Crowsnest Highway: The West Kootenays
Beaches
Christina Lake Provincial Park is located at the south end of Christina Lake, often referred to as one of the warmest, clearest lakes in Canada. The beach is long and sandy, and is backed by sweet-smelling cottonwoods and white-barked birches. Surrounded by the Christina and Rossland Ranges of the Monashees, the lake offers some of the best water-oriented recreation anywhere. The park is located 13 miles (21 km) east of Grand Forks on Hwy 3; it's also accessible by US Hwy 395 from Spokane, Washington.

Kootenay Lake has some really nice beaches; among them are those at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park and Lockhart Beach Provincial Park. There is also a beach and boat ramp at Kuskonnok Rest Area, on the east side of Kootenay Lake, 15 miles (25 km) north of Creston on Hwy 3A.

Crowsnest Highway: The West Kootenays
Beaches/Picnic Spot
Grohman Narrows Provincial Park, west of Nelson on Hwy 3A, has no campsites, but is the perfect spot for a picnic. Open year-round, it features walking trails beside the Kootenay River, Narrows Island, and an abandoned orchard.

Another place for a picnic is King George VI Provincial Park, south of Rossland, which has a picnic/day-use area with a shelter (and 3 vehicle/tent sites). Attractive scenery and the former right-of-way for the Red Mountain Railway can be found here. From before the turn of the century until just after World War II, the railway took ore from Rossland to Northport, Washington, for smelting. The park is just over 6 miles (10 km) south of Rossland off Hwy 22, which extends north from US Hwy 25 at the border.

Slocan Valley and Upper Arrow Lake
Beaches
McDonald Creek Provincial Park has a couple of miles of sandy beach on Upper Arrow Lake. Visitors can find a quiet spot or join in the fun at the main swimming area. The park has eight picnic tables as well as a boat launch.

A pleasant spot on a summer's day is Grohman Narrows Provincial Park, west of Nelson on Hwy 3A near the link with Hwy 6, which has a picnic/day-use area as well as nature, walking, and hiking trails. About 5 miles (8 km) south of Slocan is the Lemon Creek Rest Area, where there is a turnoff for Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park.

Although it's not on this section of Hwy 6, Arrow Lakes Provincial Park deserves a mention. Like the parks farther north on the Revelstoke Reservoir, it consists of a number of choice sites scattered along the length of the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes reservoir system. These lakes are a widened portion of the Columbia River as it wends its way south to the US border.

The three sites on the northern end of Lower Arrow Lake - Burton, Fauquier, and Eagle Creek - off Hwy 6 have picnic/day-use areas and boat ramps. A free ferry crosses the lake from Fauquier to Needles on the west side. The Shelter Bay site, about 30 miles (50 km) south of Revelstoke on Hwy 23, near the ferry crossing on the west side of Upper Arrow Lake for Galena Bay, also has 13 vehicle/tent sites. All of the sites are open from May to September.

Travellers can picnic, stretch their legs, and refresh themselves with a short walk to a waterfall at Ione Falls Rest Stop, 11 miles (18 km) north of Nakusp on the east side of Hwy 23.

If you're hungry for a view, stop at the Slocan Lake Viewpoint, on Hwy 6 near New Denver. From here the 'Silvery Slocan' displays itself in all its glory.

Possibly the best picnic viewpoint in the Slocan Valley, and certainly one of the easiest to reach (once the snow has left the road), is the Idaho Peak Forestry Lookout off Hwy 31A near Sandon. A hiking trail (easy; 1.7 miles/2.8 km return) leads from the parking lot to a Forest Service lookout (elevation 7,480 feet/2280 m). Wildflowers bloom in complete abandon here in late July and early August.

One of the rewards for making a journey to the viewpoints in summer is savouring the abundant huckleberries that proliferate in clear-cut areas. Just be sure to wear long pants when you go picking, as the knee-high bushes are both lush and scratchy.

Crowsnest Highway: The East Kootenays
Picnic Spot
Those who like to picnic at riverside should stop at the Ryan Rest Area on the Moyie River, just east of Yahk Provincial Park on Hwy 3.

Morrissey Provincial Park's picnic spot, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Fernie on Hwy 3 on the banks of Elk River, has the river and the shade of tall cottonwoods and a historic atmosphere - nearby coke ovens are evidence of the area's early coal mines.

Crowsnest Provincial Park, 32 miles (51.5 km) east of Fernie on Hwy 3, is close to Crowsnest Pass (elevation 4,452 feet/1367 m), where the climate is somewhat dramatic because of a narrow flow of air through the pass from Alberta; the imposing Erickson and Loop Ridges of the Rockies stand nearby. You'll be so busy looking at them that you'll forget to eat.

Even if you're not planning an excursion to one of the parks but just want one last, great look at the Rockies before heading into Alberta, stop at the Olsen Rest Stop along Hwy 3 just 10 miles (16 km) east of Fernie. Here, you can gaze to your heart's content.