New Denver British Columbia

New Denver Mountain Bike Video from Youtube

2011-07-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

Canada Day in Silverton

2011-07-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

Lots of people out for Canada Day in Silverton. The parade was short and quick - not even a loop around the block like they do in New Denver for May Days. Old engines at work outside the blacksmith shop and a blacksmith display by Dr Birkholder and Jamie Barber. A market outside the Silverton Gallery and kids activities in the Park. The weather was perfect and I guess the fireworks went off at 10pm.

Kohan Reflection Gardens

2011-07-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Located at the south end of New Denver adjacent to the Municipal Campground, Centennial Park and the boat launch. Created and maintained by volunteers this beautiful garden reflects some of the Japanese history in New Denver. Surrounded by the mountains and bordered by the Slocan Lake this one block garden rejoices in the beauty surrounding with beautiful plants, trees and landscaping that change throughout the four seasons. Worth a visit of 10-20 minutes every time in New Denver.

Nori LakeShore Walk

2011-06-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

With the lake levels high and a little two year old who loves to throw rocks I've been walking the Nori Lakeshore walk very frequently this spring. There are so many combinations of this lovely trail located right within New Denver that it can be done as a half day hike or just a quick jaunt down to a beach.

There are a series of marked and unmarked access points all along the foreshore from Bellevue St on the north end of town. Some of the trails are quite steep or have steep stairs although the trail access closer to Carpenter creek are very easy. The trail essentially walks along the shore of the lake within the town of New Denver. For a longer walk continue up the creek to cross the bridge and walk back down the creek and continue to the marine, campground, dock, Kohan Garden and perhaps visit the Nikkei Memorial Center on your way back.

Idaho Peak photography

2011-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

With snow still on the south side of idaho peak we are wondering when the road up to Idaho peak will open. Bets are on early August.

Kootenay Rockies - Bike Vacations

2011-06-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

The latest Kootenay Rockies Bike Vacations guide is out and available as a PDF download. Here is what they have to say about New Denver.

"Enduro/Freeride
New Denver's Idaho Peak is an enduro/freeride paradise, affording some of the best views via mountain bike in the province. The iconic Wakefield trail, which drops right off from the Idaho Peak parking lot, and Sundown, which drops in just before the 9km mark on the Idaho Peak access road, are both incredibly long, smooth downhill tracks that can easily be shuttled or climbed and descended on smaller travel bikes. Both offer options as you descend, hooking up with Choices and Alamo, two New Denver classics. Contact Wilds of Canada Cycles for shuttle services or directions.

Cross-Country / All-Mountain

New Denver has over 64km (40mi) of trail maintained by local volunteers. In many cases, trail networks showcase the pioneer past of both villages. In once prosperous cities like Sandon, cycling routes follow old telegraph lines and wagon trails. Other cross-country tracks zip along old miners' routes and rawhike trails that are perfectly dished out, thanks to horses that used to drag rawhide sacks laden with ore. The New Denver/Roseberry/Sandon area is ripe with trails so make sure to pickup the latest edition of New Denver Mountain Bike Trails Map.

Road Touring

With vistas galore, challenging ascents and thrilling downhills, the roadways winding through Kootenay Lake and the Slocan Valley are becoming famous for their road riding routes. Highways cicumnavigate idyllic tracts of wilderness and boast beautiful rest stops, ample accommodation in the way of historic hotels, charming B&B's and well-kept camgrounds, as well as hot springs at Ainsowrth, Nakusp and Halcyon. Highlight include the 217km Silvery Slocan Loop..... and the adventurous paved and gravel 242km Trout Lake Loop.....

Rowe's Auto Court

2011-06-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

I found this old picture in Memories of New Denver by Hallvard Dahlie. Rowe's Auto Court is now Glacier View Cabins

Bannock Point Trail to Lookout

2011-06-07T16:16:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the rare days of sunshine this spring to enjoy the recently improved Bannock Point campsite. The trail through the enchanted forest to the Bannock Point lookout is one of the best early season trails in the Slocan Valley with spectactular views of the lake and a beautiful trail through the forest. There is a good map at the trailhead which is on the gravel pit road 4.5 km south of Silverton.

May Days 2011

2011-06-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather for the sunday parade and festivities down at Centennial Park.

New Denver Townsite

2011-05-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Some of the best attractions are right in downtown New Denver. Slocan Lake and the numerous beaches and pathways on the shore including fishing Carpenter creek.

