Summer in Calgary got off to a dry start in 2024. A major break to the Bearspaw South Feeder Main water pipe on June 5 resulted in a prolonged period of mandatory water restrictions for city residents and businesses. As June turned into July with no end in sight for the repairs, my desire to escape the water-restricted city for an environment abundant with clear lakes, rushing streams and placid springs grew strong. And so, we (that’s me, my partner and my 10-year-old daughter) set forth for a week of camping in B.C.’s West Kootenays — a place where you can’t throw a rock without it skipping across a body of water.
Camping on Wheels
Amidst the summer heat, we headed out west with a Karma camper van. The Calgary-founded company’s fleet of kitted-out Ford transit vans are turnkey units that can hit the road running and are packed with everything you need for camping — groceries and firewood excepted.
The vans have a queen bed (complete with a duvet, pillows and linens) above a storage area for things like sporting equipment, both conveniently accessible through the double back doors. Built-in cupboards come stocked with everything you need for cooking (pots, pans, knives, corkscrew, etc.) and washing up (tea towels, scrubbers, dish soap, etc.). The vans come with a cooler and an optional refrigerator add-on, along with a small sink with both fresh and grey water tanks. Unlike in larger RVs, there is no built-in stove — rather, each unit includes a portable camp stove to use outside the vehicle. The camper vans have multiple USB outlets for charging and a solar power system that provided more than enough juice for whatever we required over the week.
Since we had a kid in tow, we needed a model with additional seating installed behind the driver and a second level of bunks. Though the vans have a generous six feet, five inches of headroom, the upper bunks do lie pretty close to the roof. It was enough space for a young child, but older/bigger youths or additional adult passengers might find it claustrophobic.
The vans could seem rather spartan to those accustomed to camping in a luxury RV, but they are an ideal comfort upgrade if you’re accustomed to tenting, and their compact size makes them easy to drive and to manoeuvre through campground lanes and parking lots. The drivability and ease of moving camp (no setting up and taking down tents or packing and unpacking) allowed us the freedom to roam, rather than stay parked in one place. Here are three destinations we experienced over the course of our week in the West Kootenays, all chosen for optimum access to lake swimming and other water activities.
Soaking up Nakusp
Nakusp is on the east shores of Upper Arrow Lake — access from the north via Revelstoke requires a ferry crossing at Galena Bay. Nestled in the Selkirk Mountains about a 20-minute drive eastward from town is Nakusp Hot Springs Chalets and Campground. The camping facilities are divided into a lane of RV sites on the banks of rushing Kuskanax Creek and an open walk-in tent camping area. Next to the tenting area are a couple of lovely private drive-in campsites.
The hot springs are renowned for their clarity, and the pool facility’s vintage charm gives you the sense that you’ve stepped back in time. You can soak in the pools and watch the sunset over the surrounding mountains, then dry off and walk back to your site in mere minutes. Upward from the pools, a forested hiking trail leads to a covered bridge where you can view the incredible power of Kuskanax Creek as it crashes down the mountain far below you.
If you’re seeking a great public beach for a family hangout, the one in the town of Nakusp delivers with its expanse of beautiful rock-free sand and a roped-off swimming area. The beach is surrounded by greenspace with tennis courts and a children’s play area, and is a short walk from shops and restaurants, including seasonal spot The Hut Drive Inn Restaurant, an old-school A-frame serving burgers, fries, shakes and other summery treats to walk-up customers.
Slocan Swims
Approximately 30 minutes southeast of Nakusp, Rosebery Provincial Park campground is cut into a swath of forest just up from the shores of Slocan Lake. Shady and cool, Rosebery is very family friendly, with playground equipment and winding paved lanes perfect for bikes and scooters. The campground is bordered on one side by a rushing mountain creek where you can sit and enjoy the scent of the forest, the sound of the rushing waters and the cool mist on your skin.
From Rosebery, access to Slocan Lake is just a short walk away. But there is also a wealth of other lake-access points in the nearby town of New Denver, and, beyond that, in the villages of Silverton and Slocan. If you can get your hands on a watercraft, you’ll be able to reach the boat access-only beaches of Valhalla Park on the west shore of Slocan Lake.
If you’re looking to ante up your aquatic activities, leave the lake behind and go rafting down the lower Slocan River with Endless Adventure. Based out of the community of Crescent Valley, Endless Adventure is about an hour’s drive south of New Denver, and the scenic stretch of river dishes out thrilling sections of rapids interspersed with more placid, meandering currents.
Each raft can accommodate up to eight people (kids can participate if they’re heavier than 50 lbs.). One of the great things about experiencing a high-adrenaline activity in a group setting is the camaraderie it breeds. Once you shed your wetsuits at Endless Adventure HQ and dry off, you and your (adult) raftmates will likely want to celebrate your safe passage with a beer or other canned bevvy — just know that, if you fall out of the raft over the course of the tour, you’ll be expected to observe the tradition of drinking said bevvy out of your shoe.
Keeping It Real Chill in Kaslo
Camping in a town might not appeal to those looking to get back to nature, but scenic and charming Kaslo, B.C., isn’t exactly your average town (or village, in this case). Located on the west shore of Kootenay Lake, Kaslo is an approximately 45-minute drive east from New Denver along B.C. Hwy 31A, a winding road that passes through spectacular and wild mountain terrain. The Kaslo Municipal Campground on the east edge of town offers easy access to a rocky public beach perfect for swimming and launching a standup paddleboard or kayak. Try to secure one of the sites on the rise adjacent to the public park, which are shaded, cool and somewhat more private.
From the campground, it’s an easy stroll into the centre of town, where you can check out the S.S. Moyie, the world’s oldest intact sternwheeler, in a lakefront park. Operational from 1898 to 1957, the restored Moyie is now a National Historic Site. (There’s a Calgary connection here: Heritage Park’s S.S. Moyie, which sails the Glenmore Reservoir, is a half-scale reproduction of this vessel built in the 1960s.) Another key benefit to camping so close to downtown Kaslo is that you can stash the stove and enjoy local hospitality options like Angry Hen Brewing, a craft brewery and restaurant with a large and lively open-air patio.
The Return
With the Kaslo campground mere steps from the beach at Kootenay Lake, it was easy to take one last dip before packing up and heading for home. Also easy was returning the camper van to Karma’s 24-hour self-checkout lot in central northeast Calgary — but it was hard to accept that our week of living our best van life in the West Kootenays had come to an end.
