Fabulous Fernie and Kimberley

My trip to Fernie and Kimberley in the first week of April with my co-workers was a great success. I had a chance to witness the real beauty of the Kootenays. The trip to Kimberley from Kelowna can take about six hours but along the way you can really see British Columbia's scenery.

Day 1: April 1st - We Started our journey with Tim Hortons Coffee.

Route taken: Kelowna >> Beverdell >> Grandforks >> Christina Lake >> Castlegar >> Nelson >> Creston ( still 2 hours to Kimberley) >> Cranbrook>> Kimberley.

Somewhat tired but full of spirit we finally reached Kimberley. We checked in at Trickle Creek-Residence Inn, Mariott where we are spending first night of our trip. Hunger pangs demanded that we go to the nearest restaurant so we chose Kelseys located just next to Trickle Creek Mariott.

Day 2: April 2nd - I woke up at 7.45 pm. Actually, I was supposed to get up early but apparently the alarm didn't go off. Every party member was supposed to be down in the restaurant by 8.00 am for Breakfast. The advantage of staying at the Trickle Creek- Mariott is that you are entitled to a nice hot breakfast. After breakfast, we explored the resort for few hours. It was a snowy day with light powdery snow making slopes perfect for skiers.

At about 12.00 pm we were off to Fernie which was our next destination. According to our itinerary we were supposed to go to Panorama which is about 1.5 hrs drive from Kimberley but because of bad road conditions we changed our plans and headed towards Fernie.

Fernie is about 124 kms from Fernie. After reaching Fernie, we checked in at our lodge. Our rooms were quite nice. We were staying at Spruce Lodge/Timberline. After relaxing a bit, we all went for lunch at Park Lodge Bar and grill which is considered one of the nicer pubs in town. Since we had kitchen in our units, we decided to go grocery shopping after lunch so that we could cook a nice meal for the dinner.

Day 3 :April 3rd- Next day, we explored the resort. I realised that during busy ski seasons when all the properties on the mountain are booked, people choose to stay in the town of Fernie at Stanford Inn (Riverside) or Best Western Inn.

If someone is looking for solace, away from hustle and bustle of the village then one can choose from Castle mountain villas or Coal Creek estates in the town of Fernie.

On the slope side of the mountain , there are some beautiful ski in- ski out properties like Alders, Cedar Creek Estates. Other nice properties include Elk Lodge, Glowing Ambers, Spirit Bear. Timberline properties consist of four buildings :

1. Spruce Lodge

2. King Fir Lodge

3. Juniper Lodge

4. Balsam Lodge

High end properties on the mountain include Kimber Timbers, Cedar Creek and Snow Creek. Snow Creek lodge and cabins have a spectacular view of mountains.

Day 4: April 4th-We got up early morning to head back to Kelowna . We stopped at Rossland/Red mountain to have a look at this small ski hill. I was home by 3.00 pm.

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