Columbia River

Stand at the Source of a Great River

Most people think of the Columbia as a mighty boundary river far to the south, but its story really begins in this valley. The commonly accepted source is a cluster of springs at the south end of Columbia Lake near Canal Flats, where the young river expands into a lake of about 25 square kilometres — the largest warm-water lake in the East Kootenay, reaching roughly 18°C in July. To make it tangible, the community of Canal Flats maintains a boardwalk 'Source of the Columbia' trail you can walk from the main street to view where the water first gathers.↗↗

The lake itself is framed by the Rocky Mountains to the east and the older Purcell Range to the west, within the great straight canyon of the Rocky Mountain Trench. On its eastern shore, Columbia Lake Provincial Park keeps some three kilometres of undeveloped beach for paddling, swimming and quiet nature-watching, with a 400-metre lakeshore hiking and biking trail; boat launches are found instead at Tilley Memorial Park in Canal Flats. The surrounding grasslands and cliffs are recognised wildlife country — winter range for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and herds of elk, with the high peaks above home to grizzlies.↗↗

On the Water: Floating, Paddling and Fishing

The clearest way to experience the river here is from a small boat. Below Fairmont Hot Springs, a popular half-day float drifts a clear, warm class I-II stretch of the Columbia past the Rockies, the Purcells, the eroded 'hoodoos' and a riverside golf course — ideal for stand-up paddleboards, kayaks and inflatable tubes, though the water shoals in places. The put-in sits down Fairmont Creek Road onto Columbia River Road, and the take-out is a public park on River Drive, well known for birdwatching.↗

For a longer, calmer journey, the Columbia River Wetlands between Invermere and Radium Hot Springs offer a roughly 17-kilometre paddle that typically takes three to five hours with the current; the sluggish, protected marsh channels at the start have almost no flow if you'd rather go out and back. Guided traditional voyager-canoe tours run along this stretch, and outfitters in Invermere, Fairmont and Radium rent kayaks, canoes and SUPs for self-guided trips.↗↗

Anglers are well catered for year-round across the lake and river, with favoured catch including mountain whitefish, burbot, kokanee and rainbow, bull and cutthroat trout. A valid British Columbia fishing licence is required, and anyone on the moving water should wear a lifejacket and mind cold-water risk.↗↗

Wildlife and the Columbia Wetlands

The slow, meandering channels and marsh grasses that the river passes through on its way north form one of the longest intact wetlands in North America — a protected stretch of undisturbed habitat described as some 180 kilometres of living floodplain. More than 250 bird species use the system, and the wetlands retain one of the last unbroken portions of the Pacific Flyway, the great waterfowl migration route of the west.↗↗↗

The birds get a festival of their own: each May the region celebrates them with the 'Wings Over the Rockies' event, drawing wildlife watchers to the valley. The protected benches and wetland edges support bighorn, elk, deer and a steady stream of waterfowl and waders, making a paddle at dawn or dusk feel as much like a safari as a float.↗↗

Footprints of Explorers and the Ktunaxa

This headwater country carries a deep human history. For the Ktunaxa people, whose language names the river Miȼ̓qaqas ʔakinmit̓uq, the lake at the source is the centre of creation itself — their stories tell of a giant spirit and a slain monster whose ribs became the striking hoodoo rock formations near the lake's north end. A route known as the Spirit Trail, or Fairmont Trail, ran the length of Columbia Lake, used by First Nations and later by fur traders and Father De Smet.↗↗↗

European exploration begins here too. David Thompson, the first person of his era to record travel the Columbia's entire length, held the headwaters in particular admiration and began his great survey of the river from Kootenae House, the North West Company's first regional trading post two kilometres north of Invermere on terraced grassland overlooking the valley; a statue of Thompson stands in town. Just up the valley at Canal Flats, the Victorian entrepreneur William Baillie-Grohman dug a canal to link the Columbia and Kootenay rivers — a historical sign marks the work along Highway 95, and the surprisingly well-preserved southern section is still worth seeking out.↗↗

Making the Most of Your Visit

The river reach and its lakes sit in an easy chain of valley towns — Canal Flats, Fairmont Hot Springs, Windermere, Invermere and Radium Hot Springs — so you can base yourself anywhere along Highway 93/95 and reach the water in minutes. The famous 'Spirit Waters' mineral hot springs at Fairmont and Radium make a natural wind-down after a day of paddling, and the sandy public beaches of Lake Windermere (Kinsmen Beach, James Chabot Provincial Park and Windermere Beach) offer a place for kids and swimmers to gather.↗↗

Timing matters for the feel of the place. Summer, roughly June to September, brings warm-water swimming, paddling and the May bird festival, with long daylight; winter turns the valley into a ski and Nordic base with nearby resorts and a 30-kilometre ice trail over Lake Windermere. Whatever the season, the headwaters are a low-key, nature-forward destination rather than a built-up attraction — pack layers and water for the parks, check the forecast for wind on the lake, and let the slow, clear river set your pace.↗↗↗