Rockies Circle Pt 6: The Selkirks

We sadly said good bye to Yoho NP yesterday. What a gorgeous park, and not as busy as Banff. We had a great time. We got back on the road and made our way to New Denver on Slocan Lake via Golden and Revelstoke, both lovely towns nestled in the mountains. The roadwork to enlarge Hwy 1 is mind boggling. They are essentially building out extra lanes on the side of the mountain. Maybe it is cheaper than blasting? Not sure.

We have found a new appreciation for the Selkirk Mtns. Rogers Pass was stunning with blue skies and snowy peaks. We stopped at the Discovery Center and learned more about the brave (crazy?) men who somehow found a pass for the train and the tragedy of 1910 avalanche.

We then started south, crossing Arrow Lake on a FREE ferry. Since it is flooded, BC Hydro funds the ferry that runs back and forth. Again the scenery was lovely but more interesting were the patterns of pollen on the water. We have noticed a lot of pollen on the lakes and this collection showed how much pollen is in the air!

We settled into our new home in New Denver. This campground is on the lake but we do not have a lakeside site. That is ok because we appreciate the shade on the 30+ degree days. We can see the lake and walk to the beach for sunsets!

Today we were going to paddle across the lake and do a hike in Valhalla Prov Park. We were advised to drive to Bannock Point, a few km south, to save some paddling. We got there and found we would have to schlep our boats 500m down a steep slope, and then return after a long no hike. So we modified plans again, and did a short hike to a lovely viewpoint along the lake. It was up and down some steep cliffs but worth the work.

The 20 km drive down to Slocan was a winding, very hilly road, but really pretty. The sleepy little town of Slocan has a great beach and launch spot. We put in and did a nice tour of the lake edge on one side, looking at the cliffs above us, and then crossed the lake and came back along the rocky shores of Valhalla park.