Our first stop on our week and a half long Canadian adventure was a two night stay in Kimberley, British Columbia. Kimberley began its life as a mining town–just like so many towns in Montana–home to the Sullivan Lead-Zinc Mine until 2001. Now it thrives on tourism, primarily featuring its Underground Railroad Mining Tour, its Alpine Ski Resort, and its charming Bavarian-themed shopping area: the Platzl.
Unfortunately for us, we were out of season for both the Underground Railroad and the Ski Resort, but we did make it to the Platzl. Moreover, during our stay in Kimberley we found two breweries, an excellent hike, a couple beautiful lakes, and a waterfall, not to mention the lovely little Bavarian hotel where we stayed.
The Platzl:
As mining began to dwindle in the area, the city decided to revitalize, and apparently inspired by the success of Leavenworth, Washington, built a Bavarian-themed plaza called the Platzl. (I actually was surprised to see a lot of German-themed buildings and food during our trip. I’m not entirely sure why that is. It could be a heritage thing, as there were plenty of German immigrants during the early days of mining and building the trans-Canadian railroad, but there were also plenty of immigrants from other countries whose heritage is not nearly as well represented. I suspect it is actually more of a spin off the Alpine Lodge idea. Not that I’m complaining. Being German myself, soft pretzels and bratwurst equals one happy girl.)
The Platz is couple block walking mall featuring all make and manner of shops in the classic half-timbered Bavarian style. We ended up enjoying a small bakery and a stone-fire pizza place as we wandered around. The Platzl also features the largest free-standing cuckoo clock in Canada, although instead of striking the hour you have to insert a dollar like its a jukebox to see and hear it strike.
Breweries:
Over Time Beer Works
The first brewery of our trip, we very much enjoyed the beer at Over Time Beer Works in Kimberley. Our favorites were the Good Evening Brown and the surprising Stockticker Raspberry Sour. (One of the unexpected turns of this trip was me consistently finding fruit beers that I like. This as highly unusual for me, who has always held fast to the belief that the only two places fruit doesn’t belong is on pizza and in beer. Seriously, I don’t even put limes in my Coronas!)
The ambiance of the the brewery was pretty standard; the only real quirk the place had was an unexplainable Craftsman saw embedded in the bar. But the room was clean and well-lit, there were TVs playing sports, and the bartender was friendly. Throw in a few snacks and a variety of non-beer options–not a full bar, but BC seems to have a much more relaxed set of rules about what other alcoholic options a brewery can serve than Montana–and it was a very pleasant spot to enjoy a beer.
Fisher Peak Brewing Co. at the Heid Out Restaurant
The next day we drove to neighboring Cranbrook to check out the Fisher Peak Brewing Co. at the Heid Out Restaurant, after a brief delay where we had to actually become members of a Canadian Bank in order to exchange our American cash for Canadian so we could pay the parking meter. The Heid Out has a classy feel with dark wood furnishings and old photos on the walls. Because it was a beautiful day, garage doors around the outside walls were open to let in a little of the outdoors.
The menu at Heid Out was very eclectic, with interesting twists on food throughout the world. We ended up trying the pulled pork quesadilla with mango chutney, which was delicious! Along with beer from the brewery, they also had a full bar.
Although they also had several very smooth and enjoyable dark beers, we mainly remember Fisher Peak as being where we discovered the new type of beer that rapidly became our favorite on this trip: the hazy IPA. These bad boys are brewed in the New England style, meaning they are unfiltered (or in some cases have hops added after the fermentation process), which gives them more flavor and a cloudy appearance. Apparently they are a little controversial among IPA-purists, but we thought they were too tasty to be concerned.
Disclaimer: I definitely cannot claim to be an expert on how different styles of beer are made. I got the above information from chatting with bartenders, and this handy article.
Kimberley Nature Park
We didn’t have to go far at all to find a pleasant hike in Kimberley. The city is home to the largest municipal park in Canada, the Kimberley Nature Park. The park also borders the Horse Barn Valley Interpretive Forest, and between the two, they offer more than 50 kilometers worth of hiking and biking trails. We found the trails to be well marked and maintained, with tons of options ranging from short and easy to long and more challenging.
We chose a 6.4 mile loop with excellent views of the Canadian Rockies in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny fall day–the foliage was beginning to add splashes of color everywhere–and we only ever saw one other person. This hike was the perfect combination of easily accessible and all the tranquility of nature.
Marysville Falls
Another easily accessible way to enjoy nature in Kimberley is a quick visit to Marysville Falls. Located in an Eco-park in the artsy Marysville district, the falls can be reached by following a short boardwalk along Mark Creek. Although the ease of access does mean there will be a few more people, this 100-ft waterfall–complete with cool rock formations–is well worth the time.
Lakes Near Kimberley
St. Mary’s Lake
We found this one by following St. Mary Lake Road just for the sake of curiosity; we figured–based on the name–that we would find a lake there, and we sure did! While most of the land around the lake appears to be privately owned, we did eventually find a public beach after a little poking around. If you turn left on Lakeside Road (before St. Mary Lake Rd turns to gravel), you will find a stretch of beach with a few picnic tables.
Our highlight from this lake was getting to see a heron in flight; usually I see these surprisingly graceful birds just standing in water in the distance. Sadly, this sighting happened so suddenly that we didn’t have time to take a picture.
Premier Lake
We went to this lake hoping for a hike–a 7.7 kilometer loop from Premier Lake to Yankee and Canuck Lakes–but alas, the trail was closed due to a bear in the area. Still we very much enjoyed our visit to Premier Lake Provincial Park. There was a lovely campground along a creek, a dock-enclosed swimming area (a little to cold for us that morning), a small fish hatchery, and even a very nice kids’ playground, not to mention the beautiful little mountain lake. We left making plans to return soon with our camper, the dogs, and a couple of kayaks!
Hotel Kimberley
We stayed at Hotel Kimberley while in town, and it definitely stands out as my favorite place we stayed on the whole trip. Run by a friendly couple from Australia, this little hotel was all charm, from its Bavarian-style half-timbered exterior to its cheerful white and lilac colored room, complete with a microwave, fridge, an incredibly comfy bed, and my personal favorite: a window seat! After a day of exploring, it was nice to come back to a cozy little room and curl up with a good book on the window bench.
The hotel was also just a few blocks from the Platzl, and served a basic but filling complimentary breakfast each morning. This one was a winner in our books!
Saved for Later
Due to the few-days-here-few-days-there nature of our trip, one of the reoccurring themes was making lists of things we want to do or visit on our next trip to Canada. There was just too much awesome stuff to do at every place we stayed, and not nearly enough time to do all of the things we wanted. So here are some of the things we are hoping to hit on our next trip to Kimberley.
The Underground Railroad Mining Tour–History and trains! What could be better? Sadly, this tour is only a summer option, and we came the day after the very last tour. Just one day! Still, it’s always nice to have something to look forward to.
Fort Steele Heritage Town–Another history option that we decided to skip this time because it was a little too touristy for our current mood (avoiding hordes of other people was another reoccurring theme on this trip; perhaps it has something to do with being recently married). Still on another occasion it would be fun to check out and learn a little more about the cowboy culture of the area.
Premier Lake to Canuck Lake (plus camping)–As mentioned above, we were thwarted on our efforts for this particular hike (not to worry, we found another one a little further up the road), but we absolutely fell in love with this little campground and are hoping to return to complete the hike and enjoy this beautiful area a little more fully.
So that was our first stop on our Canada Loop. What are some other great options in the Kimberley area?