kootrocks

Where to See Wildlife in the Kootenays

location_onRadium Hot Springs, BC
Field & Forest
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KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Get the latest travel updates, weather alerts, and more to help you plan a safe and responsible trip. Visit HelloBC.com for details.

Radium Hot Springs

Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia, Canada

The best part about the Kootenays is you don’t need to climb the steepest mountainsides or dive to the bottom of the deepest lakes to experience the wildlife in their natural habitat.  A short drive outside of Radium Hot Springs, you might catch a glimpse of those same bighorn sheep gracing the roadside hills.  In November, Radium Hot Springs celebrates their annual Headbanger Festival (1st weekend in Nov) - features a series of events, including a keynote speaker, interactive workshops, unique presentations, guided walks and more.  The festival is timed to coincide with the bighorn sheep’s annual rut, in which the rams compete for the ewes by challenging each other to butting contests. Travel between Kimberley and Cranbrook and you may meet the resident elk herd.  Spend enough time in the Elk Valley and you’ll likely catch a glimpse of a Grizzly foraging for berries.  And with countless other species present, including rare birds, large ungulates and numerous species of fish, there’s more than enough in the Kootenays to keep wildlife watchers happy for a lifetime. 

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Boo, the resident orphaned grizzly bear, roams his 8-hectare habitat, free to forage & play as he pleases at the Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge.

location_onKicking Horse Mountain Resort, Golden, BC
Chris Wheeler
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Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

4.6 (2.0K Google reviews)

1500 Kicking Horse Trail
Golden, BC

Open daily until 4:00 PMsee hourshide hours

Monday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tuesday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Wednesday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Thursday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Saturday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

If you’ve been wanting to see a grizzly bear but don’t want to risk an encounter in the wild, stop by the Grizzly Bear Refuge on Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in Golden.  Boo, the resident orphaned grizzly bear, roams his 8-hectare (20-acres) of habitat, free to forage and play as he pleases. 

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By in mid-Aug bright red Kokanee salmon flood the Kokanee Creek Spawning Channel as they make their way back to their spawning grounds.

location_onKokanee Creek Provincial Park, Kokanee Creek, BC
Kari Medig
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Kokanee Creek Provincial Park

4.7 (567 Google reviews)

BC-3A
Kokanee Creek, BC

see hourshide hours

Monday:

Open 24 hours

Tuesday:

Open 24 hours

Wednesday:

Open 24 hours

Thursday:

Open 24 hours

Friday:

Open 24 hours

Saturday:

Open 24 hours

Sunday:

Open 24 hours

From mid-August to late September, thousands of bright red Kokanee salmon flood the Kokanee Creek Spawning Channel as they make their way back to their spawning grounds. Witnessing the return of this landlocked relative of Sockeye Salmon is a sight to behold.  Follow the self-guided interpretive tour along the boardwalk and learn more about the migration of the Kokanee.

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Take a self-guided tour; capture photos local birds, mammals, fish & reptiles that call the Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre home in the Creston Valley.

location_onKootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre, Creston, BC
Jeff Banman
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Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre

2.0 (1 Google reviews)

1760 W Creston Rd
Creston, BC

see hourshide hours

Monday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tuesday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Wednesday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Thursday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday:

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

In the fertile Creston Valley, the Kootenay-Columbia Discovery Centre leads guided canoe trips through the wetlands of the Kootenay River.  Or take a self-guided tour of the boardwalk where you could catch a glimpse of one of the over 300 bird species, mammals, fish and reptiles that inhabit the area.

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The Kootenay Trout Hatchery rears up to 3 million baby trout each year to enhance recreational fishing opportunities in the Kootenays.

location_onKootenay Trout Hatchery & Visitor Centre, Wardner, BC
Kari Medig
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Kootenay Trout Hatchery & Visitor Centre

4.8 (75 Google reviews)

Fenwick Rd
Wardner, BC

The Kootenay Trout Hatchery rears up to 3 million baby trout each year to enhance recreational fishing opportunities. The species raised here are Rainbow, Cutthroat trout, Brook Char and Kokanee to enhance recreational fishing opportunities. In addition, the red-listed White Sturgeon are raised here for conservation purposes. Located 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Cranbrook, on the east side of the Kootenay River, this hatchery is one of six that is owned and operated by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of British Columbia. A tour guide is on hand daily from May through August. An extensive interpretive area with aquaria, educational models, displays and a turtle pond is open every day from 8am to 4pm for self-guided tours. There is also a stocked fishing pond on-site for new anglers to practice their skills in catch and release angling. Rods are available for loan and a guide can help get visitors set up for fishing. Learn to Fish Programs can be arranged in advance, which include a guided tour of the facility.

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