Kimberly BC/ Radium/ Hoodoos

We had a great time in Alberta exploring, but it was time to make our way back to BC. Next stop: Kimberley, BC. En route to Kimberley, we stopped at the Frank Slide. This is the site where, in 1903, a massive slide from Turtle Mountain buried the town of Frank in under two minutes when 110 million tonnes of rock buried part of the town, where 70-90 people lost their lives. The views from the interpretive centre of the rock piled all around can be characterized by a massive, scarred mountain and a vast, chaotic debris field of limestone boulders that stretches across the valley floor. To learn more, visit

Frank Slide Interpretive Centre.

RV Park – Kimberley Riverside Campground, Kimberley BC

https://kimberleycampground.ca/

This is a well-laid-out park that has been divided into several different areas with varying hookups.  Each one of the areas has washrooms, showers, and garbage bins.  We were booked into a 50-amp full hook-up pull-through site.  There are plenty of amenities at the park, including e-bikes, SUPs, kayaks, playgrounds, mini golf, and a general store.  The area we were in had limited cell phone service, which was made up for by the WiFi service.

The Porch Brewery

Our brewery visit was to the The Porch linked to Kimberley Brewing. 

An excellent flight of beer with burgers for dinner was top-notch.  The parking lot guardian, a mule deer buck, was pretty chill; we thought he was a realistic statue until he moved.

Canal Flats

After our retirement, we relocated to the Nakusp area where my ( Bill's ) family has had property for many years. The Arrow Lakes are a part of the Columbia River. Not far from Kimberley is Columbia Lake, the headwaters of the Columbia River. We took a day trip to tour Canal Flats and the Columbia Lake area. It was interesting to stop at the viewpoints and read about the history of the area.

Dutch Creek Hoodoos

North on the highway, on our way to Radium, we stopped to see the Kootenay Hoodoos, a cool sandstone formation close to the road. It was quite the sight to behold as we came around a bend, and this was the sight that greeted our eyes: the Dutch Creek Hoodoos are situated in British Columbia and are visible along BC Highway 93/BC Highway 95. These hoodoos are sandstone columns topped with a capstone. Typically, the entire structure stands between 5 and 7 meters (16 to 23 feet) tall. The capstone shields the hoodoo from erosion, but these formations are fragile and take millions of years to develop, so it's crucial not to climb on or damage them. We admired this amazing BC landscape from a distance and took some photos before continuing on our journey. What an unexpectedly delightful geological bit of B.C. I never knew existed until exploring by road.

Radium BC

Up Highway 93, we went to Radium. The mountainous scenery along the way was spectacular. We passed through Radium to go into Kootenay National Park to see the Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, an impressive view over the valley and the Kootenay River. A great little find was Olive Lake, where we stopped and enjoyed the short trail to a lookout and a great spot for a picture op.

Back into Radium for lunch, but first, we spent some time enjoying the bighorn sheep that aimlessly walk down the streets and graze on the boulevards. 

Radium Hot Springs

After lunch, it was back up to Kootenay Park to visit the Radium Hot Springs. Although we received free admission to the park, we did have to pay for the hot springs swim. The larger main pool was closed for the season, but the hot pools were open and a welcome luxury to soak in, given we only have a shower in the rig.

Marysville Falls

As we were traveling in late September, many of the other attractions around the Kimberley area were either closed for the season or had changed to winter hours. With that in mind, we spent another day exploring the area and went for a hike along Mark Creek to the Marysville Falls.

 It was a delightful stay in Kimberley, and we even connected for dinner out on the town with a friend before another fun adventure came to a close, and we made our way home to our tiny and wonderful rural town.

Bill & Cat