Doukabor Children imprisoned in New Denver in the 50's

2010-11-27T13:27:00.001-08:00

Check out this new website on current affairs in the Slocan Valley. A great article on the imprisonment of Doukabors. In the 50's Doukabor children were taken from their families in the Slocan Valley to New Denver because the Doukabors refused to send their kids to the BC school system. The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

Idaho Peak 360 video

2010-08-23T11:59:00.001-07:00

Link to my Photo Gallery

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park

2010-07-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

Access from New Denver via the Enterprise Creek trail. Road closed to vehicles at 5km.

Trails from New Denver area
Paupo Basin
Enterprise Creek

Other trails best accessed from Kaslo or Nelson

BC Parks - http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/kokanee_gl/
Trail Report - http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/kokanee_gl/trail_report.pdf

Valhalla Provincial Park

2010-07-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

An incredible assortment of terrain from the valley bottom at the Slocan Lake to the steep peaks and glaciers of the mountains.

Campsites
on the lake from north to south
Wee Sandy Beach
Sharp Creek
Sandy Beach
Nemo Creek
Cove Creek
Evans Beach

Alpine Campsites
Gwillim Lakes
Gimli and Mulvey Basin

Trails
Wee Sandy Lake
Sharp Creek to New Denver Glacier
Nemo Creek
Slocan to Evans Creek
Drinnon Pass to Gwillim Lakes
Gimli and Mulvey Basin

Created in 1983 after lobbying by the Valhalla Society.

BC Parks Page - http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/valhalla/
Trail Report - http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/valhalla/trail_report.pdf

Cell Phone Tower Installed

2010-07-22T20:05:00.001-07:00

After three years of debate and some international publicity for New Denver we will have cell phone coverage. There were Facebook pages created for and against, the Chamber of Commerce took a stand against cell phone coverage partly on a get-away from it all standpoint. The town of New Denver held a referendum and based on the results asked Telus for no cell phone tower however the feds stepped in and over ruled.

Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns - New Denver

2010-07-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

"First known as Eldorado, it became New Denver after Denver, Colorado, when it was anticipated that it would eventually become a greater mining town than its namesake. Although never as large as Kaslo or even Slocan City, it was advantageously placed - on the eastern side of Slocan Lake on a flat and pleasant delta at the mouth of Carpenter Creek which was the natural route into the silver country.
By 1893, it claimed 250 permanent residents and a shifting population which sometimes ran to twice that number. Close, by, silver-lead properties like the Mountain Chief, Alpha, California, Idaho-Cumberland and Alamo contributed to the general prosperity of the town. Before the decade was out, a number of hotels like the Newmarket, St. James, Denver, Central and Windsor greeted incoming mining men and a school, the bank of Montreal, livery stables, general stores, a newspaper and dozens of other business enterprises lent the town an air of respectability.
With the boats landing daily at the waterfront, the C.P.R. building their line and then running into Sandon and Three Forks, and the silver excitement with its continous fluctuations; it was a spirited town for almost two decades.
Today the mining activity has lessened and New Denver isn't the busy center it once was but it has retained much of its old atmosphere; the Newmarket is still there down by the waterfront ( not since the 1970's - editor ), the bank of Montreal's original building stands yet as do a dozen other time worn structures of those bygone days when New Denver was considered the new Eldorado."

from Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns by N.L. Barlee page 112-113

Retallack - Cedar Groves Trail

2010-07-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

Located right on the access road to the Retallack catskiing lodge at the top of the pass between Kaslo and New Denver on Highway 31A. A beautiful short trail that winds itself in a circuit around some old growth cedar. Great trip when passing through, with kids, or on a hot day combined with a trip to Fish and Bear Lakes.

Highway 31A New Denver to Kaslo

2010-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

The drive from New Denver to Kaslo follows up Carpenter Creek with views of 11,000 ft peaks and remnants of the mining history and then follows Kaslo creek with the abandoned K&S railway close by. A popular detour is the 9km drive in to Sandon, including the Sandon Museum as well as the 12km dirt road drive up Idaho Peak. There are a number of hikes departing from Retallack including the short cedar groves hike right from the catskiing lodge access road.

