Kootenay Road Trip 2020 Scenes: Hiking in Creston

Why do some of the best hikes go straight uphill? Were the people who made the trails in a hurry to reach the view? Were they wearing shoes filled with helium?

These were just some of the questions we asked while hiking one of Creston’s most popular trails: the Balancing Rock Trail. Until this point we had avoided hiking in Creston because of the wildfire smoke filling the air. Walking on the flat, grassy Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area trails seemed safe enough but sucking in smoke on more strenuous ground wasn’t an attractive proposition. Besides, what sort of views would we see with the valley choked in smoke?

Finally, toward the end of our time in Creston, the smoke cleared and we resolved to hit the trail. The trail hit us right back. From the start it pushed steadily uphill, like an elevator bent on reaching orbit. And while the trail is only about a four-kilometre round trip we had to stop several times to catch our breath on the way up.

As is often the case, we found the trail’s namesake somewhat underwhelming — just a big rock that looks a little like it’s balancing on one end. The views, however, were well worth the price of admission and definitely worth all the huffing and puffing we did to get there. From the top, the Creston Valley splayed before us, stretching north to Kootenay Lake and south to the US border. We took in the vista happily, admiring all we had not seen during the days of smoke.

As a bonus, the trail continues beyond the titular rock into a swampy boardwalk section filled with ferns. There the trail splits and it’s possible to continue for longer hikes. Doing so was tempting, but we opted to turn back after spending some pleasant, quiet moments in the fern forest.

I’d hike it again, if only for that view. But I might bring an oxygen tank.

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Kootenay Road Trip 2020 Scenes: Creston’s Wildlife Haven

The Creston Valley was full of surprises for us — surprises like discovering it has a wine industry, peach, plum and apple orchards, fruit stands and farms stretching from one side of the valley to the other. Shame on us for not doing more research: we thought we were heading into the mountains and instead found a place more reminiscent of the Okanagan Valley of 50 years ago. (Perhaps all the Kokanee Beer commercials threw us off…)

One of the best surprises was the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA). About 10 kilometres outside Creston, the CVWMA consists of wetlands covering nearly 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres). The area is recognized as a Ramsar site (an internationally important wetland) and as an Important Bird Area of Canada. It supports more than 300 bird species, 60 mammal species, 17 fish species, six reptile species and six amphibian species. Not to mention all the plants and invertebrates.

Whew! We found it a great place for a long, pleasant walk accompanied by the cries of ducks, geese, herons and other birds we couldn’t get close enough to identify. Ominously, every few hundred metres the grassy paths were festooned with enormous piles of bear scat. We never ran into the owners of said scat — which was fine with us.

Because it’s so quiet and so scenic we also found the CVWMA a great place to do some plein air painting, landscape photography and wildlife photography. I’ve included photos of a juvenile Hooded Merganser, the view toward the Selkirk Mountains, a duck and Diana painting beside one of the area’s viewing towers. It was hazy, as the wildfire smoke was just starting to dissipate, but still quite beautiful.

If you’re the kind who likes places that are quiet, free of motorized toys like boats, quads and motorcycles and close to nature, the CVWMA is for you. You can even follow the CVWMA’s Discovery Centre on Facebook and Instagram at @kcdiscoverycentre!

Have you been there? If so, what was your favourite part?

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Kootenay Road Trip 2020 Scenes: Creston’s Grain Elevators

Pulling into Creston, BC, one can’t help but notice two weathered grain elevators looming over the highway. When we drove in the valley was filled with wildfire smoke from the south and we didn’t see the elevators until we were almost beside them. Fortunately the next day was a little clearer and we were able to explore the elevators, learn a bit about their history and take some photos.

The grain elevators are about 85 years old and are beautifully weathered. The red elevator was owned by Alberta Wheat Pool and was built in 1935. The grey elevator, built in 1936, was originally owned by Midland and Pacific and later by United Grain Growers. If you look closely (and I’m sorry I didn’t get a photo that shows this well) you can see the faded names of both organizations on the elevator. Both are about six stories tall and were used to collect and distribute wheat, barley, oats and rye grown in the Creston Valley.

But, you object, both Alberta Wheat Pool and United Grain Growers are defunct. True. The elevators were closed to public use 40 to 50 years ago and owned privately until 2018 when the Columbia Basin Trust bought them. They did so knowing these are two of only four grain elevators left in BC, and well worth preserving.

While we were exploring we were pleased to discover that an annex built on to the red elevator houses the Kunze Gallery. We passed time admiring the artwork and were pleased to chat for a few minutes with the gallery’s owner, Sandy Kunze. The gallery features a lot of beautiful art, so if you’re in the area and the gallery is open, definitely drop in. Better yet, follow the gallery on Instagram at @kunze_gallery!

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