Kimberley
A Former Mining Town Reinvented As A Bavarian Style Village With An Outdoor Clock, A Pedestrian Core, A Ski Resort Above Town, Mountain Bike Trails And The Cominco Gardens. A Resort Stop In The Kootenays With A Fun And Alpine Feel · Kimberley, British Columbia
Kimberley is a mountain town in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, about 30 km north-west of Cranbrook, and it presents itself as a Bavarian village. The look dates from the 1970s, when the town reinvented itself after the Sullivan Mine, once one of the world's largest lead and zinc mines, began to wind down and later closed in 2001. Today a pedestrian core called the Platzl has timber-framed fronts, a large outdoor cuckoo clock, flower baskets and cafes, while the Cominco Gardens, the Kimberley Alpine Resort and a large network of nature park trails give the town a strong outdoor side. Kimberley sits at roughly 1,100 m, among the highest towns in Canada, with clear dry air and snow in winter. It is a fun stop for families, skiers, mountain bikers and anyone crossing the southern Rockies on Highway 95A, and a good base for Fort Steele and the lakes and hot springs of the Columbia Valley.
Kimberley, a Bavarian-themed mountain town in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia about 30 km northwest of Cranbrook, with a pedestrian Platzl and the Cominco Gardens; coordinates approximate, Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
The Platzl, the town streets and the nature park trails are open at any hour and cost nothing. Shops and cafes keep daytime hours, with longer summer hours and some closures on Sundays and in the quiet spring and late autumn periods (confirm). The Cominco Gardens are normally open in summer when the flower beds are in bloom, and any underground mining railway or heritage tour runs on a summer timetable (confirm). The ski resort opens roughly from December to April depending on snow, with lifts running by day and some evenings. Festival weekends fill the town, so confirm event dates and book rooms ahead.