The Columbia Valley in British Columbia, Canada is also known as the Windermere Valley.

Located on the warmer side of the BC Rockies at the gate of Kootenay National Park.

Explore Columbia Lake and  Windermere Lake, along with the beauty and activities
within one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world.

So you want to play in the water, or on the water, or beside the water?
There is nothing more soothing to the soul than water, aside from perhaps spectacular mountain scenery

Here in the valley — a community of towns, villages and hamlets located at the headwaters of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers — we have an abundance of both.

The Kootenay River originates in Kootenay National Park, high in the Rocky Mountains, fed by dozens of creeks and several rivers, and rolls south past Canal Flats. Canal Flats is a unique location because the Kootenay and Columbia Lake, the headwaters of the Columbia River, come within one kilometer (km) of meeting one another before heading off in opposite directions.

The Kootenay rolls south-southwest and the Columbia punches northward more than 200 km before bending southward and then angling its way west to the Pacific Ocean at Astoria, Ore., 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from its point of origin. Along with countless mountain fishing lakes, the valley boasts two of the finest recreation lakes, Windermere and Columbia, in southeastern British Columbia.

The lakes provide an excellent opportunity for fishing and boating. The natural beauty of the area, with skiing in winter and golfing, hiking and whitewater rafting in the summer, as well as the valley’s close proximity to the City of Calgary and arid southern Alberta, are the reasons the area is now one of the most popular vacation spots in Canada. The Upper Columbia Valley is also one of the fastest growing regions in British Columbia, Canada’s warmest and westernmost province.

Each year, during the first week of May, valley residents celebrate the return of more than 250 species of birds during the educational and entertaining Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival. If you’re a birdwatcher, your arena awaits you. From being a prime spot to engage in the world’s second fastest growing recreational activity (bird watching), the valley is also a great home to the world’s fastest growing recreational activity.

Finally, the communities of the Columbia Valley, including Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, Fairmont Hot Springs, Windermere, Panorama Mountain Village, Brisco, Spillimacheen, Edgewater and Canal Flats, provide a wealth of accommodations, activities, services and amenities for visitors.

Invermere is the market centre of the area, which has a year-round population of 9,000. Population figures double and triple during the busier summer months as seasonal homeowners return to our mountain valley paradise to escape the maddening crowds.

As the sign in Radium Hot Springs says:
“The mountains shall bring peace to the people.”