Kaslo is a a small town in BC located in the Kootenay region, located approximately 3 hours south of Revelstoke.
We were camping in the region this summer and decided to drive over to Kaslo to see what it was all about. This is a very small town located on Kootenay Lake. There is a cute Main Street with a few unique shops, a brewery and a couple of restaurants. Kaslo also has a Saturday Farmer’s market during the summer months.
S.S. Moyie
The S.S. Moyie is the oldest intact passenger carrying sternwheeler steamer in the world, having been built in 1898. The S.S. Moyie was retired in 1957 and sold to the town of Kaslo in the spring of 1958 for $1. The S.S. Moyie is now a National Historic Site and a British Columbia Historic Landmark. You can find the S.S. Moyie on Main Street in Kaslo.
You can visit the S.S. Moyie between Mother’s Day to Thanksgiving weekend each year. Admission rates are: $12 for adults, $5 for children ages 6-14, kids 5 and under are free. There is also a family pass for $30. If you do choose to visit with children, ask for the scavenger hunt when you pay your entry fee. We had great fun as a family seeking out the items as we toured the boat. On site there is also a Ladies Salon boat, a miner’s cabin and a CPR Caboose that you can tour.
If you plan on visiting, expect to be there at least an hour or possibly more depending on how much time your children take checking out all of the rooms on the ship. If you go at the right time of year you may also be fortunate enough to see the nesting osprey. They are best seen from the upper level. The nest is built on a large wooden post out in the water. When we were visiting there were hatchlings in the nest that we could see.
Kaslo Family Skills Bike Park
When we inquired at the visitor centre about kid friendly mountain biking in the area were told about the new Family Bike Skills Park. This bike park was created along the river in town. The bike park can be accessed from the Kaslo River Trail which is accessed via Kaslo West Rd. Once you drive to the end Kaslo West Rd, you can park at the trail head. There are a couple picnic tables located right beside the parking area.
To access the Family bike skills park you will follow the trail that runs along the river and follow it up the hill as it starts to climb. At the top of the hill you will see the bike skills park on your left towards the river.
Our children spent a couple hours riding the loops here and practicing their skills. The loops are big enough that we never had to worry about them running into each other, and they were able to give each other lots of space. We were quite surprised to find no one else using this area while we were there. This is a great spot for children to gain more comfort riding on trails and practicing their skills. One portion is more like a pump track which is the smaller loop and the larger loop includes some mild climbing and mild downhill riding
Check out some of my other posts for things to do in the Kootenay Region: