Summer Activities Guide
Golf
Originally established in 1918, The Fernie Golf & Country Club features 18 holes of mature tree-lined fairways, rolling terrain, strategically placed water hazards and spectacular Rocky Mountain scenery. To book tee-times call 423-7773, or call the clubhouse at 423-4115.
Also visit the following golf courses in and around the Fernie area:
# holes/drive time
Fernie Golf & Country Club: 18/in town 250-423-7773
Will-O-Bend: in Jaffray 9/30 min 250-429-3377
Sparwood Golf & Country Club: 18/30 min 250-425-2612
Cranbrook Golf & Country Club: 18/1 hour 250-426-6462
Kimberley Golf & Country Club: 18/1.5 hour 250-427-4161
Trickle Creek Golf Resort: 18/1.5 hour 250-427-5171
St. Eugene Mission Resort: 18/1 hour 250-417-3417
Way-Lyn Ranch Golf Course: 9/1 hour 250-427-2825
Mountain Meadows Golf Course: 9/1 hour 250-865-7413
Mountain Biking
Experience our world-class mountain bike trails, featuring fantastic scenery and adventures for all abilities. While many of the trails in the Fernie area are suitable for families and intermediate riders, there are lots of trails for the hardcore riders. Grab a copy of the Fernie Trail Guide to see the trails that surround the town and resort area.
Chair Lifts
(Located at Fernie Alpine Resort)
Take your bike or pack your lunch for a chair ride to the top. There you’ll see lush alpine meadows, towered by the majestic peaks of the Lizard Range. Call 250-423-4655 for lift times and prices.
Hiking
Put on your hiking boots, bring some water and hit the trail. Your choices are endless and range from a short stroll out of town, to a day hike up Mount Hosmer, or multiday hike on Heiko’s Trail. Pick up the Fernie Trail Guide from local retailers or the Chamber of Commerce. Look on the book shelves up stairs for hiking guide books.
Hiking/Biking
Alpine Enthusiasts (hikes, trips) 250-423-7112
Fernie Alpine Resort (chairlift rides/hiking/biking) 250-423-4655
Fernie Fattire Adventures (mountain biking) 250-423-7849
Guides Hut (biking/hiking/rentals) 250-423-3650
The Quest (biking/hiking/rentals) 250-423-9252
Mountain Pursuits (guided hiking/camping) 250-423-6739
Ski Base (biking/hiking/rentals) 250-423-6464
Island Lake Lodge (wilderness/adventure holidays) 250-423-3700
Rafting, Canoeing and Kayaking
The Elk and Bull Rivers provide numerous canoe and kayak runs ranging from Class 1 to Class VI. Beginners too can give these sports a try. Bring your own, rent or go with a guide/instructor.
You’ll experience the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies while you raft thrilling whitewater, or gently float down the river.
Canyon Raft Tours (whitewater/scenic) 250-423-7226
Mountain High River Adventures (rafting/kayaking) 250-423-5008
Pro-Fish Guiding (scenic floats/guides) 250-423-3526
Tennis
Courts are located at both Fernie Alpine Resort and in town at Mountain View Park.
Fishing
The Elk River and its many tributaries offer world-class fly-fishing, while the backcountry offers some great alpine lakes for float-tube enthusiasts. You’ll marvel at the Brook, Rainbow and Cutthroat Trout that fill these waterways.
Kootenay Fly Shop (fly-fishing) 250-423-4483
Elk Valley Fly Fishing 250-423-7264
Pro-Fish Guiding 250-423-3526
Fernie Wilderness Adventures (guided fly-fishing) 250-423-6704
Lost Creek Angling 250-423-7517
Island Lake Lodge (fly-fishing) 250-423-3700
Alpine Enthusiasts (fishing/hikes) 250-423-7112
Prestige Tours 800-622-5007
Swimming
Fernie Aquatic Centre, 250 Pine Avenue 250-423-4466
2 indoor pools, water slide, hot tub and steam room
For an outdoor splash, enjoy one of the many lakes that surround the area.
