Nakusp British Columbia Canada...A Little Slice of Heaven...

50.23889° N, -117.80203° E, follow these coordinates and you will come to the quaint village of Nakusp, British Columbia Canada nestled along the Upper Arrow Lake about 65 miles and a ferry ride south of Revelstoke on Highway 23.  It would be easy to bypass this village by turning left on Highway 6, the truck route, and go down to Fauquier and cross by ferry to continue to Vernon or go the opposite direction to go over to Castlegar. Highway 6 is the Eastside boundary, but as luck would have it, Highway 6 also cuts through this sleepy village as well. Don't let the size of this village fool you as there is more here than meets the eye. 

The people are warm, friendly, and helpful. We were up 

from the States over the summer of 2019 visiting relatives and  

were welcomed into the community and made to feel like 

one of the village regulars. I don't think I have ever felt this

kind of inclusiveness, this feeling of "you're one of us."  

I spent several days meeting people and touring the village 

to get a sense of what I wanted to say in my blog. I only had 

one negative encounter in all the time we were there and 

that took place late the first night we arrive and were trying to 

find a place to stay. 


I have medical issues and have a service dog that helps me.

My daughter and I had our 3 dogs with us and we hit the 

Village at about 10:30 at night with rain coming down. My 

sister-n-law Marilyn Massey was ill with a stomach virus so there 

was no staying at her place. Besides pitching a tent under those 

conditions were not ideal. 


The first hotel we went to was adamant about no 

dogs, not even service dogs. The second hotel was 

wonderful and more than accommodating. Granted they 

warned us we had the smallest room in the hotel, at that 

point we didn't care. They had a motorcycle group in town 

and you get what you get. What was important was we had 

a room that we were able to bring our dogs into and it was 

dry plus we had a bed to sleep in instead of a car. 

A huge thank you goes to the Leland Hotel and its 

wonderful accommodating staff. 



The Leland Hotel is a wonderful old and eclectic historic 

hotel and the oldest operating hotel in British Columbia as 

it was built in 1892. The view from the Leland is one you 

won't soon forget as it overlooks the beautiful Spicer 

Gardens that complements the waterfront boardwalk 

along the shore of the Upper Arrow Lake that sits below 

the hotel. One can also see beautiful Saddleback Mountain 

that sits across the lake...a silent sentinel. 



The next morning had us on the search for coffee and 

being a member of the Nakusp Communicator I knew that 

"What's Brewing On Broadway" would be a good place to go. 

What I didn't know was this quaint little coffee shop would 

be able to provide me a wonderful gluten-free breakfast 

sandwich. The proprietor Tricia was a real sweetheart. My 

sandwich was made to perfection. Her little coffee shop 

also has a great selection of teas and her staff can whip up 

a smoothie in no time. She also has a little gift area filled 

with handcrafts, books and the WIFI is free for your use. Also, 

there is outdoor seating under a big shade tree on the west side 

of the building. A great place to meet up with friends. She 

offers a variety of breakfast and luncheon sandwiches.

I am gluten intolerant and get quite ill when 

encountering gluten.  I was in for a real treat in Nakusp, 

that's for sure. Every food establishment I did business with 

was able to provide me a delicious gluten-free meal. I

am talking about sandwiches, hamburgers with gluten-free 

buns.  I can tell you, you will not find that very much down 

in the states. So hats off to all the businesses in Nakusp for 

having a great variety of delicious gluten-free  

breads and buns available for those of us that can't eat 

regular bread and buns. I had great meals at The Lodge, what was 

then Chumley's, 

What's Brewing on Broadway, Nakusp Hot Springs and The 

Hut Drive Inn. Thank you all for a pleasant dining 

experience!


The local market, Save-on-Foods is a very complete market 

with some of the best produce I have ever seen. I was very 

impressed with the selection. My favorite item from the 

market was Old Dutch Potato Chips. A superior chip in my 

humble opinion. I was introduced to them many years 

before, by my late husband. 


We took a tour of the Arrow Lakes Historical Society 

Archives and Library. I was very impressed with the 

collection of the museum. We were able to lookup 

pictures of family members who went to school in the early 

days of Nakusp. The Nakusp Library really surprised me in 

the size and the completeness of the facility. You should be 

very proud of your library.
  

Another facility that impressed me was your Senior Center. 

What a wonderful place for people to gather and be able to 

enjoy each other's company. I went to a bridge game there. 

However, I was reluctant to join in as my bidding skills are 

not up to snuff. I did enjoy everyone's company though.


One of the delights was attending your weekly music event 

at the auditorium. What a lovely facility to see a musical, 

play or a guest artist that the community has brought in. 

You are very fortunate to have an active musical and arts

program. 



I attended a church service at one of your local churches. 

The parishioners there were warm, friendly and so inviting. 



Your local beach is lovely! Quite different from what I 

remember from 30 years ago. Your waterfront boardwalk is 

beautiful especially with the oriental bridge and gardens 

and Spicer gardens, as one can clearly see, was 

placed with thought and care to make a showing.  It is 

lovely to see benches for you to sit and view the lake or 

read a book. The beautiful sculpture captures the spirit of 

the village.  


The lakes close by, Box Lake and Summit Lake Provincial 

Park are lovely. The drive down to Box Lake is spellbinding, 

transporting you into a world very Jurassic. The fauna and 

flora is something else. It's just something you have to see 

for yourself.


I would be remiss if I did not mention your lovely Nakusp 

Hot Springs. My daughter did a 6-mile hike up to the Hot 

Springs from a trailhead off of Alexander Road, east of

town up on a logging road.  Yes, she did see bear scat. However, she 

had her dog with her to somewhat protect her plus her bear spray. I 

met her up there after her hike and we had a lovely soak in your Hot 

Springs. What a wonderful place to relax and watch the little 

hummers dart around the flowers fighting for the nectar.  

We even found the original homestead and fruit trees as well as the 

creek that runs on the property, named for the family. Powell Creek.

The creek runs down through the town and empties into the Upper 

Arrow Lake. 

Another great feature of the village is a wonderful 

campground in town. You would never know there was one 

there and it is a great facility which has been given 

approval to expand. 


We did our souvenir shopping at the Masonic Building 

housing Heather's Treasure Trove.  Great place to pick up 

those unique souvenirs. We got a lot of great stuff to take back 

with us for the family. 


Nakusp has a lot to offer, a hostel, a great bike shop, 

wonderful shopping, water sports, fishing, hiking, great 

campground, historical archives, and museum, library, 

beautiful scenery, local artists, great music programs, 

great food, local inns, a well maintained and beautiful golf 

course and wonderful summer weather.


But what Nakusp offers the most, is their wonderful warm 

and friendly people who make you feel right at home. 

Thanks, Nakusp for making us feel so welcomed!

Susie and Christie Smeal

Since writing this, a pandemic has gripped the world keeping travel to almost nothing. Hopefully, in the near future, the world can once again open for business and Nakusp along with it. Also, a horrible wind storm ripped through Nakusp in 2021 destroying much of the Spicer Gardens along the Boardwalk. But if I know the spirit of the people there, it will be restored to its former beautiful and resplendent self. 


SS