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For more than a century, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has been known primarily as a transport hub. Nowadays, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is known for its outdoor recreation in one of North America’s most visually stunning locations. While Kicking Horse Mountain Resort won’t win any awards for charm, it is a functional town with all the amenities necessary for your vacation. Quickly filling in for the town’s lack of tourist infrastructure is Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Canada’s newest ski resort featuring the highest vertical in the Rockies, endless champagne powder, an alpine village and a range of real estate ownership opportunities.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is located towards the north end of the Columbia Valley between two ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains - the Purcell range and the Rockies range, and neighbors Canada's most famous national parks: Banff, Glacier, Mt. Revelstoke, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper. The Rocky Mountains shelter the community from winds and in turn, trigger large amounts of snowfall in the area. The Columbia Valley Wetlands fall within a major bird migratory route, over 260 different species of birds have been identified in the wetlands two great rivers, the Kicking Horse and the Columbia, confluence directly within the town boundaries.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has a wide diversity of accommodations ranging from the economical campgrounds and hostel, the cozy Bed & Breakfasts, private cabins and homes, front country lodge, back country lodges, to the mid range motels and 4-5 star all service hotels. Sprawling new condo and housing developments in Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and more noticeably at Kicking Horse Resort provide exciting new ownership and rental opportunities for visitors that want to own a peace of the incredible landscape.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, which is sure to transform Kicking Horse Mountain Resort into an international destination, is the first new four-season resort to be built in 25 years and may well be the last. Over the next few years, an entire mountain resort will grow out of the scenic western bench-lands, some 1,700 feet above the Town of Golden.
The focal point of this exciting new development is a charming mountain village that will be built at the base of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The master planned community includes 3,000 bed units - a mix of townhouses, single-family residences, condominium lodges, hotels and B&Bs as well as a multitude of shops, bars, restaurants and other commercial amenities that suit a four-season alpine resort.
Design guidelines have been established to ensure the visual integrity of the resort and village is not compromised. The architectural theme will be rustic yet elegant, reminiscent of the many alpine lodges, cottages and cabins found throughout the Canadian Rockies.
Winter in Kicking Horse Mountain Resort boasts of blue skies, perfect powder, and diverse experiences. Families can enjoy tobogganing, skating, or Nordic skiing through rolling trails. Downhill skiing, snowboarding, heli-skiing, cat skiing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, and ice climbing make for never a dull moment during the winter months from mid-November to End of March. Kicking Horse ski hill has quickly become revered for its steeps and tremendous powder. With over 4,000 acres of skiable terrain and 96 named runs, skiers and snowboarders will find themselves wanting to come back for more year after year.
Summer means high energy in the Golden area. Pilots from all over the world flock to the Mount 7 flying site to paraglide and hang glide. Beautiful scenery set the backdrops for horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, golfing, fishing, and air tours. World class white water rafting, ATVing, motorcross, and rock climbing attract international thrill seekers. Bird and wildlife viewing, slow floats wet land and scenic forest tours all one to harmonize with nature at a relaxed pace. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s golf course has long been considered one of Canada’s hidden gems and is very affordable. With Radium Hot Springs just an hour to the south and Banff an hour and a half to the east, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is often overlooked as a golf destination but can offer a spectacular variety of golfing experiences within a manageable and scenic drive.
If cultural adventure is more appealing than recreational adventure, you can celebrate the rich tapestry of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort's culture with a vibrant visual arts community and active Arts Council, Museum, Wildlife Festival of Bird's & Bear's, Classic Car Show and August Rodeo.
Like many of the mountain towns in the Canadian Rockies, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort owes its roots to the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1807 when David Thompson, and his crew expertly challenged the currents at the confluence of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers, it isn't likely they gave any thought to the future townsites of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. It has taken over 75 years of men with visions of homes, families and prosperity to come along.
Originally being one building and simply called "The Cache", the site was used by Major A.B. Rogers as a base camp for his survey crew. In an attempt to outdo a camp to the east, which called itself "Silver City", the name "Golden City" was chosen. The gold mining industry wasn't panning out to meet optimistic expectations and soon the term "City" became a little too pretentious for most and town became known simply as Golden.
As it did with the rest of the nation CPR brought commerce, trade, and population. Colorful and rowdy in the beginning with tales of rum running, gun play and stolen loot (not yet found). This period came to an end as the transient railroad workers moved on to other sites. Those who remained soon settled down to the business of establishing a family community.
Tourism became popular in the early 1900's with the hiring of Swiss guides by the CPR. The lure of fresh, unconquered peaks and indeed the prospect of viewing and experiencing the untouched wilderness of an infant country enticed Europeans and eastern Canadians to fill CPR passenger cars and their hotel rooms.
To make Swiss employees feel more at home the CPR constructed chalets of Swiss concept and called their accomplishment Edelweiss Village. Today the original homes stand overlooking Kicking Horse Mountain Resort as the town progresses into the age of tourism.
To establish it's economy Kicking Horse Mountain Resort turned to the fortunes of the forest. Here, tribute must be paid to the early pioneers of the logging industry, for it is only through their careful guardianship of the land that the people continue to market a resource, which is available and sustainable.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is not without memories of the steamboat era, for on May 8, 1886, Captain Frank Armstrong, launched "The Duchess: Departing from the Columbia Lake she was charged with transporting supplies for Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and the never-ending appetites of the busy CPR crew. However exciting, it was a short lived era, for the construction of the southbound CPR tracks in 1914 executed the quick demise of the romantic era of steamboat transportation.
From gold panning in the Quartz Creek area in the late 1800's to the engineered wood products of the 1990's; from 'The Duchess' launching from the Columbia Lake, to the para-gliders sailing off Mount Seven, its obvious that the people are willing to make friends with the changing faces of time. This virtue possessed by valley residents will ensure for future generations that Golden will remain the "Town of Opportunity".
Recommended Sights / Attractions
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Recommended Hikes / Activities
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 Columbia River Wetlands |
Golf Golden Country Club |
| Golden and District Museum |
Whitewater rafting on Kicking Horse River |
| Kicking Horse Mountain Gondola |
Ski Kicking Horse Resort |
| Timber Frame Bridge |
Para-glide off of Mount Seven |
| Eagle's Eye Restaurant |
Fishing in Kinbasket Lake |
| Rafter J Frontier Village |
Alpenglow Air Tour |
| Golden Rodeo (1st weekend of Aug) |
Heli-skiing |
| Wapta Falls in Yoho National Park |
Horseback riding along Blaeberry River |
| Golden Festival of Birds and Bears |
Hike to Hoodoos in Yoho |
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