Surveyors Lake
Silver springs
Swimming hole behind Extra Foods
Horseback Riding/Llama Trekking
Mountain Magic Ventures (horseback riding) 250-423-7321
Cokato Llama Adventures (llama trekking) 250-423-3097
Alpine Enthusiasts (horseback riding/hikes/outfitting) 250-423-7112
Kids Summer Camps
For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 250-423-6868 or
Fernie Alpine Resort at 250-423-4655.
Parks and Camping
Annex Park winds its way along the Elk River and has a large duck pond, BBQ pits, picnic area and horseshoe pits. From here you can walk along the dyke to Mountain View Park in the Airport subdivision.
Mountain View Park provides riverbank fun including swimming, tennis courts, lawn bowling, horseshoe/bocci/BBQ pits, ball fields and picnic areas.
Rotary Park is the most centrally located of all the parks in Fernie. Enjoy a family picnic or a BBQ while the young ones enjoy the playground.
Mt. Fernie Provincial Park has camping and is only minutes from downtown Fernie. The area is home to a wide variety of wildlife, flora and fauna. A special attraction in the park is the 3km of self-guided Lizard Creek Nature Trail. Amenities include 38 campsites, flush toilets, interpretive trails and day use area.
Fernie Alpine Resort offers 27 seasonal and 12 campsites for daily, weekly or monthly use. All sites have electrical hook-ups and the guests have use of the public washrooms with showers located in the maintenance building.
Miscellaneous
Largest Dump Truck ever manufactured (Sparwood) 250-425-2423
Bird Watching (see Chamber for tour information) 250-423-6868
Winter Activities
Fernie Alpine Resort
Beginners
The Mini Moose and Mighty Moose lifts are the place to start-off “first timers”. The lift staff will assist the beginners onto the lifts and once at the top there are nice gentle slopes. Both of these lifts are conveniently located near the ski base facilities. The Deer and Elk Chairs also access wide-open daily groomed slopes; perfect for those ready to take the next step.
Intermediates
The runs off Elk Chair are great to warm up your ski legs before heading over to the Boomerang Chair which leads you to Cedar Bowl. The Great Bear Express Quad together with the Face Lift will lead you to another vast area called Lizard Bowl. The high speed Timber Bowl Express and White Pass Quad will take you to the new side of the mountain and introduce you to even more exciting terrain.
Experts
You will love this mountain! Powder, Glades, Steeps, Bumps… you want it, you’ll find it!
Snowboarding
In short, you’ll have unlimited access to one of nature’s greatest terrain parks with 2500+ acres of snow-covered mountains.
Cross-Country
Over 14km of groomed and track-set cross-country trails await you, starting from the resort base area. Get your map at Guest Services and make sure to take a breather at Halfway Hobbit’s Hut.
Mountain Host Tour
Not to be missed is a complimentary guided mountain tour with Fernie’s local volunteer “Snow Hosts”. Tours depart daily from the base area at 9:30am and 1:30pm. Nothing beats a true insider’s perspective of this vast mountain.
Ski & Snowboard School
Fernie Alpine Resort’s certified staff offers professional instruction in alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemark and cross-country. Various packages are available from private to group lessons. Some packages include rental, lift passes, NASTAR races, video analysis and après ski receptions. For more information/bookings call the Lesson and Group Sales office on 250-423-4655 or fax 250-423-6644.
Kimbers Timbers
History of Fernie
Prospectors looking for gold discovered coal in the Crowsnest area of Southeastern British Columbia more than 100 years ago. In 1897, William Fernie reported a major discovery which led to the formation of the Crow’s Nest Pass Coal Company. The mining community which emerged in 1897 was named Fernie, in honor of the miner whose efforts helped to establish the new industry.
An interesting legend concerning Fernie follows:
William Fernie, founder of the city, met an indigenous group during one of his prospecting trips. He noticed one of the Chieftain’s daughters was wearing a necklace of shining black stones. Knowing that the stones were coal, William Fernie asked as to their source. The Indian Chief agreed to show Fernie where these had been found upon condition that the prospector would marry the his daughter. After learning the location of the coal deposits, William Fernie refused to marry the Princess. The Chief was angered by this and he laid a curse upon the valley stating that it would meet with Fire, Flood and Famine.
