to camp. We took a beautiful stroll along the lake shore at sunset before calling it a day.
Day 2: Nakusp to Kaslo
Day two of our West Kootenay road trip, meant another early start. We packed up camp and headed back to Nakusp, we took a stroll around the lakeshore trail in town and grabbed a coffee and pastry from a great little coffee shed on the main street.
Then we hit the road again, heading towards Kaslo, this stretch of highway is beautiful, it winds through the mountains and we stopped at a number of other campsites to check them out, for future trips, as we went. Another awesome lakeside site worth staying at is Summit Lake Provincial Park, a perfect spot for anyone with a boat!
We passed through New Denver and turned off the Highway to explore the Sandon Ghost Town. A worthwhile visit for anyone who wants to know more about the history of the area, the mining era and visit the Silversmith Power and Light generation station, the oldest working station in Canada.
Then it was back onto the highway for our final big stop on day two of our West Kootenay road trip, Kaslo. Kaslo is a great small town located on the shores of Kootenay Lake. We decided to take a tour of the SS Moyie, a sternwheeler which used to transport people on Kootenay Lake. It has been restored to its previous elegance and it is absolutely worth a visit to be thrown back in time.
After that we headed across the road to the Angry Bird brewing company for a beer and snack and sat on their large patio to enjoy some afternoon sunshine.
The it was back on the road and headed North to our last campground on our West Kootenay road trip, at Davis Creek in the Kootenay Lake Provincial Park, there is another campground which is part of the park, Lost Ledge, 5 km closer to Kaslo, both are awesome options to spend the night with great lake access.
Day 3: Kaslo to Revelstoke
The final day on our short West Kootenay road trip was a little slower, we took our time getting up and packing, sad we didn’t have the time to stay longer. After some coffee and a camp breakfast, we hit the road again.
Today would be slower going, as the highway turned to a dirt and gravel road as it leaves the lakes behind. The road is scenic though, so you won’t be in any rush as it follows the river for a good portion. We saw a bear cross the road on this stretch, so follow the speed limits and be prepared.
After crossing the outflow of Trout Lake, a nice spot to stop and enjoy a break and lunch beside the river. The road starts to climb, and I mean really climb. Before you know it, you are high above Trout Lake, looking down on its glimmering waters. This road is beautiful and, at least when we drove it, in fairly great condition. I can’t speak to the condition of the road at any other time though. We stopped at a number of different pull ins, marvelling at the views and just how much elevation we had gained.
Before we knew it, the road started to descend, winding its way down to the community of Trout Lake. There is lake access from the community here.
We didn’t spend much time in Trout Lake since we had to get to the ferry to head home, so we continued along the highway for another 30 minutes before reaching the ferry and then homeward bound for us, back up to Revelstoke and Highway 1.
Extended Options
If you have time, it is worth considering camping at the Halfway Hot Springs, this allows you to enjoy some peace and quiet in the managed campground but also it is a short walk to the hot pools, which never close, so you will be able to enjoy them with slightly fewer people that if you go during the midday.
For those with a week or more to dedicate to a West Kootenay road trip, from Nakusp continue to head south via New Denver but then continue on to Slocan and Nelson for a few nights. You can then head North on Highway 3A with a stop at Ainsworth Hot Springs before heading to Kaslo and continuing on to Trout Lake and back to the Upper Arrow Lakes ferry. This is a West Kootenay road trip option we definitely want to do in the future.
Things You Might Need For A West Kootenay Road Trip
First off we never hit the road without a Backcountry Roads Mapbook. This shows you lots of treasures and rec sites which might be of interest while you are on the road. They are a must have if you are exploring a new area in my opinion.
As always I’d recommend a dinner tent or gazebo, this helped keep us dry and our tent dry too when it rained, this made packing up each day to move on to the next spot way easier as we had a dry area to pack up in.
We like to organize our gear in totes when we go on a road trip, so it is easy to find what we need and everything stays together. When you are moving each day it is really great to just be able to grab a tote and find what you need and then throw it back in the car once you are done with it.
