Got snow? Summertime in the Kootenays sure does

Brenda Haley and her adventurous friends decided to take a hike up Kokanee Glacier Park on Saturday, July 2.

Her observation of the wonderscape is, “Still tons of snow!”

Located north of Nelson, Kokanee Glacier Park sits mostly above 1,800 metres in elevation, and has two glaciers – Kokanee and Woodbury. These feed more than 30 lakes and are the headwaters of many creeks.

Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, set aside in 1922, is one of the oldest major parks in the provincial system.

It has a long history of well established recreational use and is perhaps the best known alpine park in the Kootenays. Its boundaries encompass 32,035 hectares of some of the most scenic mountain country found in the Selkirk Mountains of southern B.C., comprising a picturesque mosaic of high peaks, snowfields, cirques and colourful lake basins.

Kokanee Lake is 1,200 metres in length and 400 metres wide; this alpine jewel is surrounded by precipitous cliffs and rock slides. Other scenic lakes in the park include the gem-coloured Sapphire Lakes, milky Joker Lakes and popular Gibson, Kaslo and Tanal Lakes, which offer good fishing for rainbow and cutthroat trout.

With 85 kilometres of well-marked trails, this park is appropriate for campers, hikers and climbers with all levels of outdoor experience.

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