Hi Steemians!

We just came back from another fun filled Rocky mountain getaway. We chose to ditch the busy national parks and resort towns for a more quiet and secluded village in rural British-Columbia. Nestled in the Robson Valley approximately 120 kilometers west of Jasper National Park, sits a charming little village called Valemount. This resilient community was first established due to the local forestry industry and the railroad that connects British-Columbia Rockies to the rest of Canada , officially incorporated in 1962. Since then the village has grown to over 1000 residents and is slowly gaining popularity as a travel destination being the closest municipality to the famous Mount Robson, Canada's highest peak (not tallest).

Mount Robson, British-Columbia. Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 34 mm, ISO 320

Cinnamon Peak. Shot 1/125 sec. f/5.6 22 mm, ISO 360

This time of year is in the off season for much of the Canadian Rockies and it is possible to treat yourself to a little more luxury at a fraction of the cost. We happen to like this time of year, not only because it's cheaper and quiet but the snow covered peaks looks like we are walking thru one giant Bob Ross painting with all the happy snowy little trees and unfrozen lakes meanwhile the temperatures are still mild enough for comfortable day hikes. We booked a cozy cabin in the village at a small family owned and operated six log cabin resort called Twin Peaks. It has five one bedroom cabins with kitchen/living room and one large luxury 5 bedroom cabin in the heart of the Rockies surrounded by stony giants in all directions each equipped with an outdoor fire pit, propane bbq and indoor gas fireplace. There is access to a sauna at extra charge and the owners even allowed us to go visit their pet goats and mini horses that also live on the property, all for the affordable price of $100 Canadian/night (gotta love off season prices).

Shot 1/250 sec. f/8 31 mm, ISO 200

*Shot 1/250 sec. f/5 55 mm, ISO 100

It's a 5 hour drive from Edmonton and given we are robbed of most of the daylight hours this time of year with the sunset being near 4:30 pm, much of the ride thru the mountains was dark and we couldn't see any scenery on the way there or what our resort looked like when we got there. This adventure was new for both of us, new area and first time renting a cabin since we generally tent thru the Rockies because most accommodations are generally pretty pricey. For the most part the roads were good except for small sections where the weather is unstable and hit some snow storms along the way. After a long drive it felt good to finally be at our destination and the only thing left to do do was settle in and retire by the fireplace for the evening in our new home away from home.

On our first day, I woke up with anticipation, curious about the magical landscape that surrounded us but unfortunately mother nature was going to keep me waiting a little longer, the mountains were pretty moody and we found ourselves in a big cloud that blocked all of the view. There was a light coat of snow on the ground that didn't take too long to melt once the sun warmed everything up and cleared the clouds. We didn't have any major plans for today except go for a drive and explore the area to plan the rest of our activities for the week.

Shot 1/250 sec. f/8 46 mm, ISO 100

We decided to head towards Blue River, the next village and see what we could find along the way as far as attractions and site seeing. I quickly realized, as beautiful as it was , it certainly wasn't in it's glory this time of year. The highway and many of the trails go thru what would be flowery meadows in the summer but this close to winter, everything is kinda dead except for the pine and red cedar trees that line the fields. The day stayed gloomy for the most part making photography a little difficult and dull but we still enjoyed the view.

We passed thru a few small villages, even smaller than what we were staying in. Each had their own individual local made delicious snacks to be found from caramel popcorn, candied coated nuts to dried pepperoni products at each place we stopped, like their finger print. It's was a nice change from the city's big chains where everything is the same everywhere. It was refreshing to see, kind of reminded me of life in the Appalachian Range before Walmart moved in to my hometown and killed all the individuality small businesses and craftsmen brought to the area. With my severe food allergies, I have better chances at finding snacks that are safe to eat made and farmed locally and most supermarket foods are poisonous to me with all the preservatives and coloring, this was heaven for my taste buds. We were starting to lose daylight and when it gets dark here...it gets real dark. We figured best head back to Valemount since we wont be able to enjoy the view anyway and we had yet to explore the village and see what we had access to.

Once back to the village, we took a quick tour around, trust me it was quick! There isn't too much. Fortunately it's a little more populated than it's surrounding villages and still has the basics available like pharmacy, groceries, hardware store and a couple of restaurants and hotels. We weren't totally removed from civilization like other places we have been to but still very quiet all around, This is definitely an outdoor self guided tourist destination. From what I saw, the best time to come would be in the summer for the hikes thru flowery meadows or strait into winter when there is enough snow for snowmobiling. Many of the hiking/biking trails start by the Best Western hotel, it is clearly identified. Another key feature of the village during the summer season is the local bird sanctuary that host various migratory birds and eagles, owls and other winter species can be spotted year round. Black bear sightings are popular in the area so come prepared if going on a hike to avoid getting in an awkward situation. Much of the information needed can be found at the local visitor center where maps can be found and the staff is happy to help but it's hard to get lost or confused it is very small.

Locally made quilt displayed at the visitor center.
Shot 1/50 sec. f/4 26 mm, ISO 800

There are rumors of a ski resort getting built in the area in the near future, increasing its chances of becoming the next Rockies resort town. Will Valemount become the next Canmore or Revelstoke? If it does, chances are it will become busier in the future and more costly to stay there. It could be tic toc on cheap quiet Rockies outdoor adventures in Valemount. That's it for day 1, check back in a few days for day 2 of our escape.

All images taken with Nikon D7000 and Sigma 18-200mm lens.

Cheers! X🐞X