Getting Here

Whether driving yourself or taking the bus, the road to Fernie will lead you through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. The drive is easy with no major mountain passes and the roads are well maintained.

Be sure to check the latest road reports from drivebc.ca before you head out.

From Calgary
Follow Deerfoot Trail south to Marquis of Lorne Trail (Hwy #22 & #2). Follow the Marquis of Lorne Trail west to Hwy #22. Follow Hwy #22 south to Hwy #3, take Hwy #3 westbound to Fernie.

From Canadian Rockies International Airport - (100 km)

Head west on Airport Road, and turn left (south) toward Cranbrook on Highway #95a. Turn left (east) toward Fernie on Highway #3

From Glacier Park International Airport - Kalispell, Montana

(2 hour drive from Airport)

- Turn left onto #2 North when exiting Glacier Park International Airport
- Turn left onto #40 West to Highway #93
- Turn right onto Highway #93 North. Follow it through Whitefish, through the Canadian border crossing at Rooseville, to Highway #3.
- Turn right onto Highway #3 East to Fernie

Transportation Options

FernieRideBoard.com
Fernie Ride Board is a free ride-sharing website for people living in or travelling from Fernie, BC. At FernieRideBoard.com people who are moving in the same direction can arrange to share a vehicle. When you use Fernie Ride Board, you save money, save the planet and turn your travel into an adventure.

Rocky Mountain Sky Shuttle

2 return trips daily between Calgary International Airport and Fernie. Service between Cranbrook Airport and Fernie available 2 times daily.

Mountain Perks

Daily service between Calgary International Airport and Fernie

Maps

Below are a selection of maps from the Fernie area.

Coat of Arms

The City of Fernie Coat of Arms, along with our Flag and Badge, were presented to the City by the Honourable Iona Campagnolo, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and Robert D Watt, the Chief Herald of Canada, Robert D. Watt on February 12th, 2004 - our Centennnial year.

Symbolism of the Coat of Arms

Arms: A horizontal band of gold with a saw-toothed upper edge appears upon a blue field. Beneath each point of the gold band is a black diamond.

The gold represents both the wealth historically generated by the coal and forestry industries in the area and the sunshine which now makes Fernie an important recreational resort destination. The three “peaks” in the upper part of the shield represent the Three Sisters, the most famous of the dramatic Rocky Mountain formations visible from the town. The blue below the gold band symbolizes the Elk River on which Fernie is situated. The blue above the band represents the sky. Black diamonds are the traditional heraldic representation of coal and thus represent the great coal mines which led to the City’s initial prosperity.

Crest: A blue coal car, modeled on those used in the mines near the City, is filled with coal. A white miner’s pick rests on this. This is placed on a steel helmet draped in blue and gold cloth mantling held in place by a wreath of twisted cloth in these colours.

The historic and ongoing importance of the coal industry to the City is symbolized by the coal car. The pick represents both traditional methods of coal mining and the pioneer miners.

Motto: IN MONTIBUS AD FLUMEN, meaning “In the Mountains by the River”, captures the enviable location of the City, so crucial to its history and economy.

Supporters: To the left of the crest is a gold grizzly bear wearing a collar of green cedar. It hold in its right forepaw a white trout (modeled on a Westslope Cutthroat Trout). To the right of the crest is a gold elk with a similar collar, its left foreleg resting on a crosscut saw. The bear and elk both stand on a compartment of green grass set with white snowflakes and white dogwood flowers.

The elk and the grizzly are common large mammals in the region, the elk also giving its name to the valley where the City is located. The two animals thus represent Fernie's rich natural heritage. The collars of cedar represent the cedar forests, the largest such trees in the province outside the Pacific coast. The trout represents the importance of the local recreational fishery, and the saw, the increasing importance of forestry.

The grass in the compartment symbolizes the lands of the City itself. Fernie’s status as a city of British Columbia is expresses through the use of the dogwood flowers. The increasing importance of winter recreation is dramatized by the snowflakes.

