TRAVEL PLANNER | 2019-2020 creston valley kootenay lake route @cvklroute #Hiddengemofthekootenays CrestonValleyKootenayLakeRoute.com TRAVEL PLANNER 2019-2020 Welcome! .................................................. 3 Food and Wine ......................................... 4 Itinerary: Local Food and Wine Aficionado ................................................ 5 Q & A with Amanda and Jeff .................. 5 Arts and Culture ...................................... 6 Itinerary: Family Fun.................................7 Q & A with Sandy Kunze ..........................7 Nature and Recreation ............................ 8 Itinerary: An Outdoor Enthusiast’s Three-Day Exploration ............................ 9 Q & A with Daniel and Christine............ 9 Area and Businesses Map ......................10 Area Trails .................................................12 Provincial and Community Parks ..........13 Kootenay Lake Ferry Schedule ..............14 Public Beach and Boat Launch Information ..............................................14 Health and Wellness ...............................15 Q & A with Jessica and Rachel ..............15 Business Directories Arts and Culture .................................16 Nature and Recreation ...................... 17 Health and Wellness ........................... 17 Food and Wine ....................................18 Eateries and Groceries Directory ..........19 Accommodation Listings .......................19 Production, Design and Editing: Vanessa Croome and Krista Turcasso, Claris Media Inc. Photography: Daniel Seguin and Andrew Bibby Writing: Jesse Bell, Krista Turcasso, Jenneil Peters, Jesse Willicome Cover Photo: View over the Creston Valley during Sunset, looking north towards Kootenay Lake and the Selkirk Mountain range, photo by Andrew Bibby Campaign Partners: Destination BC, Columbia Basin Trust, Town of Creston, RDCK Electoral Areas A,B, and C. All Content Copyright © Creston Valley Kootenay Lake Route 2019 A beachside fire on Kootenay Lake during sunset #hiddengemofthekootenays FOLLOW US @ cvklroute Enjoying a sunny afternoon at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market with fresh treats and good company ED ECT A NN ROUTE CO THERE’S SO MUCH TO DISCOVER ALONG THE CRESTON VALLEY-KOOTENAY LAKE ROUTE! f you slow down even for a moment while the west to the prairies of the east. The Route, health and wellness sectors. Be inspired by the Idriving the remarkable Creston Valley and tucked between the Purcells and Selkirks in the itineraries, guiding you as you plan your time Kootenay Lake Route, you’ll find something West Kootenays of British Columbia, calls for and exploration. Survey the map, flush with unexpected. Perhaps the sound of water pause—connecting people to communities and opportunities as you make your way in either lapping against a rocky shore pulls you away communities to the land they love, between direction. And peruse the directories to learn from behind the wheel for a walk. Maybe the orchards and wineries, glass houses and glassy more about these unique artisans, shops, cafés, unexplored viridescent woodlands and a deep- lakes. trails, vineyards, markets, sights and trails that blue lake spark a sudden call for adventure. Perhaps you take an hour, a day, maybe a truly make it the magical area it is known for. Possibly, it’s the sweet aroma of locally grown week. For food and wine, a day at the spa, a Welcome. We look forward to hosting you, and lavender at a farmers’ market calling you to stay hike to a rock balanced on a trail no one can to welcoming you back. As we know there will a a little while longer, to breathe. explain. However long you stay, it’s about be next time. The Creston Valley and Kootenay Lake Route, time your route has led you to Creston Valley For more information on the area or attractions, from the hamlet of Yahk-Kingsgate through to and Kootenay Lake. And this guide is here to stop in at the Creston Valley Visitors Centre or the Creston Valley and along the east shore of help. Meet locals who have created a life for call them at 250-428-4342. They’ll be happy to Kootenay Lake to the Kootenay Bay Ferry, isn’t themselves in this area in the arts and culture, help you! just a roadway connection from the coast of food and wine, nature and recreation, and FOLLOW US @ cvklroute CrestonValleyKootenayLakeRoute.com | 3 FOOD AND WINE Fresh eats at Casey’s Community House in Creston eople who live along the Creston Valley and Kootenay Lake Route share a love of the land. They know the rains, the soil, work hard to preserve Pand conserve while producing grape varietals, farm fresh milk, and apple and cherry honey. There’s an understanding between the two unlikely partners—a mutual respect transformed to modern-day prosperity. Three wineries along the Route give tastings and tours, paired with lessons in history and geology. When you aren’t touring eclectic vineyards, florists and farmers give visitors a look into life less accelerated. If you’re looking for an overall introduction to food and wine along the Route, stop at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market. Growers, craftspeople, and