Summer Activities
Click here for Winter activities
Fernie's summer season begins as soon as the snow melts in May and lasts until October, when snow once
more starts to fall. The mountain world is green with lush vegetation, a change indeed from the white
canopy of the winter months!
With the Elk River valley bottom and Lizard Range to the southwest located in the biogeoclimatic zone of the "Interior Cedar Hemlock", and upper elevation areas supporting the "Englemann Spruce, Sub Alpine Fir" forest types, a magnificent forest awaits all who venture into this mountain landscape. But situated as Fernie is in the heart of the Southern Canadian Rocky Mountains, the alpine influence creates a varied climatic effect which can change from hour to hour, and differs from side to side of the valley - be prepared for sudden changes in the weather.
Elk River
Flowing right through Fernie, the Elk River provides many recreational opportunities on a hot summer day, from an inner tube float downstream to an invigorating whitewater raft trip in the Elk Canyon. The City of Fernie offers a public boat launch located downstream of the 4th Avenue extension to provide river-access for larger non-motorized watercraft. (For those disinclined to immerse themselves in the mountain river, refreshing as this may be, the Fernie Aquatic Centre continues to provide lane swimming, waterslide, steam room, hot tub and a children's leisure pool throughout the summer months, all with a spectacular view of the surrounding peaks)
Fishing
The Elk River and its more than 30 tributaries are home to bountiful wild populations of West Slope cutthroat trout, whitefish and some of the largest bull trout found anywhere, making Fernie an angler's paradise. A classic dry-fly river, the Elk is accessible along most of its length and the lakes in the surrounding area are equally amenable to anglers. If you're looking for fishing with a difference, try a three-day floating trip down the river or heli-fishing in neighbouring alpine lakes. Your host Kirk, at the Beaverlodge, works for Fernie's oldest fishing company: Fernie Wilderness Adventures www.fernieadventures.com
Hiking Heaven
With an incredible array of scenic hiking trails through ancient old-growth cedar forests, alpine meadows and high mountain peaks, Fernie is hiking heaven. Located on the edge of town, Mount Fernie Provincial Park is a small park with a big personality - a camper and nature lover's delight of forested hiking trails. The mountains surrounding Fernie are all equally accessible from town, an interwoven trail network connecting the micro urban environment to the rocky reaches of the high alpine peaks. The Cedar Valley, Fairy Creek Falls and Mt. Proctor are to name but three trails only minutes' access from town, and Mt. Fernie, Mt. Bizzaro, Mt. Hosmer, Mt. Trinity and the Three Sisters equally provide a gateway to outstanding scenery and wildlife viewing. Black bear, deer and elk are abundant in these parts, so if they drop by for a visit you had better be on your best behaviour and fully Bear Aware...
Mountain Biking
Mountain biking, a major draw to summer-time Fernie, caters to everyone from newcomers experiencing their first-time high to hard-core muddy madmen engaged in extreme adrenaline-pumped competition. Fernie offers hundreds of miles of varied riding terrain, from the pastoral beauty of the valley's farms and ranches to the old townsite on the Coal Creek Heritage Trail, to lift-accessed exploration of Fernie Alpine Resort's extensive trail system, meaning the town is a mecca in the mountain biking world. The celebrated TransRockies Challenge also passes through town.
Skate park
Families can enjoy the Fernie Skateboard Park, be that watching the youthful practice their gnarly stunts or dropping off the kids before strolling along Victoria Avenue's Historical Shopping District, the compact community meaing easy access exists to many family amenities.
Anyone for golf?
The recently reconfigured Fernie Golf & Country Club is one of the BC Rockies' finest golf facilities. Founded in 1918, it has a challenging par 70 course celebrated for its mature tree-lined fairways, strategically placed water hazards and panoramic mountain views.
All activitied out?
Mountain culture in the Kootenays also adopts its own individual character during the summer months. Small town music festivals,, eclectic food fairs, quaint historical museum visits, exhilarating mountain races, quiet time at the Fernie Heritage Library, wandering about Rotary Park at the weekend "Mountain Market", or partaking in lively summer concert after viewing the local displays at the Arts Station: all these venues and activities combine to form Fernie's unique cultural experience. In addition to operating as a visitor information site, the Fernie Historical Museum, located at the corner of 2nd Avenue (Victoria) and 4th Street, also houses displays of local mining history, furniture and household items.