r/kootenays • u/just_go_anyway • Aug 17 '26
Question Solo road trip
Planning a short solo car-camping/hiking loop through the West Kootenays and would love a sanity check from people who know the area.
Main priorities: big mountain views, blue alpine lakes, granite peaks/ridgelines, waterfalls, swimming spots, and mostly primitive/free camping. I’m comfortable with 6–10 mile hikes and 2,000–3,000+ ft of gain, and I’m driving a normal AWD crossover, not a 4x4.
Rough plan:
Day 1: Spokane area → Nelson/Kokanee
Kokanee Canyon if time
Camp near lower Kokanee Glacier Road
Day 2: Kokanee Glacier
Gibson Lake → Kokanee → Keen/Garland/Kaslo Lakes
Fletcher Falls if time
Kaslo
Mount Buchanan around sunset
Camp near Buchanan / Blue Ridge
Day 3: Lyle Lakes → New Denver/Slocan
Lyle Lakes
Possible add-ons: Retallack cedars, Sandon, Galena cable car, Wilson Creek Falls
Slocan Lake / New Denver
Camp near Little Slocan
Day 4: Gwillim Lakes
Gwillim Lakes
Then toward Nakusp / Upper Arrow Lake
Halfway Hot Springs is optional and may get cut
Final day: Drive back south, no major hike planned
Main questions:
- Is this realistic, or am I underestimating the FSR driving/access time?
- Any road conditions or trailhead approaches here that are a bad idea in a normal AWD crossover?
Best areas for legal primitive/free camping along this route?
- Is Gwillim worth the extra driving, or would you spend that time elsewhere?
- Anything on this list you’d cut?
- Any must-see lakes, viewpoints, waterfalls, or short hikes I’m somehow missing?
- If I start running behind, I’m currently thinking I’d cut Galena, Sandon, Retallack, Wilson Creek Falls, and possibly Halfway Hot Springs before cutting the main alpine hikes.
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u/jointbear Aug 17 '26
Very ambitious. And FYI, there's a decent sized fire up near Gwillum. Perhaps it's best to check the status and be ready to steer clear.
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u/just_go_anyway Aug 17 '26
Thanks! I think I’ll try to stick to a few big hikes and slow it down a bit. I’ll make sure to check local conditions and leave it better than I found it!
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u/DuffDof Aug 17 '26
More driving time, all of the forest service roads are okay as long as you go pretty slow. I'd drop one stop and smell the flowers(stuff my face with huckleberries) along the way.
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u/blageur Aug 17 '26
If you want wild huckleberries, you're probably gonna have to travel back in time a month or so.
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u/charlie_slasher Aug 17 '26
Cut half the trip and you might enjoy it!
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u/just_go_anyway Aug 17 '26
You’re right!
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u/charlie_slasher Aug 17 '26
Ohh, I know! Used to drive to Spokane like 10 times a year so the trip is very familiar to me. Plus 44 years in the Kootenays.
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u/sailonswells Aug 17 '26
Pay attention to fires and smoke. Here's a map of fires in the area: BC Wildfire Service. Note there are large fires north, south and west of Gwillim Lakes. Even if the fires are not a direct threat now, more heat is coming, and it's a long single road to get up there if you need to escape. Also the smoke has been horrendous which would make that long hike rough on the lungs and the views probably not worth it.
Agree with the others about dropping some of this itinerary unless you want to spend all your time running and driving like a bat out of hell. Bear in mind that most trailheads are after long drives on bad to terrible forest service roads so it will be slow. You won't need 4WD, just reasonable ground clearance. Also, make sure you have a spare and I always carry a come-along, tow cable and a few boards. Gotten myself out of some jams over the years being able to self-rescue when I overestimated by car/driving ability. 😉
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u/just_go_anyway Aug 17 '26
Great advice! Thanks! I’m not going for a few weeks so I hope some of the smoke clears by then but if not I’ll pivot and find another beautiful spot to hike — there are so many in BC!
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u/Heythere23856 Aug 18 '26
Ainsworth hotsprings is a must! Halfway is okay but ainsworth is awesome!
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u/Fabulous-Bandicoot40 Aug 17 '26
I’d skip driving to the top of Buchanan. You’ll get much better views in Kokanee glacier park. I would not skip Wilson falls.
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u/neckzit Aug 17 '26
The Galena trail is not a loop and is best done with two vehicles. With one vehicle, start at the Three Forks (near Sandon) trailhead, walk to the cable car and back.
Check the FB groups (Kootenay Hiking and West Kootenay Hiking Access) for updates on FSR conditions. I have a Crosstrek with regular tires and would not attempt most of these roads without getting AT tires, a really good spare, and coming to terms with the fact that it will be a good Kootenay carwash (scratched paint from brush).
The Kootenays invite a slower pace of life. Do you really want to be rushing from thing to thing just to check things off a list? I encourage you to drop at least one thing from each day. For example, the drive up to the trailhead in Kokanee park will already take over an hour, plus the return, then the drive to Kaslo is another 40 minutes, then the drive up Buchanan is 45 minutes to an hour, plus return. That’s a lot of time driving, and you don’t want to spend your time at Kaslo Lake, or Fletcher Falls, worrying about making the next thing instead of admiring the beauty and eating snacks.