This Rugged Mountain Town Blends Powdery Slopes And Wild Trails In The Heart Of The Canadian Rockies

From the world-famous beaches in Tofino to the majestic and artsy Sunshine Coast, British Columbia is a treasure of a travel destination for folks who like high-octane outdoor adventures. This province is also massive — we're talking 364,764 square miles, bigger than California, Oregon, and Washington combined! Millions of visitors flock to B.C. hot spots like Whistler and Vancouver each year, but few places capture its rugged, unspoiled beauty quite like the mountain town of Fernie.

Tucked into the southern end of the Canadian Rockies, under an hour's drive from the U.S. border, Fernie is an erstwhile coal mining boom town turned ski hub. It's been championed as a gateway to the mountains since the early 20^th century, but really entered the limelight with the establishment of local ski resorts in the 1960s. Today, Fernie is ranked among the top mountain towns in B.C., lauded for its mix of vintage architecture, reliable snowfall, and array of year-round pursuits, from hiking in the summer to whizzing down ski slopes come winter.

Getting here can be an adventure in its own right. You can jet straight in by flying into the Canadian Rockies International Airport (YXC) and driving east for about an hour. Traveling by car may allow you to experience the eye-watering beauty of the Crowsnest Highway, a fabled scenic route that snakes through the British Columbia Rockies in a flurry of peaks, lakes, and vineyards. Tempted? A road trip to Fernie is about 10 hours from Vancouver and just over 4 hours from Calgary.

The snowfall in Fernie is legendary — literally. Local folklore tells of a musket-touting mountain man called Griz, who shoots off rounds into the clouds each winter to bring the most perfect powder to this corner of the Rockies. Whether that's true or not, the stats don't lie. The town receives 30 feet of snow each season and chills at an average of 23 Fahrenheit throughout the winter — the perfect combo for long, powder-heavy ski seasons. 

People knew the potential of the Fernie mountains for skiing as far back as the 1940s. By the 1960s, the first commercial ski runs had been established. Later that decade, the town even put in a Winter Olympics bid. While the bid was not accepted, the trajectory was set. Fernie emerged as one of the top places to chase fresh snow in B.C., and it's now beloved for its chilled-out, down-to-Earth vibes.

The Fernie Alpine Resort is considered one of the best ski resorts in the Kootenay Rockies. It boasts some formidable numbers — think 3,550 feet of vertical terrain, 10 chairlifts, and 145 runs ranging from beginner-friendly to expert level. The resort typically opens sometime in December, and parking is available at the base of the slopes just south of Fernie town.

Just as there's oodles of things to do in Whistler in the summer, there are stacks of activities in Fernie when the snowpack finally melts. For one, the town itself oozes history and heritage. It's hard not to be enchanted by the pretty old buildings that line the downtown core, an area that's so darn handsome it's been featured in many Hollywood movies over the years. Getting lost between the boutique shops and cozy cafes is a joy in itself.

Hikers will have miles and miles of trails to pick from. There's a web of almost 10 miles of walking routes that link up the downtown area and the parks along the Elk River. These hikes are both accessible and scenic, offering vistas of the Lizard Range mountains and access to beautiful Maiden Lake. 

For something harder, consider embarking on the route up to the tip of Mount Proctor. It's an all-day undertaking that takes up to 11 hours in all, with a series of zigzagging paths and panoramas of the Rockies erupting on all sides. For something even more out there, drive north for about 2 hours to the Elk Lakes Provincial Park, a land of shark-fin mountains and fragmented ice fields with backcountry camping and lakeside treks aplenty.