Local Attractions:

Kaslo

Located in the Selkirk Mountains on the western shore of Kootenay Lake, Kaslo (population: 1,072) is a community surrounded by wilderness. With a handful of delicious bakeries, restaurants and shops, it’s a great spot to stop and take in the view.

The area’s first settlers were loggers in 1889/1890. Soon after, the silver boom in the Slocan Valley brought new arrivals to the area, and Kaslo became incorporated as a city in 1893. Later, the town expanded with the completion of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway, connecting the community to the Slocan mines. Steamships arriving on the shores of Kootenay Lake also freed the community from isolation. Today, visit the famous S.S. Moyie, the last operating passenger sternwheeler in Canada; now in dry-dock in her former port of call at 324 Front Street, Kootenay Lake.

New Denver

Set on the shores of Slocan Lake, New Denver (population: 512) is a former mining town cradled by the Selkirk Mountains. Today New Denver offers excellent wilderness and wildlife viewing, outdoor recreational activities, and historical exploration.

Following the outbreak of World War II, over 20,000 Canadians of Japanese ancestry were forcibly moved from BC’s coast to isolated internment camps in the interior. New Denver was one of the Slocan Valley communities used for this purpose.