Nikkei Internment Memorial Center

2010-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre (NIMC) in New Denver is the only interpretive centre in Canada dedicated to the history of the uprooting and internment of over 22,000 Canadians of Japanese heritage. The Centre consists of five buildings, three of which are the old original huts or shacks that were built in 1942 to accommodate the displaced citizens. Inside two of the huts you will see the furnishings and stoves that were actually used by the occupants. At times two families occupied one hut, one family on either side of a common kitchen. Toilet facilities, rows of outhouses, are also preserved. The large central hall displays pictures , texts and equipment of tents, desks, boxes and other luggage used in their journey to the various campsites from the coast. There are a few citizens still living in New Denver from those originally resettled here in 1942

Galena Trail from Roseberry to New Denver

2010-06-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Popular trail following the abandoned CPR railway line from Roseberry to just above New Denver on Hwy 6. The trail takes an hour or two by foot and is a quick but mostly flat bike ride. The railway line is mostly just above the Slocan Lake and so has beautiful views throughout and is very smooth.

Alamo Trail

2010-06-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Starting on the Queen Bess Road and ending at the cable car crossing on the Galena Trail. Perfect single track and wagon road. This is the old access road for the Alamo mine which is located in the alpine bowl at the top of the trail. The large ruined buildings on the Galena trail on the east side of the cable car crossing are the remains of the concentrator operations and the location of the intersection of the Alamo Trail and Galena Trail. Great as a mountain bike descent, long and steep for a bike climb and not so interesting as a hike.

Galena Trail - H Road - Queen Bess - Alamo - Old Sandon Rd

Galena Trail from New Denver to Three Forks

2010-06-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

This is probably the most popular trail in New Denver. The trail follows the path of the old CPR Roseberry to Sandon railway line. There is a one-man cable car crossing across Carpenter Creek. It is popular with young and old, slow and fast, hikers and bikers and it the start and sometimes the ending for numerous other trails coming down Idaho Peak including the Alamo Trail.

Molly Hughes Trail

2010-06-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

This short 20-40 minute trail is a must do for everyone visiting New Denver. Starting from the Bigelow Bay parking area at the end of Kildare St on the north side of town the trail follows an old mining trail to the Molly Hughes Mine. The trail is 20 meters or so above the lakeshore with beautiful views all the time. There must have been a couple of portals for the mine as there are mine tailings above the trail and also a portal down a the lake level where a dock was created for loading ore directly on to the paddlewheelers for transport to the Trail smelter. After the mine the trail wanders down to the beach. It might appear that it could be private land however stay close to the beach and you will be on public land.

Old Sandon Road

2010-06-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

This trail makes a great hike or bike. The Old Sandon Road is an old wagon road from Sandon to New Denver which passes by some old mines and also has spectacular views into Carpenter Creek, Payne Mtn, Slocan Lake, New Denver and the Valhalla's. The last 2km's or so into New Denver is a steep logging road which if hiking is best skipped by having a car at the end of the trail. The trail can be taken from Sandon or from Three Forks at the Galena trail.

Kaslo Wagon Road

2010-06-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Connects at Rossiter Creek on the Kaslo side of the Kaslo-New Denver Hwy 3a just east of Retallack. There are a few other connecting points along the highway going down to Kaslo for 25km.

Lyle Creek - Mt Brennan

2010-06-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

From summit of Hwy 3A between Kaslo and New Denver the trail departs on the north side of the highway in a large pull-out. Follow signs on old mining roads to alpine basin with small lake with summit of Mt Brennan another 3 hours further up. Also a popular ski touring destination. Trail starts at bottom right of photo and follows drainage to summit on left. More photos

Whitewater Creek

2010-06-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

Moderate hike to old mining claims and alpine basin. Popular destination for viewing Grizzly bears as the trail climbs above the creek on one side of the valley with the meadows and bears on the other side of the creek - hopefully. Trail starts at summit of Hwy 3A - New Denver to Kaslo.

Wilson Creek Falls

2010-06-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

A steep hike down to a cool, mossy waterfall. Wilson Creek Falls is considered on of the most spectacular waterfalls in British Columbia, plunging 207 feet. The hike is 2.2 km round trip.

Head 5.3 km north of New Denver on Highway 6. Turn east ( right ) on East Wilson Creek FSR 11.5 km ( rough gravel road ) and then turn right a turnoff signed for Wilson Creek Falls. A 4X4 road climbs 60 meters to trailhead.

Wragge Creek

2010-06-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Short .5 km easy to moderate hike.

