Wow! What a treat. So accessible and hidden in plain sight. Beautiful boulder waterfalls. Lush…read moregardens. Small bridge over river. Flower beds. Some Japanese items. Saw an American Dipper too!

Apparently this is the quintessential Nelson hike. Nelsonians (is that what you're called, guys?)…read morehike it on the regular and there's a good amount of people on the trail, all of whom are very friendly. There are a few parking spots allocated for the trail, but they fill up quickly, so you'll likely be parking alongside Johnstone Road, which can be a bit tricky. Dogs are allowed on the trail and in true Kootenay hospitality, there are even dozens of hiking poles for you to use and return to the beginning of the trail. The trail itself goes straight up for 1.8 Km each way. If you give yourself a break at the top to enjoy the view (which, why wouldn't you??), the hike takes about 2 hours. I like a big payoff for my hikes in the form of an amazing view and Pulpit definitely delivers one. Pulpit was a really good way for me to get to know Nelson.

If you're looking for glacial lakes and alpine vistas, come here. The moderately rated 4 km trail…read morethat starts from Gibson Lake at the parking lot to Kokanee Lake offers some terrific alpine access and will make you feel as though you're stepping onto the edge of Alaska (but a bit more tame). You can continue on to the Glacier via Keyhole Trail (steep) or take a day to round the mountain and camp out. Wildflowers are vibrant in mid to late summer and numerous waterfalls intersect the trail. You might consider carrying bug spray to fend off a few mosquitoes near the lakes, but the views are certainly worth it! Make sure if you are staying overnight that you use the provided chicken wire to surround your car -- the porcupines apparently have a hankering for brake lines. Have never had a problem leaving mine unprotected during the day! Make sure that your car is higher clearance and that the wheels are all ready for adventure! You don't need a 4WD car at all, but you might feel like you wish you had a truck at times (depending on condition). I've driven it in a lower Mazda 3 and almost considered turning around. Definitely worth it, though!

First off: our guides, Cassie and Bri were excellent and kept us safe and secure and also eased…read moreour nerves as we took off on this high flying adventure. This involves no climbing or other physically taxing activity except walking from the van to the zip line start and a small walk from one zip line to the next. Basically, anyone under 265 lbs can do it. There is the option after the first zip line to bow out, if you find you really hate it, so you should definitely at least give it a go. The views are exhilarating and it's wild to go flying across a deep mountian canyon. Again, while it seems scary, it's very safe and very fun. Thanks for the great adventure!

If you've never been on a zip line this is a fantastic one to start with. Great management with…read moreoutstanding service and very safety oriented. Guides were super through the six zip lines making sure you were having fun and safe on the platform. Fantastic scenery as you crisscrossed the valley with views of the creek, lake and mountains.

I'm all for parks, but…read more.. This place has a dicey reputation from what a local told me. Added to that, one trail leads you to a sanitation or hydro plant, the other trail in the other direction dumps you off on top of the railroad. There's a parking lot in between and a single picnic table, from what I noticed, that's surrounded by tall bushes/vegetation. I must be missing something...? Either way, it is not clear what you are supposed to do here or what the park is for. I had to look it up on the internet to find out. There's a super tiny sign that barely marks it from the highway (blink & you'll miss it) and no interpretive signs that I could see. It's great that it's protecting land (I'm all for that!) but as a visitor, it wasn't worth the effort it took to try out the two trails I saw. I hope someone can point out differently for me!

Had a simply splendid experience spelunking with our guide Lee! We tried the Explorer Tour. This…read moretour has a bit of everything! Splashing through glacier fed spring water, short rock climbs, rope assisted climbs (even up a small waterfall!), ladder climbs, tight squeezes, very tight squeezes and tons of amazing calcite formations from stalagmites, stalactites, straw formations, drapery formations, cave pearls.....all very cool. We were the first guests in the cave this year and were even treated to the sight of hibernating Daddy Long Legs Spiders . Highly recommend this caving tour experience.

I had always thought about checking out what the Cody Caves tours were all about. This dated back…read moreto over 20 + years ago when I had lived in Nelson BC for a short period, but never managed to make the time. Well today was the day and boy what a fantastic experience it was! There are a variety of levels for their cave tours depending on what you want to experience and how long you would like to spend in the caves. Reservations must be made ahead of time in order to secure your spots on the tour. Once booked, they will email you information on how to get there along with most everything you will need to know before you go. We chose the family tour which takes you about 300 meters into the cave. This tour is a great introduction to caving for anyone feeling apprehensive or claustrophobic. In terms of attire, definitely bring a change of shoes and socks as you will trek through many wet parts of the cave and past an underground waterfall. Long pants that do not constrict movement and range when your climbing over rock formations is recommended. I had a T-shirt and shorts and was totally fine in the 5 degree temperature. Most may prefer long pants for warmth and additional protection for your legs if you accidentally stumble. In the event you wear shorts, pack bug spray for when you hike to the caves from the park parking lot at the top. The road entrance leading to the caves from the highway is a 10 km-ish dirt forestry road. You do not need a 4x4 or truck to drive it. In fact two people from our tour group drove up in a Mazda 3 front wheel drive vehicle. The initial 2.5 km may appear a bit intimidating at first, but the rest of the route is smooth sailing. You should allow 30 minutes to get yourself from the highway entrance to the Cody Caves Provincial Park parking lot. If you start your trek up about an hour before you tour start time, you will less likely run into traffic flowing the opposite route (from previous tours). Something you will want to avoid as the road is narrow and would require you to back up to an area passable in the road. Once you arrive at the top and meet your guide, they will walk you through your adventure ahead and show you on a map where you will be going. After setting ever one u on with gloves, helmet and head lamp. You begin a short hike (20 minutes or so) up a couple hundred meters to the cave entrance. From that point you will be in for an amazing and memorable adventure! Our guide was fantastic! This was his 7th season as a guide for Cody Caves and he was incredibly knowledgeable and informative throughout the entire tour. The one cool thing that you do not notice is that there is absolutely no light coming in to the caves from outside in only 5 minutes into your trek. It's incredible how much your group's' headlamps fill the caverns during your trek in the caves. Depending on the pace of your tour group, you should allow about 2 hours from your scheduled start tine to return back to your vehicle from the caves (sometimes previous group may be slower return back to the tour cabin too) so allow yourself time if you had any plans following your tour adventure. Cody Cave tours is definitely a must do on your list especially if you plan to pass by Ainsworth. We will definitely return to check out their other style of tours the next time we are back in the Kootenays.

We were so pleased to happen upon this lovely little park adjacent to Hwy 395 (fence around the…read moreplay area for safety). It was easy to access with lots of free parking on gravel lots. The park has a playground, 2 tennis courts, 2 basketball hoops, seasonal public restrooms, benches, picnic tables, barbecue pits, pavilion, baseball field, and a stage against the backdrop of the jagged hills to the north. The Kettle Falls Information Center is also located across the street. It was a great place for our kids to spend an hour happily getting some wiggles out. We'll definitely plan to stop again if we're in the area!

Wonderful rest stop a quick 45 mins or so north of the US/CAN border. Bathrooms were pretty clean…read more Lots of picnic tables that are in a nice grove of trees. Large circular drive to pull through your RVs and trailers, and enough space to pull off to the side with little problem. Great space and beautiful surroundings.