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Nelson (British Columbia) - city in British Columbia, Canada

Nelson is a city of over 10,000 people (2011) in British Columbia. The 1987 film Roxanne starring Steve Martin was filmed in this city. Nelson's Baker Street Heritage building along Baker Street

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.

Get in

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 45 km east on Highway 3A. From the east, follow the Crownest Highway through Creston to Salmo and go 40 km 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 655 km from Vancouver (9-hour drive) and 620 km from Calgary (a 7-hour drive). It is also 240 km from Spokane, Washington, 510 km from Banff and 455 km from Kamloops.

By bus

By plane

  • West Kootenay Regional Airport (IATA: YCG) 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 (IATA: YZZ) is further away, has less scheduled flights, but is less prone to flight cancellations caused by fog.
  • Nelson Municipal Airport, 91 Lakeside Dr, +1 250-352-8228. Offers a 3,100m x 75m asphalt runway for private aircraft only. No commercial flights land here. 2019-09-23

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 rental car

By public transit

  • BC Transit (West Kootenay Transit System). Offers bus routes in the region, including Monday to Saturday service connecting Balfour, Castlegar, Fruitvale, Nelson, Rossland, Slocan City, and Trail. 2022-03-27
    • 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.

By taxi

See

  • Touchstones Nelson Museum of Art and History, 502 Vernon St, 49.4927°, -117.29453°, +1 250-352-9813, info@touchstonesnelson.ca. Displaying the culture and history of Nelson and District in its museum, archives and art gallery.
  • Nelson Mining Museum, 215 Hall St, 49.495014°, -117.292746°, +1 250-352-5242. Features thousands of rock, gem, fossil and mine core specimens from the West Kootenays and British Columbia. An extensive collection of books, mining publications and maps, both new and old, are available for public use. The facility is open year-round – check for daily and seasonal hours. 2019-09-23
  • Nelson Electric Tramway, Lakeside Park (near Big Orange Bridge), 49.50545°, -117.28146°, +1 250-352-7672. Open weekends and all summer. Restored streetcar #23 that used to run down Baker Street now runs along the waterfront from Lakeside Park to Chahko Mika Mall. The line is 1.2 km long. 2016-09-29
  • 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

Lakeside Park and the big orange bridge. 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.

  • Shanti Yoga Studio, 237 Baker St, 49.49080°, -117.29773°. One several yoga studios in Nelson offering classes. 2023-03-24
  • Kootenay School of the Arts, 606 Victoria St, 49.49166°, -117.29146°, +1 250-352-2821. Study fine craft production in clay, metal, jewelry and small object design or fibre. Community classes as well as two year Diploma programmes. 2023-03-22
  • Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, 49.7833°, -117.167°. can be accessed from the north shore (about 20 km from Nelson towards Balfour and the Kootenay Lake Ferry). Getting to the main trailhead into the park requires a steep 13 km drive to Gibson Lake. 2023-03-12
  • Whitewater Ski Resort, Whitewater Rd. (at the end of Whitewater Rd 10 km south of Nelson off Ymir Rd.), 49.4444°, -117.152°, +1 250-354-4944. 20 km from Nelson, it has 20 km of cross country trails, groomed and track set for all abilities. 3 lifts give access to 80 runs in 396 vertical metres of beginner to advanced terrain. Hundreds of kilometres of off-piste skiing and back country touring. Average snowfall is 45 feet. Rentals and cafeteria available. Hitch-hiking from Nelson is a popular method to get there without a car. $75 2016-02-12
  • 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. Kootenay Crag 📍, Hall Siding 📍, Grohman Narrows 📍 and CIC Bluffs 📍 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 Valhalla Provincial Park 📍 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 Svoboda Trailhead (Svoboda Rd) 📍 and from the Mountain Station Trailhead (Gore St) 📍.
    • Pulpit Rock Trail, 49.50049°, -117.30154°. Offers a short but somewhat challenging hike that ends in a beautiful view of the city. After Pulpit Rock the trail continues up the spine of Elephant Mountain (as the locals call it) to more postcard views, and eventually to the radio towers which are visible from everywhere in the city. Hikers venturing beyond Pulpit Rock should have basic wilderness gear and exercise common sense. 2023-03-24

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.
  • Chahko Mika Mall, 1150 Lakeside Dr, 49.499046°, -117.288575°, +1 250-354-4496. M-W 9:30AM–5:30PM, Th-F 9:30AM-9PM, Sa 9:30AM–5:30PM, Su 11AM-5PM. On the lake front. Contains approx 30 stores/services including restaurants, clothing, supermarket, Wal-Mart, newsagent, book store. 2019-09-23
  • Still Eagle Planetary Persuasions, 476 Baker St, 49.491626°, -117.294158°, +1 250-352-3844. British Columbia's first hemp store and one of the largest distributors of hemp, organic and fair-trade clothing products in Canada. 2019-09-23

Eat

Budget

Mid-range

Drink

Breweries

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

  • Prestige Lakeside Resort, 701 Lakeside Dr, 49.497322°, -117.294083°, +1 250-352-7222, Nelson@PrestigeHotels.ca. Waterfront location located within walking distance of downtown. 101 guestrooms with a variety of room types. On-site dining options include West Coast Grill, Vault Sports Lounge, and Le Petit Cafe and Creperie. The resort also features an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, spa, and can accommodate meetings and events for up to 425 people. $190+ 2019-09-23

Connect

Nelson Public Library, 602 Stanley St, 49.49049°, -117.29477°, +1 250-352-6333. Has free WiFi access. 2023-03-24

There are many other locations where the traveler can access wireless Internet, including the following: Chahko Mika Mall, Best Western Baker St Inn, and many restaurants in town.

Most of the downtown area has Shaw public WiFi, although you will need a Shaw account to use it.

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.

Nelson

nelson.ca
Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:America/VancouverCoordinates:49.50, -117.28

Regional District of Central Kootenay

2nd-order administrative division

British Columbia

Primary administrative division

Canada

canada.ca
Population:37.1 MDial code:+1Currency:Dollar (CAD)Voltage:120 V, 240 V, 60 Hz
NEMA 14-30NEMA 14-50