Shannon Lake

2010-06-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

Access from Hills. Trail fairly steep and a little rough for 1.6km. Small trout in the lake.

CPR N&S Rail Line

2010-06-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

50 kilometers of trail from Nakusp to Sandon following the abandoned Railway line. Access at Sandon, Three Forks, New Denver, Roseberry, Hills, Summit Lake, Box Lake and Nakusp.

New Denver May Days Parade

2010-05-24T20:20:00.001-07:00

The winning entry - from Nikkei Internment Center. Beautiful and simple. The weather was perfect.

May Days May Pole Dance

2010-05-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

Red Bull ColdRush at Retallack

2010-03-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Free skiing competition was held last weekend at Retallack Catskiing. Quite different from the quiet of New Denver. Videos and details

Christmas by the Lake

2009-12-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

The November rains have ended. We have had our first snowfall in New Denver. Winter is here and the Christmas by the Lake festival is on this weekend in Silverton. Ice carving, mulled wine, arts and crafts made by locals make this a great outing for the whole family. More activities on their website

2009 Hills Garlic Festival

2009-09-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Once again the weather in New Denver was perfect for the 5,000 or so people attending the Garlic Festival. The gates opened at 10am with people coming from Nelson, Revelstoke, Golden, Nakusp and many other places. There was all types of garlic and other produce for sale. Entertainment and food kept everyone happy. New Denver is quiet once again tonight.

Japanese Internment Camp

2009-09-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

I found this image somewhere on the web awhile ago of the township of New Denver in the era of the Japanese Internment Camp - during World War II. I'm guessing the photo is taken from near where the present day highway enters New Denver from the south looking north with Goat mountain rising up to the right.

Storm at the Campground

2009-09-06T06:55:00.000-07:00

We had a major storm rip through New Denver on Thursday. 10-15 trees in the campground area of New Denver were broken or roots pulled right out of the ground by the 100+ km winds. One family was lucky to run from their camper before it was crushed by a tree. Most of the trees on the beach at the south end of New Denver are gone. Power was out from about 2pm until 10:30pm and phone connection outside New Denver was out until the following afternoon. Many people were on hand to help out.

Boat Tours on Slocan Lake

2009-09-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather this summer made for awesome boating opportunities. There were people out renting kayaks and paddling the Silvery Slocan and camping in Valhalla Park. I had my tour boat out with guests touring the Slocan Lake. There were people fishing, sightseeing, waterskiing, tubing and the water conditions were typically glassy with the occassional storm just to keep everyone on their toes. As usual it was the kids that enjoy the water the most.

Idaho Peak Road Still Closed

2009-07-23T22:52:00.000-07:00

It will be a couple more days until the snow is clear from the Idaho Peak Road at KM10. An avalanche last winter dropped snow and trees on the road in Wildgoose Basin. Some moterbikes made it through today but there is still 5m of snow to clear and some small trees and one large tree to clear from the road. Someone will need a chainsaw and a big truck and chains to pull the tree off the road. On the flipside the hike from the basin is incredible with an awesome display of wildflowers from the meadow all the way to the peak on both north and south facing aspects.

Link to my Photo Gallery

Endless Days of Summer

2009-07-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

The beautiful days of Slocan Lake are here again. The lake is a mirror and the temperature is hot. Kids are swimming in the lake. Boats are out on the water. Campers are filling the New Denver campsite and the Valhalla Provincial Park.

Dennis Creek

2009-07-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Dennis Creek wildflowers are in full bloom on the south facing slopes. The trail is in great condition and the road is marked at all intersections right to the trailhead. The last kilometer gets a little rough so 4wd only for that part. Plan on 1.5 hours up and at least an hour walking the ridges. You can easily spend all day up here so get up early. More photos

Wildgoose Basin Idaho Peak Closed

2009-07-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

We heard about a snowslide across the Idaho Peak road so investigated. This photo is taken at the small campsite at the bottom of WildGoose Basin. You can drive easily to about 200m before this point and then it is walking. There is about 2 meters of avalanche debris for about 200m which will take a little while to melt out. Unless there is some kind of machinery used to clear the trail it will be at least 2-3 weeks before the road is open. We talked to a few people that walked to Idaho Peak and they told us that the trail itself is clear of snow and easy going and of course well worth the hike. Start early whilst the snow is still firm.

