Nelson, British Columbia, Canada travel information
Nelson BC is located in the West Kootenays region of British
Columbia, Canada. If you look at a map of British Columbia, the
Kootenays are located in the southeast area of the province.
Nelson is approximately midway between Vancouver and Calgary. If
you are coming from the US, Nelson is approximately a three-hour
scenic drive from Spokane, Washington (including time for the
border crossing).
The city of Nelson was established on the southern shores of
Kootenay Lake in the late 1800's. Commerce originally centered
around mining, forestry and trade. In the early 1980's, the main
sawmill in town closed down and the economy of the city
suffered. Since then, Nelson has become more diversified, and
along with forestry the area is now well known for it's arts,
culture, tourism, and outdoors opportunities.
If you are planning a visit to Nelson, there are a number of
hotels and motels to choose from. The main hotels include the
Prestige Inn, the Hume Hotel, the Best Western, the New Grand
hotel, and the Alpine motel. If you would like to stay right
downtown, your best bets are the Hume, New Grand, or Best
Western. These three hotels all have their own restaurants. The
Prestige Inn is located right on the shore of Kootenay Lake, if
you like to be near the water. If you are traveling by RV, there
is a Walmart at the main mall in town. RV's can often be seen
spending the night in the Walmart parking lot.
The main street in Nelson is called Baker Street. Here you will
find a diversified assortment of stores and cafes to browse,
including fine coffee houses, restaurants, outdoor outfitters,
ski and snowboard stores, bike stores, gifts, arts and crafts,
and bookstores. If you're a coffee lover, a stay in Nelson
wouldn't be complete without a taste of locally made Oso Negro
coffee. If biking is your thing, you'll have to make a stop at
the Sacred Ride bike shop at the west end of Baker Street. There
are three major banks on Baker if you need to access cash.
Looking to buy property or a house in Nelson? There are three
real estate storefronts on Baker Street where you can peruse
photos of Nelson and area realty.
Need some ideas of things to do in Nelson? You could spend some
time down at Lakeside Park. There is a sandy beach for swimming
or sun tanning, lots of grassy areas for picnics, a children's
playground, and soccer and baseball fields. There is also a
heritage streetcar ride that travels between Lakeside Park and
the Prestige Inn. You can go swimming indoors at the Aquatic
center, which has a full pool, kids pool, sauna, steam room and
hot pool. The Aquatic center is located in the newly constructed
recreation center, which hosts Nelson's new hockey arena.
Outside of Nelson, you can travel up highway 31 to Ainsworth Hot
Springs (approximately 45 km north) for a day in the natural
warm spring waters and caves. The hot springs are directly
adjacent to a hotel and restaurant. You can also take the
longest free ferry ride at Balfour (35 km north of Nelson)
across Kootenay Lake to Crawford Bay. If you prefer mountain
biking, park off-highway at the start of any forest road and
spend a day exploring on the mountains. Wildlife you may see
include deer, elk, moose, cougar and black bears. The highway
turn off to the Whitewater ski hill is 10 km south of Nelson. If
you park at the highway turn off, you will find the Nelson
Nordic ski club cross-country ski trails. Other towns you may
want to visit within an easy day's drive include Kaslo, Ymir,
Salmo, Castlegar, Trail, Rossland, and Slocan City.
Travel to Nelson continues to increase, and most of it comes
through 'word of mouth' advertising. Some who thought they were
coming for a visit ended up relocating here, saying they have
never seen any other place quite like Nelson. So whether you're
looking for some relaxation, an adventure, or a chance to be
revitalized, the odds are you will find it in Nelson.