Badge: A black diamond on which is the head of an elk turned slightly to the left.

The badge repeats some of the colours and themes of the arms through the use of the reference to coal and to the Elk Valley and River. The elk’s head is featured on the City’s current seal.

Flags: The first flag is gold, with a square version of the shield of arms placed in the upper left corner. In the lower right or “fly” is the City’s badge. The ensign-style banner repeats the ideas of the Elk River and Valley, coal and the wealth derived from the mines and the landscape. The second flag is the classic banner of heraldry with the shield redrawn to fit a rectangular shape.

Heritage Walking Tour

The Fernie and District Historical Society's Heritage Walking Tour Guidebook was launched in May of 2001 to much acclaim. Truly a community tour, it takes visitors through the heritage buildings of Fernie as well as introducing them to the eleven community satellite exhibits throughout the community. The Heritage Walking Tour can be picked up at the Downtown Visitor Information Centre on Second Avenue.

Mining History

While the slopes of the mountains are presently the focus of economic activity, until comparatively recently residents of the area were more interested with the mountains' innards. The vast Crowsnest Coal Field lies just to east of the city, and Fernie owes its origins to nineteenth-century prospector William Fernie, who established the coal industry that continues to exist to this day. Acting on pioneer Michael Phillipps's twin discoveries of coal and the Crowsnest Pass a few years earlier, Fernie founded the Crows Nest Pass Coal Company in 1897 and set to work at once. A townsite was laid out at a broad bend in the valley where the Elk River is intersected by its tributaries Coal, Lizard and Fairy Creeks; the Canadian Pacific Railway was built through the valley shortly thereafter and a downtown core emerged parallel to it. Underground coal mines were dug 10 km away from the townsite in the narrow Coal Creek valley and until 1960 a small satellite community known as Coal Creek stood adjacent to them. A variety of other mines were sunk into the coal fields in a fifty kilometer radius in the following two decades. No mining was ever carried out in Fernie proper; coking of Coal Creek coal was carried out at the townsite, but otherwise the town developed into an administrative and commercial centre for the burgeoning industry. Forestry played a smaller role in the local economy and a local brewery produced Fernie Beer from mountain spring water. Like most single-industry towns, Fernie endured several boom-and-bust cycles throughout the twentieth century, generally tied to the global price of coal. The mines at Coal Creek closed permanently by 1960 and the focus of mining activity shifted to Michel and Natal about twenty-five kilometres upriver, which sat on a more productive portion of the Crowsnest Coal Field. Kaiser Resources opened immense open-pit mines there in the 1970s to meet new thermal coal contracts for the Asian industrial market, predominantly for use in blast furnaces. Fernie would remain an important residential base for mine labour, along with the new communities of Sparwood and Elkford that sprung up much closer to these new mines. Today, Fording Canadian Coal Trust operates all five open-pit mines, shipping out unit trains (often with more than 100 cars) along the Canadian Pacific Railway through Fernie to the Pacific Coast, where the coal is loaded onto freighters at Robert's Bank in Delta.

Architectural Heritage

After a disastrous fire leveled much of the downtown core in 1904, the fledgling municipal government passed an ordinance requiring all buildings in the area to be built of 'fireproof' materials like brick and stone. Consequently, a new city centre rose from the ashes sporting brick buildings along broad avenues that would have looked more at home in a sedate and refined Victorian city rather than a rough-and-tumble frontier coal town. They were short-lived, however, as a second, larger inferno swept through the city on August 1, 1908. Whipped up by sudden winds, a nearby forest fire burnt its way into a lumber yard on the edge of the community and sparked a Dresden-style firestorm that melted brick and mortar and essentially erased the entire city in an afternoon. There were few casualties, however, and for a second time a stately brick downtown core rose from the ashes. Today, these historic buildings, most of which still stand, are a treasured and distinctive feature of the community.