Link to my Photo Gallery

Small Things

2009-06-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

It is the beauty of the simple things in life that remind us that the world is incredible. I was admiring the Nori LakeShore walk in New Denver the other day and took a few more pictures of the mountains and the lake in the beautiful still morning. How much pleasure on these stretches of beach - throwing rocks, swimming, reading on the beach, sunbathing, watching the kids, boating, fishing and building rock piles. The list goes on forever. Enjoy the summer.

The Silverton Hotel

2009-05-30T08:31:00.001-07:00

Over the last two years the Silverton Hotel has been repainted and renovated. In times gone by the paddlewheeler's would dock right in front. The Silverton Lake Shore Resort owns the lakefront cabin on the left.

The Last Big Boat on Slocan Lake

2009-05-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

The New West tugboat that has served Slocan Lake as a log boom hauler is being pulled out of the lake and put to service somewhere on the west coast. This boat replaced the paddlewheeler S.S. Roseberry as the biggest boat on the lake. The tugboat used to collect logs from the sorting yard at Roseberry and over a long day pull them to the mill at Slocan City. Things are getting pretty quiet at the mill. It will be interesting to see what happens to Slocan if the mill were to be closed down.

New Denver to Slocan City

2009-05-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of the warm weather and smooth water on Slocan Lake and took the boat down to Slocan City. The fish were jumping but not onto my hook.

May Days

2009-05-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

The first days of summer begin and the weather was beautiful in New Denver. Lots of people out on the boats and in the park with all the activities. Check out some of the adventures at NewDenverMayDays.com

I did not drag my camera out so you will have to settle for this beginning of summer shot - New Denver Visitor Center.

New Denver Glacier & Highway 6 Chip Trucks

2009-05-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Comments on the chip truck situation and interesting photos and hiking trips around the New Denver Glacier area.

http://www.slocanlake.net

Cougars

2009-05-03T14:16:00.001-07:00

Sara and I were pretty surprised to see a cougar and two young cougars crossing the highway near the Red Mountain Rd exit south of the Silverton Hill. They did not disappear in a hurry either - the two young ones stuck on one side of the highway and the mother on the other. We stopped briefly and Sara raced to get her camera organized but no pictures.

Fish and Bear Lakes

2008-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

After a so-so summer, a beautiful September. Nice day for a drive.

Shannon Lake

2008-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

We got a few hours away from Glacier View Cabins this afternoon and visited Shannon Lake. The last time I was there was in the winter about 15 years ago with Dale Caton from Valhalla Mountain Touring. The Shannon Lake Forestry Road sign on the mainline road is still there and the trail leaves from the switchback about 1.8 km up that road. Trail steepish but in good condition. Some people up fishing and catching lots of little cutthroats. 1 hour up and 30 minutes or so down.

Retallack-Reco-Sandon-IdahoPk-New Denver

2008-08-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Two classic New Denver peaks with roads almost to their top with awesome big bike descents. Andrew Gross from Rossland is a mountain biking animal and so I knew he would get a kick out a day cruising up and down this Kootenay Classic. Starting out at Retallack at around 9 am we rode up Stinson Creek logging / mining road to the pass at the end of the valley. Strolled up the ridge for the fantastic views from the summit of Mt. Reco. Back down the ridge, hopped on the bikes for the 1500m descent down to Sandon. Had a snack at the "Prospector's Pick" and then back on the bikes for the 12km up the Idaho Peak Road and then down the Old Alamo Road for the 1600m descent down to New Denver. Probably around 50-60km and 3100m of climbing and descending. Beautiful views and wildflowers. The attached photo is from the summit of Reco with the summit of Idaho Peak at the top of the picture and Slocan Lake at the valley bottom. Nice ride.

Paragliders invade Idaho Peak

2008-08-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday a group of 10 paraglider pilots flew from Idaho Peak. The group was mostly from Ymir and Nelson with the Kootenay Paragliding Company. There were two people doing tandems from New Denver. The wind was fairly strong until about 5pm and then there 10 paraglider pilots soaring about 1,000 ft above the 4,000 ft ridge south of Silverton Creek. The last time there was this many pilots in New Denver was probably ten years ago when I used to organize a September long weekend fly-in.

