Panorama, British Columbia

Nestled amidst the East Kootenays in British Columbia is the Panorama Alpine Resort. We are just west of Kootenay National park a short drive up into the mountains from Invermere BC. On one of our Summer vacations last year we decided to check out this resort, famous for skiing, golf, downhill mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking and just enjoying the great outdoors.

Some people even make the trek to just do yoga surrounded by nature. The views are panoramic from up here and the mountains are relatively gentle compared to the Rockies on the other side of the Columbia River. At least on this side of Toby Creek.

We decided to walk along the Valley Trail first because it was raining and there is no point in going up a mountain for the views when the valley is covered in a fog. The trails are well maintained because this place has money. They built a whole bunch of cottages or ski lodges to sell and they make a fortune off the lift tickets to get up the mountain.

When going hiking in British Columbia it is always a good idea to pack a raincoat. Green trees and fog means rain comes here often. Normally we wouldn't make the drive out to the mountains when it is going to rain but we were staying in nearby Eagle Ranch. I always wanted to check out Panorama because it is a popular mountain resort so the rain did not stop us.

At this point the trail goes under the golf course. Year round Mountain resorts almost always need a golf course to attract the wealthy year round. Not everyone wants to ride a bike down the mountain, golf is a much more relaxing sport. This tunnel ensure walkers don't interrupt the game.

Because of all the rain, the stream was more of a torrent. They offer rafting down here at times but it looked rocky and somewhat dangerous today. You would also get soaking wet and because we are in the Canadian Mountains, it would be cold and miserable even at the end of June.

I prefer golf and skiing to sitting in a raft and floating down the river. Canoes and kayaks are a more adventurous way to enjoy the rapids. The golf course looked great and it would be a privilege to play here one day. Greywolf Golf Course is not only picture perfect, it is $210 per person to play here on weekends and lets just say i'm not paying that to hit a few dozen balls into the forest.

The walk skirts the golf course and crosses the river a couple of times. The views of the surrounding Purcell mountains are beyond words. As the fog lifts from the valley and over the peaks the environment just gets more magical.

You can see the ski and snowboard slopes in the background. Panorama offers a day pass for $169 ($120 USD holidays are extra) which is not too bad as there are discounts if you stay for more than one day or book in advanced. I haven't been skiing in years and would love to get back into the sport one day.

You can see the advanced tee box, mens, women's and seniors all in a row. Fancy riverside condos line the back of the course. Writing this post makes me want to retire and just live somewhere like here. It is a year round, outdoor paradise.

When the rain sort of died down we decided to go up the mountain, yes we had our reasons to be lazy this day. It wasn't cheap to go up the chairlift and there isn't much to do up there if you aren't biking down so we walked around a little bit and came back down the mountain.

You can get views like this for free. On the other side of the valley from the ski lifts is the backcountry hill. You can ride some sort of machine up the mountain called a Monster X Snowcat and ski down in fresh powder. They also have heli-skiing in the area for those who really want to avoid the crowds.

The village gondola is free of charge if you are just looking for a quick ride from the river to the bottom of the slopes. It would be fun for little kids who have never been on such a form of transportation.