Griz

We here in Fernie Snow Valley have not always been graced with the fine snow conditions we now enjoy. Not until recently did we come to realize how we became the beneficiary of some of the best packed and powder skiing in Western Canada. As the legend goes, a baby boy was born back in the year of 1879 in the midst of a cruel and bitter winter. It is said that the baby was born in a grizzly bear's cave high in the mountains. Sometime later the resident bear awoke, mean and ravenously hungry. A terrible battle ensued between the two - one fighting for his life and the other for his dinner. Well folks, as the story continues, the people went into the mountains the very next day to discover the source of all the noise from the previous night. They looked high and low on the mountain now known as Snow Valley. Once one of the men thought he saw a little boy wearing a bear coat and hat nimbly leaping from rock to rock up on the lofty peaks. His friends laughed at him and jokingly accused him of seeing things and the incident was soon forgotten. Just recently, some of our avid ski tourers were ascending the peaks above the Snow Valley Ski area in the midst of a heavy snowstorm. While taking a short breather they happened to glance up at the peak they were climbing. There, on the very summit, stood a fantastic sight. While of standard height, this man had shoulders six feet wide and carried an enormous musket eight feet long. The bulk of the man's estimated 300 pounds was made to look even more awesome by the bristly, grizzly coat he wore. A bear hat was pulled down, shadowing his eyes. As the skiers watched, he stood shooting the giant musket into the clouds and still more snow fell from the sky above. This, of course, delighted the skiers who loved that special brand of powder snow. The skiers schussed down the mountain and excitedly told everyone they met of their experience. Some of the town's elders remembered the sighting of a little grizzly-clad boy so long ago and the discovery of massive, bare-footed tracks upon the snow-covered peaks. In recognition and admiration of the man who became known as "GRIZ", the town's people held a festival all week. Sporting events, competitions, parades and gatherings marked the gala week. The citizen who embodied the spirit of "GRIZ" through that week was made honorary "GRIZ" for the rest of the year. To this day, this festival continues every March in tribute to our powder king.

How Fernie got its name, its curse, and the lifting of the curse

William Fernie, (1837-1921) founder of the city, met a tribe of Indians during one of his prospecting trips (1887). He noticed one of the Indian Chief's daughters was wearing a necklace of shining, black stones. Knowing that these stones were coal, William Fernie asked about their source. The Indian Chief agreed to show Fernie where the stones had been found, with the condition that the prospector marry the princess. But, after leaving the location of the coal deposits, William Fernie refused to marry the princess. The Indian Chief was angered by this and put a curse on the valley. The valley would suffer, he said, from fire, flood and famine. As a reminder of the curse, the ghost rider of Mount Hosmer can be seen each sunny, summer evening on a rock-face high above the city. The "ghost" is a spectacular shadow in the form of an Indian Princess sitting on a horse with her father, the Chief, walking beside her, leading the horse. The first fire, which occurred in 1904, destroyed a large portion of the wooden business section of the city. The worst disaster, however, came on August 1st 1908 when a forest fire practically destroyed the whole city, leaving only 32 buildings standing. In 1916 more damage was done when the Elk River overflowed its banks and flooded sections of West Fernie. The near-famine conditions of the great depression made Fernie believe the curse would never end. On August 15th 1964 members of the Kootenai tribe, led by Chief Ambrose Gravelle, known as Chief Red Eagle, assembled in Fernie for the ceremonial lifting of the Fernie Curse. Mayor James White made amends for the wrong done to the Kootenai People by William Fernie, by smoking the "pipe of peace" with Chief Red Eagle.

