Golden, British Columbia,
Canada
June 22, 2019
We've stayed in or around Golden for the past week or so now, and for good reason. The small town is an excellent stepping stone into the Yoho National Park on the Western side of the Canadian Rockies, twenty minutes drive and your into the park and stunning scenery. There are some great wild camping spots at the edge of the park as well and Golden has been a great port of call to gather supplies as well as take in some other activities. There are great mountain bike trails surrounding the town and we have enjoyed checking out both the Moonraker and the Mount 7 trails now that we have our bikes. The people have made it a great place as well and their warmth is genuine and really helps make your day. So many people have taken time out of their day to help us. Lost on bike trails, needing to borrow tools, finding out about good free camp spots in the area, everyone has been so helpful and interested in where we are from and what we are doing. On Saturday that warmth and hospitality was extended when we were lucky to be invited along by Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to enjoy a day out using their Adventure Pass.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is nestled between the Rockies and the Dogtooth and Purcell mountain ranges. It's quite the spectacular location and boasts 5 Alpine bowls and over 120 trails for those who love to play in wintery white powder. During the summer months there are some fantastic mountain bike trails that are accessed via their Eagle Express Gondola. Your at the top of the of the peaks in a matter of minutes and can hit some seriously tricky trails on the way back down. If you get a pass you can rinse and repeat to your hearts content. Our Adventure pass gave us access to the Eagle Express and also the smaller gondola that takes you up to their Grizzly bear refuge.
We were there nice and early as we wanted the best chance to see 'Boo' the resident Grizzly bear. Unfortunately Boo's story isn't a good one. Back in 2002 he and his brother Cari were left without their mother after she was shot and killed by a poacher in the Caribou area (hence the names) Grizzlies rely on their mother to teach them the important life skills that they need and without a mother there was no way the bears would have been able to survive in the wild as they simply wouldn't have all the skills and knowledge required. This is when the Kicking Horse resort stepped in and built them a 20-acre refuge, the largest protected Grizzly refuge in the world. Sadly Cari didn't make it through the first winters hibernation and passed away leaving Boo on his own. Unfortunately Boo will never be able to return to his native wild habitat but he is well cared for now and has a life supported by people who care very much for him.
When we arrived at the refuge we were happy to see that Boo was out and about. We have seen quite a few black bears now on our voyage through Canada but a Grizzly is an entirely different beast altogether. Boo is absolutely huge, he is one big big bear and I'm certainly glad we haven't ran into any in the wild yet as these magnificent beasts have some serious power behind them. The guides that Kicking Horse have at the Grizzly interpretive centre are first class. The girl who ran the group when we were there had an amazing knowledge of Grizzlies and in particular Boo. The knowledge she imparted was great and we learned a lot about grizzlies that we didn't know. We spent at least an hour up at the refuge before catching the short ride back to the resort to hop on the Eagle express gondola to take us right up near the peaks. We would have taken our bikes up with us but unfortunately you aren't allowed to take bikes up that don't have disc brakes. Our bikes are old second hand ones and as we rode the gondola up over the snaking trails below us it was easy to see why they have that rule in place. The trails look amazing and go all the way up to a seriously high technical level. We may come back at some point and check them out as they look better than any trails we have ridden so far.
Once off the gondola at the top we were presented with amazing views all around. In front of you the Rockies fill your field of vision from left to right, disappearing as far as the eye can see. Behind is the Purcell range and the glacier natiional park and down below between the two is the icy blue Kicking horse river snaking it's way through Golden. We took a trek along the Terminator ridge (I know, great name right?) which is home to the T1 and T2 peaks and we spent a good few hours up at the top. Mainly looking on with jealousy at the herds of mountain bikers that were hopping off the Gondola to fling themselves back down the mountain. The resort even has a restaurant up at the top called 'Eagles eye'. We popped in and the place looks lovely, an amazing location to grab a bite to eat and it's available to hire out for functions such as weddings and parties. There was a function about to start as we took the gondola back down. Everyone heading the opposite way back up the gondola was decked out in their suits and posh frocks, it must be quite the venue though I wouldn't like to have too many drinks up there and then go wandering off!
We really enjoyed our day, and it was just that, a full days entertainment. We were there from 10am until about 5pm and loved every minute. If you ever find yourself in this part of the world we recommend checking out the resort and the various packages they offer, it certainly doesn't disappoint.
Click on Boo below to visit the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort website.
