Kootenay. 
Know before you go
Advisories
Safety information
- The beach is unsupervised. Parents must be careful with children around the Kokanee Creek canyon and canyon viewpoint.
- Winds and weather on Kootenay Lake can change quickly. Be prepared.
Special notes
- The Kokanee Creek nature centre is open from mid May - closing mid September, offering quality environmental education, WiFi access, coffee and gift shop. Contact the park operator or the Kokanee Creek nature centre directly at 250-825-4723.
Electrical hook-ups at Friends campground
Friends Campground offers 13 vehicle accessible campsites with electrical hook-ups. The charge is an extra $7 per night.
Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.
Visit responsibly
Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:
Maps and location
Getting there
In southern BC on Hwy 3A, a 20 minute drive, 19km east of Nelson or if you travel west take the Kootenay Lake ferry from Kootenay Bay to Balfour. From Balfour it’s another 12km to the park.
Things to do
There are 9.5km of easy hiking and walking trails within the park. The majority of these trails are located around the campground, visitor centre, spawning channel, lake shoreline, and through the delta. A walking bridge across Kokanee Creek can link you to roads and trails to Redfish campground. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroy plant life and soil structure.
The most popular are three connected trails located on the west side of Highway 3, opposite the Sandspit campground entrance. Canyon trail follows the east side of Kokanee Creek, passes through mature cedar and hemlock trees and leads you to a set of stairs and terraced viewing platform overlooking a canyon. Due to the narrowness of the canyon, the views of the spring runoff are spectacular. The connecting Pine and Woodland trails take you through a forest of yellow pine and birch. The trails combine to make a circle route. All the trails are considered easy to moderate. Depending which route you choose, hiking times range from 30 to 60 min.
In addition, Kokanee Glacier Park is 16km away and contains over 100km of beginner to advanced hiking trails in spectacular alpine terrain.
The two day-use and picnic areas Sandspit and Redfish offer extensive sandy beaches. The water of Kootenay lake is considered cool and refreshing. Here, in shallow areas on the large sand bar the water is warmer.
Sandspit beach has a lagoon, which is warm but also a bit slimy. Its popular for wading to find minnows and tadpoles but not recommended for swimming. The only roped off swimming area is at Sandspit.
The sandy shoreline provides excellent opportunities for swimming, sun bathing, and waterskiing.
There are no lifeguards on duty in BC Parks.
The delta provides many opportunities to canoe or kayak and enjoy the abundant birdlife in the park. The lake can be accessed by the day-use and picnic areas or the boat launch at the north-east end of Sandspit beach. Kootenay Lake can have sudden wind or weather changes. Be prepared.
Kokanee Creek Paddle Sports is on site offering canoe, kayak, and paddle board Rentals off the main beach.
Kokanee, rainbow and bull trout are found in Kootenay Lake. Check the BC freshwater fishing regulations synopsis for quotas and restrictions.
Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.
The Kokanee nature center is open from 8am to 8pm, serving locally roasted coffee and free Wi-Fi. Check the notices posted daily throughout the park for the activities of the day.
Programs run throughout the camping season for all ages. From Jerry Rangers to evening star gazing, there is always something being offered. For more information, please refer to Kootenay SW Parks or join us on Facebook.
There is a viewing platform at the end of Canyon trail on Kokanee Creek. There is an abundant bird population on the delta or along the creek and a spawning channel for Kokanee.
Pets and domestic animals must be on a leash at all times and are not allowed in beach areas or park buildings. A dog beach is beside the boat launch at the north-east end of the park. Park visitors are responsible for their behaviour and must dispose of their excrement. Backcountry areas are not suitable for dogs or other pets due to wildlife issues and the potential for problems with bears.
Bicycles must keep to roadways. Bicycle helmets are mandatory in British Columbia.
The Holt Shelter is a designated rest spot for cycle tourers and through-hikers, available on a first come, first served basis. Guests may need to share the space with fellow hikers and cyclists. Registration is required upon arrival at the gatehouse.
Please note that bicycles with electric assist motors (e-bikes) are not allowed on the trails within Kokanee Creek Park. E-bikes are restricted to park roads and areas where motorized use is permitted. The only exception to this policy will be for authorized and identified trail maintenance bikes conducting work on behalf of BC Parks.
There are waterskiing opportunities outside of the controlled area at this park.
About this park
Archaeological evidence in the park indicates seasonal campsites used by First Nations people. Remains of European settlement include evidence of old homesteads and an early estate. Nearby are mining ghost towns and village museums displaying the Kootenay area history.
Kokanee Creek Park is located on the old “Busk” estate site. Charles W. Busk was a wealthy English gentleman who came to Nelson in the late 1800’s. He had acquired a large tract of land with lake frontage 14 miles from Nelson. From plans drawn by English architects, Busk built a large mansion that once sat on a rise a short way up Kokanee Glacier Road. As a country squire and gracious gentlemen, Mr. Busk enjoyed entertaining guests but also had many interests in surveying, mining, fruit ranching and Scouting. He lived an eloquent, lavish life style. After 1913 the romance of his new way of life had dulled and it is estimated he went through three fortunes. Sadly, within a few years he died, disillusioned by most of his ventures, withdrawn and ignored by friends whom he once had entertained so lavishly. The park as it is seen today was originally established in 1955.
With 257 hectares, Kokanee Creek Park has extensive sandy beaches and a large delta area. Backed by a gentle rising upland, this area gives way to the forested slopes of the Slocan Range of the Selkirk Mountains. Kokanee Creek bisects the landscape to form a steep canyon. The park protects the active alluvial creek fan with its marshes and extensive sandspit. Both the Englemann spruce and subalpine fir and the interior cedar and hemlock biogeoclimatic zones occur here. Prime growing conditions within the park produce a diverse mix of vegetation with magnificent specimens of fir, hemlock and pine. There are both pure and mixed stands of deciduous trees as well as many of the common understory plants including wild rose, queen’s cup and skunk cabbage. Flowers, trees and shrubs are part of the park’s natural heritage, please do not damage or remove them.
The Kokanee Creek Delta ecology includes many species of plants and animals. A variety of habitats support coyotes, beaver, whitetail and mule deer and a large number of birds ranging from the tiny Rufous hummingbird to the great blue heron. Many of the birds are migratory but kingfishers, woodpeckers, and dippers can by seen throughout the year. The park also has important man-made and some natural spawning channels for kokanee salmon, which spawn in large numbers in the late summer.
Park visitors should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment. Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. Please view all wildlife from a distance.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.
Contact
| Reservations, changes, and cancellations | Our call centre is open from 7 am to 7 pm Pacific Time. There is a $5 fee for reservations, changes, or cancellations made by phone.
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| Park operator | This park is operated by RAP Park Contracting Ltd. |
| General questions and feedback for BC Parks | We answer emails weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific Time. |