The Ghostrider

Lying in the shadows, a legend waits for the afternoon sun. On a summer evening, out of Mt. Hosmer's face, comes the Ghostrider, the shadow of a distinctive horse and rider, the ghost some say of an angry Indian Chief and his jilted daughter pursuing William Fernie. As legend tells it, William Fernie was courting an Indian Princess to learn the source of her sacred black stone necklace. It is said that after learning the secret location of the Morrissey Coal Seams, Fernie stopped seeing the Princess and the tribe's medicine woman placed a curse on the Elk Valley. Residents of Fernie feared the curse was real after several tragedies struck the town. Fire reduced the town to smoldering rubble in 1904 and again in 1908. In 1916, the Elk River flooded and in 1917 there was a mining disaster. A public ceremony in 1964 officially lifted the curse. Members of the Kootenay Tribes assembled in Fernie and Chief Red Eagle (Ambrose Gravelle) and Fernie Mayor James White smoked a pipe of peace. Although the curse was lifted over 40 years ago, on summer evenings, the ghost of an angry Indian chief and his jilted daughter still rides above Fernie and their legend lives on in the shadows of Hosmer Mountain. The Ghostriders is also the affectionate name of the local Hockey Team.

The Three Sisters

According to legend, many years ago a young Indian Chief found great difficulty in choosing a bride. There were three very talented and beautiful maidens to choose from. The older Chiefs asked the gods to aid them. The Indian gods considered indecision a grievous sin; therefore, the punishment dealt out was severe. The young Chief was turned into a mountain where, each day, he could look at what he could never have. The maidens' grief was so great that all three maidens prayed that they might be turned into mountains also. Their prayers were answered. As we gaze at the Three Sisters and Proctor Mountain we are looking at the three maidens and the young Chief.

Backcountry Touring

Backcountry touring in the Fernie region is limitless. There is bowl upon bowl upon bowl of adventures to be had just outside of the Resort, most of which empty out to the highway. There is also endless ranges and areas away from the resort and the Lizard Range. Backcountry travel isn't without its risks. With the copious amounts of snow that Fernie receives it's not surprising that the avalanche hazard often becomes extreme. If you do decide to access the backcountry, make sure you are prepared, and that you are going with someone who knows the area. For more information contact the Elk Valley Ski Touring Association at evsta@fernie.com for more information.

Cat Skiing

The ultimate experience, the deepest freshest powder you've only dreamed of.

Let one of Fernie's cat-skiing operators make your dream come true.

• Fernie Wilderness Adventures
• Island Lake Lodge
• Powder Cowboy

Ice Fishing

Access lakes by four wheel drive or snowmobiles to fish for cutthroat, eastern brook trout and rainbow.

Skiing

Skiing in Fernie is awesome! 30 feet of fluffy powder from November to May. 2504 fully skiable acres of the best alpine bowls, peaks, ridges and trees!

Check out descriptions of almost every run at Fernie Snow Valley on Craig's Unofficial Fernie Site - http://far.redtree.com/trailmap/

Cross-Country Skiing

Fernie has a quality trail network around the town which provides track set access for walking, cross-country skiing, or snow-shoeing. With connection from all neighborhoods to the Aquatic Center, Arts Station, Historic Victoria Avenue, Curling Rink, Fernie Memorial Arena, or just the backcountry, an invigorating winter walk can be easily enjoyed.

The City of Fernie maintains a network of trails throughout the town, and the Resort has a short, but enjoyable, loop that is groomed daily.

For more information visit www.fernienordic.com

Snowshoeing

The network of summer mountain biking trails in Fernie make for exceptional snowshoeing paths in the winter.

Pick up your copy of the Fernie Trail Guide at Polar Peek Books & Treasures

Hockey

Fernie has a long standing hockey tradition at various levels of participation. From minor hockey leagues for girls and boys alike, to the fast-skating, hard-hitting action of the Fernie Ghostriders KIJHL Hockey club, the ice at the Fernie Memorial Arena is always kept well scored!

For more info, and game times check out www.fernieghostriders.com

Indoor Rock Climbing

There are lots of climbing possibilities around Fernie. Information is limited, and it is reccommended that you talk to a local to find the best place to climb.

