DESTINATIONS neighbourhood WILD SIDE Surrounded by mountains and waterways, Golden sits in an important wildlife corridor, where black Golden and grizzly bears, deer, Springtime turns this mountain town into our province’s moose, big horn sheep and plenty of bird life multi-sport hub make regular appearances. The ookended by the Purcell and Columbia wetlands, the Rocky mountains, at the 26 km south of Golden, B confluence of two mighty rivers, are especially rich; Golden brags multi-sport appeal year round. naturalists at Columbia But the options for outdoor fun are at their Wetlands Adventures peak in the spring when it can feel almost (wetlandsadventures. like summer in town, and winter a mile com) can help you spot above at Kicking Horse Mountain the locals. Resort (kickinghorseresort.com). detour across Canada’s longest timber- frame bridge to Spirit Square where you’ll SKIING find the Art Gallery of Golden (kicking March finds Kicking Horse buried under horseculture.ca), home to works by 80 the deepest snow of the season with the local artists, plus Bacchus Books & Cafe best conditions for carving its 1,200 metres (bacchusbooks.ca), a book lovers’ paradise of vertical. Meanwhile, the resort’s more serving strong coffee and amazing soups. mellow runs bask in the spring sun, turning the snow into buttery corn. The winter DINING season winds down by mid-April, ending No eatery in Golden brags a better view on a high with back-to-back weekend than the Eagle’s Eye Restaurant at concerts and events. the top of the Kicking Horse gondola; at 2,347 metres it’s the highest five-star OFF THE SLOPES restaurant in Canada. Just south of town is Away from the mountain, Golden’s more the area’s fanciest dining, at Cedar House than 100 kilometres of hiking and biking Restaurant & Chalets (cedarhouse (clockwise from top) Glide on trails begin to emerge from the snowbanks chalets.com). End the day with chef Corey spring snow at Kicking Horse in March. One of the first to resurface is a Fraser’s seasonal menu of local and Mountain; enjoy the view at path along the Kicking Horse River. Midway, sustainable fare. n Eagle’s Eye Restaurant; spot a – Ryan Stuart grizzly with Columbia Wetlands Adventures. MEMBERS SAVE! Treat yourself to exclusive BCAA Member discounts on spring skiing and accommodations at Kicking Horse and other B.C. mountain resorts, including Cypress Mountain, Sun Peaks Resort, Silver Star Mountain Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort and Fernie Alpine Resort. For savings details, check out bcaa.com/membership 36 BCAA.COM SPRING 2015 Tourism Golden, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, (Eagle’s Eye Restaurant) Resorts of the Canadian Rockies p36-37_Neighbourh_Weekndr.indd 36 15-02-23 12:27 PM.