Give Mum the Gift of Kootenay Vibes This Mother's Day

This Mother’s Day, skip the flowers. Instead, give the most important woman in your life a trip to remember. The Kootenays are bursting into bloom in May, and it’s the perfect time to visit Nelson and Kootenay Lake. Spring, after all, is the season of renewal—an ideal time to check back in on the most enduring relationship of your life.

You don’t necessarily have to get a tattoo to show her you care (although you can do that, too). The slew of activities and attractions opening up along the shores of one of B.C.’s longest and most pristine lakes will make memories that last just as long. Whether it’s for the weekend, the day, or an extended holiday, the ease of travel in the shoulder season is a secret boon few take advantage of. Cherry blossoms? Check. Loads of daylight? Check. Crowd-free access to every trail, spa and restaurant? Check.

Here’s how to fill the day, and more.

Mother’s Day Garden Starter Market and Baker Street

The annual farmers’ market kicks off on the most apt day of the year, with a special focus on starter plants to help get gardens growing as a celebration of spring. The Mother’s Day Garden Starter Market also features food vendors and farm stands to stock up or delight in local cuisine on the spot. The event occupies the historic centre swath Baker Street, right downtown, all within walking distance of itself. It pairs great with a coffee-shop circuit, or local shopping for artisan and hand-made wares.

The walk itself is worth the better part of a morning or afternoon, too. Nelson’s buildings and alleyways come alive with art thanks to the annual Nelson International Mural Festival, where talented muralists from around the world transform walls into large-scale works of art. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of more than 50 murals throughout Nelson, discovering the stories behind both the artwork and the artists.

Arts and Culture

Is there a mum out there that didn’t teach her kids to draw? Whether or not you bloomed into an artist or not, you can spend some time together appreciating those who did by extending your walking tour into an audio mural tour. The city’s biggest façades have been fastidiously prettied up over the years by a curated and rolling succession of local and travelling artists.

If you want to venture indoors, the stately Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery will take you back to the frontier years. Or you make the one-hour drive up the lake, snaking between the still snowcapped Purcell and Selkirk Mountains, to the picturesque village of Kaslo, where you can visit the S.S. Moyie National Historic Site. It’s the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler of its kind in the world. 

While you’re up there, Kaslo’s Langham Cultural Centre showcases contemporary and traditional exhibits year round: a cosmopolitan amenity in an impossibly cute village framed by jutting peaks.

You can also stop into Nelson’s Oxygen Art Center Gallery at any time, as well as a plethora of galleries and artisan studios. As the undisputed cultural capital of the Kootenays, there are always shows at the Capitol Theatre (spring is dance showcase season), featuring local and national talent, performing dance, theatre and musicals.

Mother-Daughter Activities

Let’s face it, mother-and-daughter is a special kind of relationship. The kind where you can soak and restore together. Lucky for you, Mother’s Day falls on the perfect time of year for hot springs—there is no better way to treat yourselves.

Stop in or stay at Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort to tap the healing waters of a locale the Ktunaxa first people have been visiting since time immemorial. The onsite Spirit Water Spa is owned and operated by the Lower Kootenay Band, offering signature treatments like clay detoxes and cranberry skin toning.

Want to go big? A meditation retreat is the immersive way to experience being present together. There are many close by, but the Yasodhara Ashram is the most iconic. It’s located on the peaceful East Shore of Kootenay Lake, near Kootenay Bay, in an architecturally arresting building designed like a lotus flower.

Stay In Style

If getting pampered without necessarily committing to enlightenment is more the vibe, the Hume Hotel & Spa in Nelson operates a full fusion of rooms, dining, entertainment and of course spa facilities. Its Aura Spa & Salon can help detox and rejuvenate in the eclectic heart of Nelson’s historic downtown.

You can also take the world’s longest free scenic ferry over to Crawford Bay for the quietest stay there is. Drop in or stay at Tara Shanti Accommodation and Retreats, with its Chateau-style structure on five quiet acres and stunning views of Kokanee Glacier. Or there’s also Falling Waters Spa at Wing Creek Resort, in Kaslo.

Or go the other way, and camp at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park, where you can wake outside to the sounds of the lake and the rare inland temperate rainforest. Whether you’re looking for the tranquility of old growth or unfettered access to wilderness, you’ll be in the heart of it here.

Hit the Trails

Winter is still clinging to the hilltops in early May, but a couple of our best hikes usually open up right around now. Pulpit Rock and the Lyon’s Bluff Trail are mere minutes from downtown Nelson—they’re good for a casual hike to an expansive view of town, a quick burn if you’re a runner, or a longer itinerary if you want to link them both. The Kaslo River Trail is also a great easy option for forested run or a walk, with the Hide and Seek art installation accompanying you throughout.

Or you could go by bike. Trailforks counts 261 mountain bike trails in Nelson alone, with burgeoning networks also emerging in Kaslo, Crawford Bay, and Riondel: a secret wealth of singletrack, rock slabs and loamy forest. Kaslo’s Friendly Giant is a standout, climbing and descending back down 18 kilometres of beginner-friendly but still expert-entertaining grade-A flow on the shoulder of Mount Buchannan, culminating in unreal views of Kaslo Bay.

The riding here is a mix of old and new: traditional, natural downhill trails tamped by decades of fat tires, and modern pedal-friendly tracks with flawless jumplines and miles of blue flow. Nelson’s Morning Mountain Regional Park is another not-to-be missed stop, offering the high-speed ecstasy of Rhythm and Blues, which is also an adaptive trail.

Dining Out

It’s not Mother’s Day without going for dinner. But you might as well plan for breakfast and lunch, too. There’s a reason chefs from across the globe travel to Nelson to tenure in its famed food scene. We have distinct takes on global cuisine, with more restaurants per capita than Vancouver, San Francisco and even Manhattan.

From Marzano’s Italian perfection to Yum Son’s fusion Vietnamese-modern dishes, almost all restaurants focus on hyper-local seasonal ingredients. But if a simple burger at a pub or brewery is more your speed, you’ll find that too. There’s also an ever increasing roster of breweries, like Backroads Brewing Company and Kaslo's Angry Hen Brewing Company.

The only hazard is choosing. Just remember, it doesn’t matter how old you get, mum’s always in charge.