As a reminder of the curse, the Ghostrider of Hosmer Mountain can be seen each sunny summer evening on a rock face high above the town. The “Ghost” is a spectacular shadow in the form of a rider on horseback.
The first fire that occurred in 1904 destroyed a large portion of the wooden business section of the city. The largest disaster however, came on August 1, 1908, when a forest fire practically destroyed the City of Fernie. Soon, Fernie was rebuilt. In 1916, disaster struck again when the Elk River overflowed its banks and flooded sections of West Fernie. The near famine conditions of the Great Depression made Fernie people believe the curse would never end.
On August 15, 1964, members of the Kootenai Tribes, headed by Chief Ambrose Gravelle (known as Chief Red Eagle), assembled in Fernie for the ceremonial lifting of the Fernie Curse. Mayor James White made amends with the Chief by smoking the “Pipe of Peace” with Chief Red Eagle.
About Fernie
Fernie offers a wide range of activities in an unparalleled natural setting. It means an enviable lifestyle for residents and a quality experience for visitors.
What’s so special about Fernie? To begin with, the outdoors beckons at every turn. Our relatively mild winters provide you with world class skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. During the summer enjoy championship golf, fishing, mountain biking, or hike a trail to the top of a mountain. There are many lakes near by where you can enjoy a secluded picnic or cool dip.
Fernie is known as a haven for deep snow. Storm systems develop in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Northern Oregon. The predominant northeasterly flow chugs across the near desert like terrain of central Washington and Idaho before slamming into the Lizard Range of the Canadian Rockies. The lack of significant mountain ranges between Fernie and the coast ensure that storms arrive with a full payload of dry powder. This is the reason Fernie has become a haven for deep snow enthusiasts.
In the summer, you may find yourself fly-fishing, drift boating or whitewater kayaking and rafting on the internationally renowned Elk River. In addition, our local cultural network provides a wide array of performing and visual artisans in all mediums.
This is only a sampling of what Fernie has to offer. To understand the feel of the place, you need only spend a short time enveloped in Fernie’s special ambience. To begin your journey, make sure to stop by and talk to the friendly staff at the Fernie Chamber of Commerce located on Highway #3 & Dicken Road, or call them directly at 250-423-6868.
The Legend of the Griz
Here in Fernie, we have not always been graced with the fine snow conditions we now enjoy. Not until recently did we come to realize how we became the beneficiary of some of the best-packed powder conditions in Western Canada.
As the legend goes, a baby boy was born back in the year 1879 in the midst of a cruel and bitter winter. It is said that the baby was born in a grizzly bear’s cave high in the mountains. Sometime later the resident bear awoke, mean and ravenously hungry. A terrible battle ensued between the two… one fighting for his life and the other for his dinner.
As the story continues the town’s people went into the mountain that very next day to discover the source of all the noise from the previous night. They looked high and low in the area known as Snow Valley. One day, one of the men thought he saw a little boy wearing a bear coat and hat nimbly leaping from rock to rock on the lofty peaks. His friends all laughed at him and jokingly accused him of seeing things and the incident was soon forgotten.
Just recently some of our avid ski tourers were ascending the peaks above the Resort Area in the midst of a heavy snowstorm. While taking a short breather, they happened to glance upward upon the peak they were climbing. There on the very summit stood the most fantastic sight. While of standard height, this man had shoulders six feet wide and carried an enormous musket eight feet long! The bulk of this man’s 300 lbs. was made to look even more awesome by the bristly grizzly coat he wore. A bear hat was pulled down shadowing his eyes. As the skiers watched, he stood shooting that giant musket into the clouds and still more snow fell from the clouds. This of course, delighted the skiers who loved that special brand of powder snow.
The skiers schussed down the mountain and excitedly told everyone they met of their experience. Some of the town’s elders remembered the sighting of a little grizzly-clad boy so long ago and the discovery of massive bare-footed tracks high upon the snow-covered peaks.
In recognition and admiration for the man who became known as “Griz”, the town’s people held a festival all week. Sporting events, competitions, parades and gatherings marked the gala week. The citizen who best embodied the spirit of “Griz” through that week made honorary Griz for the rest of the year. To this day this festival continues every February/March in tribute to our powder king. The best powder and packed snow conditions in the west also continue to blanket our mountains.
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