live entertainment, the market is as great a reason as any to put the car in park. FOOD - Good food is the best reason to Every Saturday in the summer, Creston Valley slow yourself through the windy roads of the Farmers’ Market bustles with fresh-baked Route. With a collection of restaurants and goods, fruits, and artisans, giving visitors a social houses, there’s something for everyone well-rounded experience of the Route and all to indulge in. it has to offer. WINERIES - The Creston Valley and ARTISANAL - Coffee. Honey. Fresh milk. Kootenay Lake Route’s climate is just a speck Loose-leaf tea. There’s too much goodness warmer than the rest of the Kootenays, along the Route. Or, just the right amount. making it ideal for growers. Peaches, plums, There’s something about fresh, about the cherries, and of course, wine. So much goodness of hand grown and well-loved decadent, delicious wine. product. From organic dairy to sustainable SEASONAL MARKETS & FARMGATE beekeeping, all of the local producers - The change in seasons is so strongly appreciate and value their connection to represented in the senses; dry grass and rolling the land, to the community that helps them hills turn ripe with blossoming fruit trees and thrive. vibrant colours the first sign of springtime For information on Food and Wine sun. Farms and markets offer a wide variety of businesses, visit the directory on page 18. fruits and vegetables, fresh picked and ready to go, or, find a U-pick and scour the rows of Fresh herbs at the CV Farmers’ Market, trees for cherries and raspberries. a bevy of beers taps, and freshly made cheese on display (top to bottom). #hiddengemofthekootenays FOLLOW US @ cvklroute locally – grown on land within a 5km radius of perfect place for a family outing and tasting. Local Food & the fruit stand. Enjoy a casual dinner at either of Creston’s Wine Aficionado For a down-to-earth homemade dinner try premier eateries, Casey’s Community House or the Real Food Café, where imaginative food is Jimmy’s Pub & Grill, which both feature locally Itinerary served in a comfy, casual atmosphere. Meals are sourced ingredients on their menus as well as DAY 1 produced with locally-sourced produce, meat serving local wines and craft beers. Begin your day by heading over to Fly in the and cheese, and seasonal specials. DAY 3 Fibre or Lark Coffee Roasters for a delicious DAY 2 As you continue on your journey up Kootenay specialty coffee. If it’s a Saturday, head over to Lake, pop in at the Retro Café located in the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market (CVFM) Grab a late breakfast and enjoy the outdoor Creston for homemade crêpes and jams. to experience a unique community of growers, patio at Break in Time Café located in artisans, craftspeople, and entertainment. downtown Creston, where they offer a variety 4 miles north of Wynndel, BC, just above Duck The CVFM operates the market weekly, May of breakfast items, all from locally-sourced Lake you’ll findWynnwood Estate Cellars, who through December. January to April a monthly ingredients. create distinctive wines that reflect the terroir market approach is taken to coincide with After breakfast take a leisurely drive out to of this unique site in the Upper Columbia Basin. the Creston Valley harvest season. Enjoy the Kootenay Meadows, a certified organic grass- Come by the winery’s tasting room for a tasting exciting benefits of eating fresh, and shopping based dairy farm. All of the products available and tour from mid May to mid October. local in the heart of the Kootenay year round! at the Meadows are made with milk exclusively Enjoy lunch at the fully licensed Black Salt Be sure to stop in at the Skimmerhorn Winery from the farm. Fresh, glass bottled pasteurized Café in Crawford Bay. This colourful restaurant and Vineyard for lunch. This small-batch winery milk and cream, and flavourful, complex, hand features fresh soups, salads, paninis and burgers in Creston also operates an on-site vineyard crafted raw milk cheese are available on-site. on the daytime menu. and bistro. Skimmerhorn Bistro is a seasonal Take a tour of Baillie-Gorham Winery, a For dinner head over to Boccolino Restaurant, restaurant, with a focus on farm-to-table boutique craft winery that produces small lots a Swiss-Italian fine dining restaurant with a meals. Ingredients are sourced directly from of premium wine. Sample vineyard wines in the seasonally inspired menu and all made fresh local farms, gardens and ranches which reflects tasting room or sit on the patio and enjoy with a from scratch. Situated in Kootenay Bay and commitment to sustainability in the local splendid cheese tray. close to the free ferry. economy. Following this, visit family-operated Flamenco Photo captions (left to right): Enjoying wine In the afternoon visit Wloka Farms Fruit Stand, Farms, located in the community of Erickson, and cheese at Skimmerhorn Winery, feeding the which opens in July when the produce is ready with a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, cows at Kootenay Meadows Farm, and the view of for harvest and continues on into December.