Experience the best of Kootenay Rockies

The Kootenay Rockies region occupies the south-east corner of British Columbia, between the Columbia Mountains and the Rockies, bordering Alberta and the United States. Long lakes and rivers run through steep valleys, and the region is made up of small towns such as Nelson, Kimberley, Fernie, Golden and Invermere, each in its own pocket of the mountains.

Kootenay National Park and Yoho National Park protect glaciers, canyons and waterfalls, and Radium Hot Springs has hot mineral pools. Kootenay Lake is long and deep, with the heritage buildings of Nelson on its west arm. The Columbia Wetlands, a long marsh beside the river, are full of birds, and Fernie and Kimberley have ski areas.

Trout, huckleberries and craft beer feature on menus in the mountain towns, and old mining sites and railway lines recall the region's past. Deep snow covers the high country in winter, and in summer the lakes warm enough for swimming.