Dennis Creek Ridge

2008-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sara and I finally made it up to Dennis Creek Ridge. I think last summer was a bust for the wildflowers with all the hot weather and then the Springer Creek forest fire smoke obscuring all the views. Apparantly the first week of August is about the right time for the wildflowers so we dragged Sara's camera up the trail and spent the day photographing. Take the Wilson Creek East road for about 3km and then 100m past the Dennis Ck Rd take the Alps Alturas Rd. Follow until about 12km and take the right just before the bridge crossing. Park at the next intersection. Walk on the road to the left and it turns into the trail. Think about 1.5 hrs up maybe one hour down and then you could spend all day wandering around.

Flying Idaho Peak again

2008-07-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

It seems that there is a bit of interest again in paragliding from Idaho Peak. There are a few local pilots that have started paragliding lessons. I flew on Saturday for my first flight of the short season.

Link to my Idaho Peak Photo Gallery

Link to my Paragliding Photo Gallery

Thanks for chainsawing Wakefield Trail

2008-07-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Some awesome person must have cleared the trail up the Wakefield trail this spring. Great job. Clean all the way down. Thanks!!

It's still steep and still narrow and my brakes only just manage to get me down before they

wear out. 1 hour down the singletrack. 30 minutes out the wagon road / Silverton Creek access road. 2 and 3/4 hrs up from New Denver just putting along but not really stopping. Probably 6,000 ft of vertical.

Wildflowers on Idaho Peak

2008-07-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is about the earliest I have been up Idaho Peak. We have had a pretty mellow spring this year - a bit of rain - and a bit of warm weather but nothing scorching. The wildflowers are just coming out in the alpine. I'm just a point and shoot digital camera guy. You will have to talk to Sara about the fancy wildflower shots.

Idaho Peak - Road Open

2008-07-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

Not yet. Probably a reasonable rule of thumb is to wait until there is absolutely no snow on Idaho Peak facing New Denver. I rode up today and there is still about a 20m section with 2ft of snow just as you approach the Blue Grouse Basin sign at Km 10(?). The rest of the road is clear of snow and so easy hiking or biking for the next 2km to the ridge and the hiking trail is all clear. Probably by July 12th or so the road will be open all the way.

First Summer Storm on Slocan Lake

2008-06-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

The day started off glassy calm on Slocan Lake. Sunday was a real hot one and I spent most of the day on the water checking out Osprey nests over by Wee Sandy Creek. Monday morning I did my usual bike ride up the Galena Trail to Three Forks and then down the Old Sandon Rd. Sara and I then rode the very relaxing lower section of the Galena trail from New Denver to Roseberry and return. Back before noon and the heat build up. By 5pm it was obvious we were going to have a storm blow through. Check out the video for some nice waves. The wind was howling dropping a couple of trees on the road in New Denver.

Interactive Pictures of New Denver

2008-06-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Check out the beautiful interactive video pictures of New Denver by Horizon 2 Horizon Photography

http://www.horizon2horizon.com/gall-int/newden/antart.html

Still on the New Denver YouTube Kick

2008-06-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

More Mountain Biking Videos
For the Love of It Part 1
For the Love of It Part 2
For the Love of It Part 3

Winter Driving Memories

2008-06-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

Video from Summit of New Denver Glacier

2008-06-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Unicycle Video on YouTube

2008-06-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome video of a guy riding some of the popular trails around New Denver on his unicycle.....

Destination Highways

2008-06-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Check out this Motorcycle website advertising guidebooks to "Destination Highways". This link takes you to the Kaslo-New Denver stretch which is rated 5/100. The road down the Slocan Valley is also included in their listing. Creston to Kootenay Bay Ferry is listed Number 1. Each page has a video of a 4 minute section of the ride. Other rides include: Nelson to Kaslo #60, Kaslo North to Meadow Creek #33, Road over Monashee Pass #56, and more.

Water Transportation on Slocan Lake

2008-06-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for transportation across Slocan Lake to the Valhalla Provincial Park then call Trevor at 358-7277 or email trevor@kootenayexperience.com. Popular trips include day trips to the beaches, hiking trails or fishing adventures. The boat has a capacity of 12 people plus gear or 5000 lbs of equipment. All safety equipment and fish finder included.

Photography by Sara

2008-06-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

This summer the Glacier View Cabins in New Denver are proud to display photography by Sara Rainford. Sara produces a collection of postcards, notecards and framed prints which are on display in the cabins. They are also available for purchase online. Sara is pictured here with a collection of her notecards in front of the gardens at Glacier View. The photography is also for sale in New Denver at the local Friday Market and at select gift stores.

