Our trip to Fernie, British Columbia last summer started off a little rocky.  However, we ended our 4-day adventure with a mountain of amazing memories.

I’m not just having fun with puns over here.  But you have to admit, that was pretty good, right? Rocky…mountain…

In all seriousness though, we did have quite the mishap!  En route to Fernie, from our annual summer visit to Hayden Lake, Idaho, we got a flat tire.  We’d decided to take a the scenic route, and by pass the busier highway.  The scenic (dirt) road was lovely, but was a bit bumpier than we anticipated.  Halfway through the trek, we slowed down to show the kids a rabbit on side of the road.

This turned out to be our lucky rabbit, because just after we continued driving, I looked in the rear view mirror.  I immediately noticed that the back tire was getting shredded to pieces! The road was so bumpy to begin with that we barely noticed the blowout.  Who knows when we would have realized the tire was flat if it hadn’t been for that cute hopper? Probably would have been a much worse situation.

We were traveling a lot slower as it was on the forest road.  With our doughnut installed, we crept along, and all breathed a big sigh of relief when we finally met back up with the main road.  Right away, Slaed began to research tire shops, and as soon as we got settled at the resort, he raced off to go about getting the tire replaced.

Despite our trouble, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Fernie, BC.  Thinking about summer road trip plans?  I thought I’d share our itinerary from this lovely little mountain town to help set things in motion.

In case you aren’t familiar, Fernie is located in the Canadian Rockies in Southeast British Columbia.  That’s west of Calgary, north of Kalispell, and (way) east of Vancouver.  As you can imagine from it’s location, Fernie is a ski town through and through, and is best known for it’s amazing powder.  In summer though, the skis and snowboards take a break, and the hiking boots, and mountain bikes come out.

Summer Visit to Fernie, BC with Kids

We spend 4 nights at Lizard Creek Lodge, which is part of the Fernie Alpine Resort in one of their 2-bedroom condos.  The resort is a 10-minute drive to town, and gave us access to miles of hiking trails, pool, childcare, and a handful of shops and restaurants.

Day 1

After our flat tire fiasco, we were happy just to settle into the resort, and enjoyed dinner at the lodge’s restaurant, Cirque.  Dinner here was on the pricier side, but we took that hit in favor of convenience.  The setting is gorgeous, and each of us really enjoyed our food!

After getting the kids into bed (so nice to just walk across the way to the condo), Slaed and I savored the sunset, and some leftover strawberry shortcake from our previous road trip stop.

Day 2

• Slaed dropped me and the kids off at Fernie’s pump track, also known as the “Fernie Dirt Jump Park” while he went off to take care of the car tires! Of course, as it always seems to happen, he had to purchase a set of 4 new tires.  With the exchange rate in our favor,and excellent service though, we were more than happy to be safely back to regular driving. The kids had an absolute blast at the bike park, and did not want to leave!

• After tearing them away from pedaling, we decided to take the new wheels for a spin up to Island Lake Lodge.
  • Along the way, we stopped at the trailhead/parking lot for the Old Growth hike, and hiked the 4km (about 2.5 miles) to the lodge for lunch. We highly recommend doing this! What an amazing feeling to see the lodge come into view as we emerged from the forest. Lovely staff, delicious food, plus great local drink selections.
  • Toward the end of lunch, I had a bright idea! Instead of dragging the kids back on the trail to the car, I’d run the trail by myself, grab the car, and pick everyone up at the lodge.

• The kids took late naps, and then we ventured back into town to check out Fernie’s Aquatic Center, err Centre in Canadian 😉.  The facility is indoors, but what a treat to get to take a break from sunscreen application, and just enjoy the water.  Bergen (and Slaed and I) loved the waterslide, and the zero entry pool was perfect for Georgia to ease into water play.

• We stopped at Fernie Brewing Co. for a tasting, and then grabbed an easy dinner at the Chopstick Food Truck (Vietnamese Street Food).  Both excellent.

Day 3

• So that Slaed and I could take Bergen on a mountain biking adventure, we signed Georgia up for camp called, Mini Griz Rangers.  The camp, organized through Fernie Alpine Resort, is for kids 3-5 years old, and is available daily with half & full day options. While we mountain biked in the trails near town, mostly sticking to the Ridgemont section, Georgia played, hiked, ventured up the chairlift, went on scavenger hunts with her counselor and fellow campers! A good day for all.

•  We brought Bergen’s bike with us, but Slaed and I rented bikes from Gear Hub. Great service, reasonable rates, and right next to the pump track and trails!
• We scraped together a “brown bag” lunch for all of us.  Georgia enjoyed hers at camp while Slaed, Bergen, and I fought off mosquitoes during a trail break!
• After riding our butts off, the three of us treated ourselves to ice cream at Happy Cow!
• We picked up Georgia from camp, and headed to the resort pool!
• Leftovers for Dinner at the condo.  We love building in leftover/cook at home days to save money!

Day 4

• Morning exploring Fernie Alpine Resort–Since Georgia spent the previous day at the resort with her camp, it was so neat to have her show us around.
  • We started by walking to the playground tucked into a forested area next to the aerial park.  This is not your average playground! It’s made up of wobbly bridges, mini zip lines, tires, hide outs built into trees, and even a chairlift swing.  Slaed and I actually just took a break in that chairlift swing, and watched the kids play!

• Next, we took the actual chairlift, the Elk Chairlift to be exact, up, where we…
  • Learned about local flora and fauna at Nature Bob’s Interpretive Centre.  Bergen especially loved getting to dig for fossils!
  • Walked a little further up to take in view from the observation deck.  Gorgeous views all around!
  • From there, we hiked back down (watch out for the bugs!), and enjoyed lunch at Legends.

• After much needed naps, we headed to town for an outdoor concert at the Art Station.  We felt such a part of the community here, and loved that there was something for everyone: Fun and lively music, beverage garden, kids activities (books, face painting, chalk, bubbles), food trucks.

We know we will back to Fernie, BC someday soon for more mountain fun, and hopefully skiing! I hope this post gives you a starting point and inspiration for planning your own adventure.

Have you been to Fernie, BC? Let us know your recommendations! Share your favorite small mountain town.  Truckee, CA is also another one of our favorites.

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