On the other hand, there is a great indoor climbing wall located at the College of the Rockies

Snowmobiling

Feel like firing up one of these high powered snow machine and blasting through untracked snow? Snowmobiling territory is accessible right from town, giving motor sport enthusiasts the super fun thrill of speed and powder and the ability to venture far into the fabled Fernie backcountry.

Check out the Business Directory for Snowmobile Tour companies

Biking

Look no further than Fernie, B.C. for some of the best mountain biking in Canada. Fernie offers a plethora of options, ranging from cross country, downhill, singletrack and dual slalom trails with and without chairlift access.

Fernie's bike park at Fernie Alpine Resort offers a substantial 40 km of terrain for riders of all abilities. 34 runs, accessed via two chairlifts, range from smooth and easy dirt tracks to epic, downhill single-track and dual-slalom courses to screaming steeps and stunts targeted to beginner, intermediate and advanced riders respectively. Adults can access the Bike Park via 2 quads for $33/day.

There is also a huge selection of trails to choose from in other areas of Fernie, not located at the resort, that can easily be accessed right from the town.

Be sure to get your hands on the Fernie Mountain Bike Map, now in its 3rd edition - available at Polar Peek Books & Treasures and other fine Fernie retailers.

Also be sure to check out the official site of the Fernie Mountain Bike Club - www.bikefernie.ca

Fishing

Fernie is fast becoming an international destination for sport fishing. Whether you're looking for walk-and-wade river fishing, fly fishing, stillwater lake fishing or ice fishing, Fernie is guaranteed to offer you an unforgettable experience.

One of the first things you notice upon arriving in Fernie is the emerald water of the Elk River. The Elk and its many tributaries offer a world class mecca for fly fisherman and the backcountry offers some great alpine lakes for the float tube enthusiast. Enjoy excellent fishing for a variety of species from Bass to Brook, Rainbows, and Native Cutthroat Trout.

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.

Be sure to check the recent regulations before heading out. http://www.ourfernie.com/files/Region 4.pdf">Click here to download a copy.

Golf

Originally founded in 1918 The Fernie Golf & Country Club is noted for it's majestic mountain setting and playability, this golf course has something to offer for both the low handicap player and beginner alike. With luscious greens, silica sand bunkers, varied terrain and a stunning view of the Rocky Mountains the golf course is a players dream. The course is a par 70, and is 6,556 yards long. Rated in the top 25 of BC's courses you won't want to miss this one on your next golf getaway!

Check out a Virtual Shot-by-Shot Tour of the Fernie Golf and Country Club Here.

Fernie will soon welcome a second world-class 18 hole golf course. Blackstone Resort, scheduled to open in 2009.

Rafting and Paddling

Fernie's network of river systems can take rafters and kayakers from wet and wild whitewater to a more relaxed meander downriver. River travel offers a fantastic way to check out Fernie's wildlife and incredible biodiversity.

Let one of Fernie's rafting companies take you on the ride of your life.

Check out this video of Rafting the Bull River
And this one from the Elk River Canyon

Tennis

Why not enjoy a game of tennis at one of the many tennis courts available for all to enjoy.

James White Park (formerly Mount View) has 4 courts available for the public to use at no cost.see the City of Fernie recreation map here.

The Fernie Alpine Resort Tennis Club offers 2 courts, lessons and equipment rentals. Courts can be booked at the Mountain Pantry, and are open from 9 am - 6 pm.

COURT RENTAL

Per Hour Per Court $5
Season Pass ( unlimited access ) $50

EQUIPMENT RENTALS
Court, 2 tennis racquets & Tennis Balls $15.00/hr
Tennis racquets& Tennis Balls $5.00/hr

LESSONS

Tennis Lessons Available:
Mon - Fri 1:00pm - 6:00pm
Sat - Sun 9:00am - 6:00pm

Lessons include certified instruction, court and racquet rental.
Max of 4 participants.
$20/hr Kids
$30/hr Adults

Disc-Golf

The Lizard Range Disc Golf Course, established in 2004, is located in James White Park. The course consists of 18 holes, 9 baskets and 9 tones. Discs are available at Giv'ER Shirt Works on Historic 2nd Avenue.

Check out the course map here.

For further information on the LRDGC, please visit their independently maintained website:

ferniediscgolf.com

In under an hours drive, you can be resting on the sandy shores of a number of lakes south of Fernie. Check out the lakes info page for more information

Fernie Aquatic Centre

Featuring a 6 lane - 25 metre sized competition pool complete with a one metre diving board and tarzan swing. A 15 metre leisure pool ranging from 0 depth to 1 metre with spray fountains. A 25 person hot tub kept at a balmy 104 degrees along with the most amazing view available from any hot tub. There is also a 15 person steam room. And lastly a 150 foot waterslide with its own run off lane.

Tubing

Tubing is a fun and exciting way to see the wonders of Elk River. From the white water action to the magnitude of the mountains above, tubing offers more than just a refreshing ride on a hot summer day. It's like river rafting ­ for one.

It's fun, refreshing and only incurs a one time monetary investment of a big, black, tire tube (and maybe a patch kit just in case) which can be purchased at any local garage or auto parts store. They run anywhere between $10 and $30, depending on the store and whether or not it's peak-tubing season.

Hiking

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

Also be sure to check out these downloadable maps.

Fernie Alpine Resort Trails - Summer

City of Fernie Recreational Trails

Island Lake Hiking Trails

Back-Road Touring

Being the centre of many mining and logging activities, there is a huge network of "back-roads" that are easily accessible right from the city of Fernie.

These roads provide access to some of the most rugged, and un-touched wilderness found anywhere in the world. There are backcountry lakes, rivers, recreational campgrounds and cabins, and so much more to discover in this pristine wilderness.

But don't head out on any back-roads without knowing where you are going, the network is so expansive it is easy to take a wrong turn and never find your way back to where you came from.

Be sure to get your hands on the "Back-Roads Mapbook" available at Polar Peek Books before heading out.

Bocce & Horseshoes

Enjoy an exciting game of Bocce or Horseshoes at one of the local City Parks.

Annex Park has a large horseshoe pit under a large canopy of trees to keep you cool on a hot summers day.

James White Park (formerly Mount View) is also home to well maintained horseshoe, and bocce pits.

Check out the City of Fernie Recreation map here

Horseback Riding

A horseback ride is one of the most peaceful and original ways to experience the beautiful wilderness of the Elk Valley.

Contact the fine folks at Alpine Enthusiasts for more info.

Rock Climbing

There are lots of climbing possibilities around Fernie. Information is limited, and it is recommended that you talk to a local to find the best place to climb.

On the other hand, there is a great indoor climbing wall located at the College of the Rockies

Skateboard Park

The Fernie Skateboard Park came into being through the commitment and dedication of a local group of citizens. Through their fund raising, grant writing, and pure dedication the park opened to the youth of our community in 2001.

Check it out for yourself - the park is located close to the downtown core, at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Ridgemont Avenue (close to the Fernie Aquatic Centre).

Koocanusa

Lake Koocanusa is an 80 mile long water reserve that drains each winter that leaves sandy shores, deep fresh aqua coloured water and water temperatures of 80 degrees. This lake is only a 40 minute drive from Fernie, situated in the arid "banana belt" of the Kootenays.

Rosen Lake

Rosen Lake is located approximately 25 km west of Fernie. The lake was named after Jaffray pioneer Andrew Rosen. It has a surface area of 72.85 ha, perimeter of 5,034 m and lies at an elevation of 863 m. The average depth of Rosen Lake is 4.3 m, while the deepest spot is 12.8 m. The lake contains dolly varden and rainbow, cutthroat and eastern brook trout.