New Denver Market

2007-09-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Friday is Market Day. Officially the market runs from 10-2pm but locals know that to get the fresh produce and fresh baking turn up at 9am. Lots of local handcrafts and people both young and old. Sara Rainford and I work a small booth with photos of New Denver and area as framed prints, postcards, notecards and posters. You may also view some of them online. We load up a hand cart with our table and goods and walk the 2 blocks from Glacier View Cabins to the market on main street.

Mt Reco Bike Ride

2007-08-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is a popular route for ATV riders, and it just had to be a great mountain bike ride. I talked to some of the Freeride and Oakley crew that were hanging out at Retallack and they had mentioned that they were doing some riding off Reco. Christian from Oregon was hanging out in New Denver for the week and we met doing some paragliding the day before and it seemed like a bike ride was looking good. Sara generously drove us up to Retallack and we began our ride up Stetson Creek FSR and up over Reco Pass. A quick climb up Reco ( 8,200 ft ) provided some awesome views and then a solid 6,400 descent down to Cody along the old K&S Rail line then zipping down to Three Forks up to the Old Sandon Rd and descent down to New Denver. Phew.

Fire flared up again and Weather changed

2007-08-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Mid week the wind picked up again and the fire in Springer Creek and Enterprise Creek flared up again. By the weekend the weather has changed and some rain has probably slowed everything down. The summer is coming to an end. The Valhalla Music School and Suzuki Music School 's are over and soon it will be Labor Day and the end of the summer season.

Alps Alturas Trail

2007-08-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Drove up East Wilson Creek Rd for 4km past the Dennis Creek Rd and took the next right - Hicks Rd. The forestry road was in good condition, climbing steadily with some exposed sections until the road cruises around the left shoulder of Mt Dennis. The road then drops into the valley and climbs into the clearcut. The trail starts here climbing up an old mining road into the alpine and then traverses around the right shoulder of Mt. Dolly Varden. The trail climbs through alpine meadows and then climbs steeply and on steep terrain into the pass and lake between Dolly Varden and Mt Marten. About 5km of trail over 1500 ft. I think we left New Denver around 11am and returned at 5pm with some leisure time but did not take advantage of the exploring possibilities at the end of the trail. Link to PhotoGallery

The Orchard from 2000 ft up

2007-08-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Another nice paragliding flight yesterday. Launched into very light conditions at about 11:30am and hooked into a thermal near the towers on the north ridge. Up to the clouds. Flew back to Selkirk Peak. I was not really thinking of flying for long today. Sara radioed up that she was off with the ambulance to pick up another motorbiker off the road. Flew straight out above New Denver and took a few snapshots. I thought people might be interested in this one. Then spiral turns down to the ballpark.

Springer Creek Fire Settled Down

2007-08-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

The last two days have been favoured by light winds. Yesterday we drove to Nelson through Kaslo - so we saw the smoke from the Meadow Creek fire, the Kemp Creek fire above Kaslo, and the smoke from the Sitkum Creek fire which was filling the West Arm. Apparantly the visibility in Slocan City is pretty poor but New Denver has been blessed with beautiful sunshine and people have been getting out and about on their bikes and boats. The picture once again has been taken from the New Denver Boat Launch with Bannock Point the first ridge coming down to the lake and the smoke filling in Enterprise Creek over to Bluffs above Slocan City.

Springer Creek fire into North Side of Enterprise Ck

2007-08-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

Strong winds blew today and the Springer Creek fire doubled in size from 700 to 1500 hectares by mid afternoon. By 5 pm the fire had moved through Enterprise Creek and started up the North side of Enterprise Creek. Visually from these photos taken from the dock in New Denver it appears to have reached near the height of land on the North side of Enterprise Creek about 5-6 km up the creek. New Denver had a public meeting at the school this evening which was well attended and good information provided. Thanks was given to all of the fire fighters and other people assisting in the fire. More information at http://www.bcwildfire.ca/

We could see the Mars water bombers scooping water from Slocan Lake and lots of smaller aircraft in the air.

Paraglide Idaho Peak

2007-07-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Idaho Peak looms over Sandon, New Denver and Silverton. Sara Rainford managed to capture me paragliding over Kokanee Glacier with the moon rising. I flew for an hour or so before sailing off into the sunset and landing down at the New Denver Campground. My first flight for the year.

