Kootenays Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
region of British Columbia, Canada
About Kootenays
The name is derived from the Ktunaxa First Nation'squthni, meaning "to travel by water", and indeed this is how the region was explored before the railway arrived. Exploration by river and lake, and commerce facilitated by the large sternwheelers that plied the many large lakes emphasize this point. Virtually untouched until the gold and silver rushes of the mid-1800s, a few settlers who fell in love with the area remained after the fortunes faded, and provided the roots for the communities as they exist today. In the early days of British Columbia the Kootenays were geographically isolated from the rest of the province. TheCanadian Pacific Railwaybuilt theKettle Valley Railwayto link the area to Vancouver, and also to waylay any plans of US annexation, an area the Kootenays had stronger p
Kootenays Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 13 sections including: