Nelson (British Columbia)

Nelson is a city of over 11,000 people (2021) in British Columbia. The 1987 film Roxanne starring Steve Martin was filmed in this city.

Understand
The West Kootenay region is part of the traditional territories of the Sinixt (or Lakes) and Ktunaxa (Kutenai) peoples.

Known as "The Queen City", it is acknowledged for its impressive collection of restored heritage buildings from its glory days in a regional silver rush.

In 2012 Nelson and Rossland, a small city south-west of Nelson, were jointly voted best ski locales in North America by readers of California-based Powder Magazine.



History
Gold and silver were found in the area in 1867. Following the discovery of silver at nearby Toad Mountain in 1886, the town boomed quickly, leading to incorporation in 1897. Two railways were built to pass through Nelson. Due to its location near transportation corridors, Nelson grew to supply the local mining activity and soon became a transportation and distribution centre for the region.

The town soon matured from a false-fronted boom town to a sophisticated city. Francis Rattenbury, an architect most noted in British Columbia for the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, the Vancouver Provincial Courthouse, and the second Hotel Vancouver, designed chateau-style civic buildings made of granite, which stand today. By the 1900s, Nelson had several fine hotels, a Hudson's Bay Company store, and an electric streetcar system. The local forestry and mining industries were well established.

The town built its own hydroelectric generating system. English immigrants planted lakeside orchards, and Doukhobors from Russia, sponsored by Leo Tolstoy and the Quakers, tilled the valley benchlands. The Doukhobor Museum is nearby, close to the neighbouring town of Castlegar.

During the Vietnam War, many American draft dodgers settled in Nelson and the surrounding area. This influx of liberal, mostly educated young people had a significant impact on the area's cultural and political demographics.

Nelson's mountainous geography kept growth confined to the narrow valley bottom, except for certain hillside structures such as the local High School and the former Notre Dame University College (NDU) campus. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, when more prosperous cities were tearing down and rebuilding their downtowns to the design of the time, Nelson merchants 'modernized' their buildings with covers of aluminum siding.

Baker Street
In the early 1980s, Nelson suffered a devastating economic downturn when the local sawmill was closed. To save downtown and Baker Street from blight, Nelson remodelled its downtown by stripping aluminum facades and restoring the buildings to their original brilliance. By 1985, Baker Street was completely transformed. Affirmation of the street's success came in 1986 when Steve Martin chose to produce his feature film Roxanne largely in Nelson, using the local fire hall as a primary set and many historic locations for others. More broadly, the transformation marked the beginning of Nelson's ongoing transition from a resource-based town to an arts and tourism town. A walk down Baker Street through the Historic District is now one of Nelson's promoted visitor activities.

Climate
Winters are cold and snowy while summers are warm and drier with cool temperatures during the night.

By car
Nelson can be best accessed from the Crowsnest Highway (Highway 3) and is well signed, but is not located directly on the highway. Coming from the west, follow the Crowsnest Highway to Castlegar and then go east on Highway 3A. From the east, follow the Crownest Highway through Creston to Salmo and go north on Highway 6; alternatively, follow Highway 3A from Creston and take the Kootenay Lake Ferry at Balfour, which is the longest toll-free ferry in the world.

Nelson is about from Vancouver (9-hour drive) and  from Calgary (a 7-hour drive). It is also from Spokane, Washington,  from Banff and  from Kamloops.

By bus

 * Operates two days per week between Kaslo and Vancouver with stops in Balfour, Nelson, Castlegar, Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Greenwood, Rock Creek, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Princeton, Manning Provincial Park, Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and New Westminster. Travel time to Nelson from Kalso is 1 hour, from Castlegar is 40 minutes, from Grand Forks is 2.25 hours, from Osoyoos is 3.5 hours, from Princeton is 5.25 hours, from Hope is 7 hours, from Abbotsford is 8.25, and from Vancouver is 9.5 hours.
 * Operates once per week between Calgary and Kaslo with stops in Okotoks, High River, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek, Sparwood, Fernie, Cranbrook, Creston, Salmo, Nelson, and Balfour. Travel time to Nelson from Calgary is 9.75 hours, from Sparwood is 5 hours, from Cranbrook is 3 hours, and from Kaslo is 1 hour.
 * Operates once per week between Calgary and Kaslo with stops in Okotoks, High River, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek, Sparwood, Fernie, Cranbrook, Creston, Salmo, Nelson, and Balfour. Travel time to Nelson from Calgary is 9.75 hours, from Sparwood is 5 hours, from Cranbrook is 3 hours, and from Kaslo is 1 hour.

By plane

 * West Kootenay Regional Airport  in Castlegar is the nearest airport with scheduled flights, located 40 km west along Highway 3A, but is prone to flight cancellations caused by fog.
 * Trail Regional Airport is further away, has less scheduled flights, but is less prone to flight cancellations caused by fog.

Get around
The downtown core of Nelson is very compact and walkable. The main streets stretch a few blocks up the hillside away from the lake, and along the contours of the hillside. You don't need a car to get between downtown businesses, but you might need one to get to housing away from the centre. It's a ten-minute uphill walk from the airport to the heart of downtown, though the Canadian Pacific Railway track just inland of the airport is a slight obstacle.

By public transit

 * Route 10 operates Monday to Saturday between Nelson and Balfour (55 minutes).
 * Route 99 operates Monday to Saturday between Nelson and Castlegar 40 min). Transfer to route 33 at Selkirk College to reach Castlegar Community Complex (10 min), which is Castlegar's main bus exchange. Some route 99 trips become route 20, instead traveling between Nelson and Slocan City.
 * Offers Health Connections trips three days per week to Salmo, and two days per week direct service to New Denver and Nakusp. Health Connections trips are open to everyone to ride, but must be reserved in advance and trips to medical appointments receive priority.
 * Offers Health Connections trips three days per week to Salmo, and two days per week direct service to New Denver and Nakusp. Health Connections trips are open to everyone to ride, but must be reserved in advance and trips to medical appointments receive priority.

See

 * The Arts: Nelson is highlighted as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada" by the publisher of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, and is home to a large and diverse artisan community. The annual Artwalk, a display of artwork at various venues around town features local talent. In July, August and September, there are exhibitions throughout the downtown core in variety of galleries and local businesses. Each month has a separate grand opening, (usually the first Friday evening of the month), which includes refreshments, musicians, pan-handlers and artwork for locals and visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown Nelson.
 * The Arts: Nelson is highlighted as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada" by the publisher of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, and is home to a large and diverse artisan community. The annual Artwalk, a display of artwork at various venues around town features local talent. In July, August and September, there are exhibitions throughout the downtown core in variety of galleries and local businesses. Each month has a separate grand opening, (usually the first Friday evening of the month), which includes refreshments, musicians, pan-handlers and artwork for locals and visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown Nelson.
 * The Arts: Nelson is highlighted as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada" by the publisher of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, and is home to a large and diverse artisan community. The annual Artwalk, a display of artwork at various venues around town features local talent. In July, August and September, there are exhibitions throughout the downtown core in variety of galleries and local businesses. Each month has a separate grand opening, (usually the first Friday evening of the month), which includes refreshments, musicians, pan-handlers and artwork for locals and visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown Nelson.
 * The Arts: Nelson is highlighted as the "Number One Small Town Arts Community in Canada" by the publisher of The 100 Best Small Arts Towns in America, and is home to a large and diverse artisan community. The annual Artwalk, a display of artwork at various venues around town features local talent. In July, August and September, there are exhibitions throughout the downtown core in variety of galleries and local businesses. Each month has a separate grand opening, (usually the first Friday evening of the month), which includes refreshments, musicians, pan-handlers and artwork for locals and visitors to enjoy as they stroll through downtown Nelson.

Do
Nelson is a great base to explore the lakes, mountains and rivers of the surrounding area. The west arm of the Kootenay Lake flows past Nelson with several dams just below Nelson. The big orange bridge (known locally as BOB) is a local icon connecting the north shore to Nelson. Lakeside Park is a mix of grass and shade trees and sandy beach.


 * The Nelson area is home to over 20 cat-skiing, heli-skiing and ski-touring operators.
 * Mountain biking: Nelson offers a wide variety of MTB-oriented trails for all levels of experience. Excellent trail maps are available at local bike shops.
 * Rock climbing is also a popular summer activity., , and  are popular city crags. Slocan Bluffs and Kinnaird are in nearby Slocan City and Castlegar.
 * Bouldering: extensive bouldering areas in Grohman Narrows and nearby Robson.
 * Mountaineers and alpine rock climbers head to the in the Selkirk Mountains for long alpine routes on unique textured granite. The Mulvey Basin, Cougar Creek and Nemo Creek areas have routes ranging in grade from 5.4 to 5.12.
 * Hiking: Two local hiking trails are popular:
 * The Nelson-Salmo Great Northern Trail is a very gently sloped rail trail which runs across Nelson and allows biking. It can be reached from the and from the.
 * Rock climbing is also a popular summer activity., , and  are popular city crags. Slocan Bluffs and Kinnaird are in nearby Slocan City and Castlegar.
 * Bouldering: extensive bouldering areas in Grohman Narrows and nearby Robson.
 * Mountaineers and alpine rock climbers head to the in the Selkirk Mountains for long alpine routes on unique textured granite. The Mulvey Basin, Cougar Creek and Nemo Creek areas have routes ranging in grade from 5.4 to 5.12.
 * Hiking: Two local hiking trails are popular:
 * The Nelson-Salmo Great Northern Trail is a very gently sloped rail trail which runs across Nelson and allows biking. It can be reached from the and from the.

Buy

 * Nelson Markets: Nelson features several regular outdoor markets where artisans and farmers can be found selling everything from local produce, poultry and farm-fresh eggs to handcrafted jewellery, pottery and clothes.
 * , at Cottonwood Falls Park, takes place every Saturday from May through October.

Connect


There are many other locations where the traveler can access wireless Internet, including the following: Chahko Mika Mall (see listing under "Buy"), Best Western Baker St Inn (see listing under "Sleep"), and many restaurants in town.

Cope

 * The nearest hospital is in Trail.

Go next

 * Ainsworth Hot Spings, located about 45 minutes northeast of Nelson, is considered to be the best commercial hot springs in British Columbia and has many spa services, treatments and packages.