Fire on the Mountain

2007-07-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Springer Creek Fire. This is the view from the New Denver Dock down the lake towards Slocan City. The fire started picking up on Saturday. I was sailing on the lake and could see the smoke coming out of the heli logging clearcuts where they did some slash pile burning this spring. Perhaps the hot weather picked up some old burns that were still smoldering. On Saturday evening we were up on Idaho Peak doing a little paragliding and there was a smoke inferno billowing up. By Sunday night the flames were visible from New Denver.

Video of Idaho Peak

2007-07-23T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here's an old video from 1995 of me paragliding at Idaho Peak

and then this is a random video from you-tube of Idaho Peak

Colleen McCrory

2007-07-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

Interview with Colleen McCrory. Colleen was part of the Valhalla Wilderness Society. Instrumental in the creation of the Valhalla Park and much more. A Tribute.

More Cycling on Idaho Peak

2007-07-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

I found this story on a cycling adventure around New Denver and Idaho Peak - It's got some pretty good pictures.
Alternatively check out this video of a uni cyclist riding the trails around New Denver

Idaho Peak

2007-07-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Idaho Peak is one of New Denver's most spectacular attractions. Looming over the townsites of New Denver and Silverton the peak is the center of the mining history for the area. There is a road which travels 12 km from Sandon to the ridge top parking lot. A 30 minute hike along the ridge up to the peak and the old fire lookout offers incredible views of the Slocan Lake, Kokanee, Valhalla and Goat Range Provincial Parks and wildflowers covering all of the steep alpine slopes. The road is single lane dirt road not suitable for vehicles with low clearance, or oversized vehicles like campers. The road is open from early July until the snow flies again. I took my pedal bike up there yesterday from New Denver - 2 hrs 45 minutes at a nice steady pace. Link to my Photo Gallery

Payne Mine

2007-06-19T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Kootenay Rockies Bike Guide has a map describing a mountain bike trail called the Payne Mine Trail. I explored this trail in early June as I had never really heard of it. Leaving New Denver it is a good 30 minutes up to the Three Forks junction on the highway and then another 30 minutes of pedalling on the dirt road to Sandon. At Sandon stay on the left side of the creek on the Cody Road to the start of the K&S Railway trail. The K&S railway grade back to Three Forks is also a good bike ride - about an hour. After about 200m take the first right hand trail - an old wagon road - from the K&S trail. This trail is a little rough and winds continuously upwards traversing Payne Mountain. I think I passed one descending trail, probably to another mine and then came to a junction with a traverse road and a switchback road that continued to climb. I was at about 5,500 ft at this point and entering the snowline. I decided the traverse trail was the right trail and walked on snow for a couple hundred meters and the trail started to descend gradually into the Payne Mine Bowl. The mine was built into the middle of avalanche slide path. This was the largest mine in the area and the largest silver producer in Canada. Interesting spot. The wagon trail continues down continously steep all the way to Highway 31A. It looks like people ATV up the trail but there are parts of the trail entering Payne bowl where the wagon road is washed out. Have fun.

Lightning Strikes

2006-07-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

At around 1am on Sunday 23rd of July an awesome display of lightening raged over Slocan Lake. For over an hour thunder pealed around the mountains. Forked lightning struck numerous peaks in the area. There were a couple of fires visible although most were put out by the light rain that followed. The following day a fire started up on "Montana Peak" ( the peak on the other side of the highway from Idaho Pk. ) There was a couple of aircraft and helicopter involved in putting out the fire which spread to numerous points on the peak. A B2 Helicopter from Highland in Castlegar and a spotter plane as well as a 4 engine and 2 engine plane dropped fire suppressant.

September Paragliding Fly-In

2006-06-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Every long weekend in September ( the first weekend ) a small group of paragliders meet in New Denver at the community campground and fly from Idaho Peak. Great camping, family activities and of course an incredible flying experience. Idaho Peak offers over 5,000 ft. of vertical drop from New Denver and a big mountain flying experience. Cross country potential is wide open. Paraglider flights to Nakusp and hangliding flights to Kaslo and from Slocan Ridge have been completed. The photo shows the west launch and the town of New Denver from Idaho Peak. The south launch is a little bit more like a cliff launch....

Contact trevor@kootenayexperience.com for details.

Welcome to New Denver

2006-05-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

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