Wing Creek Resort: Secluded Lakeside Cottages in BC’s Kootenay Mountains

Sunrise over Kootenay Lake from Wing Creek Resort

The sun is creeping up between the mountains over Kootenay Lake, making the wisps of clouds glow pink. There’s only a hint of breeze rustling the trees on this quiet autumn morning, as I step onto the porch of my cottage at Wing Creek Resort to greet the day. I sit down with my coffee, look out over the lake, and think, “I wouldn’t mind staying here for a while.”

Located outside the town of Kaslo in British Columbia’s West Kootenays region, Wing Creek Resort’s well-appointed cottages sit on a secluded property above the lake — a peaceful destination for a mountain getaway.

Here’s the scoop:

A timber-frame cottage at Wing Creek Resort

Cottages and Amenities

Owners Debra Hamilton and Kevin Hoffart began operating this wooded vacation property in 2004, which now has four one-bedroom “Cedarbrook” cottages and a fifth slightly larger “Cedarcrest” cottage. All the units would be lovely for a romantic escape, though the Cedarcrest, more secluded than the other lodgings, is the designated “honeymoon suite.”

Cottage living room with a wood-burning fireplace

I stayed in one of the standard Cedarbrook cottages, which each sleep two adults. The cottages are simple, and well, cottage-y, with stone fireplaces, comfy sofas, and rocking chairs in the living room and basic but fully-equipped kitchens.

The closest grocery store is less than 10 minutes away in Kaslo, so it’s not difficult to do a grocery run, but you may find–as I did–that once you’ve settled in, you don’t want to get back in your car. Plan to bring whatever food and other supplies that you might need during your stay.

The bedrooms, with queen beds and down duvets, are comfortable and the bathrooms modern. And it’s quiet. I heard nothing at all once I climbed under my comforter for the night.

Cottage bedroom at Wing Creek Resort

Facilities and Services

If you’re looking for more space to play indoors than your cottage provides, head for the property’s retreat centre, which is stocked with books, games, music, and long tables where a family or collection of friends might gather. Although it’s sometimes booked for groups, it’s available at all other times for individual guests.

The Wing Creek Retreat Centre has games, music, and space to gather.

Behind the Cedarbrook cottages is a shared BBQ that guests can use if you want to cook outside.

The barbecue hut

The real beauty of the property is outdoors. You can follow a trail through the woods down to the lake, where there’s a small pebbly beach, backed by the mountains.

Also on the grounds is a fruit tree orchard where you can walk as well. If the apples are ripe, you can even pick your afternoon snack.

You can wander through the orchards at Wing Creek Resort.

What’s Nearby?

In Kaslo, you can tour the S.S. Moyie National Historic Site, the world’s oldest intact passenger sternwheeler, which sailed the waters of Kootenay Lake for more than 50 years.

A particularly worthwhile attraction in Kaslo is the Langham Cultural Centre and its Japanese Canadian Museum, where photo exhibits tell the story of the 1100 Canadians of Japanese descent, who were sent to Kaslo during World War II when the Canadian government banned anyone of Japanese heritage from living near the Pacific Coast. Many were ordered to internment camps, and approximately 80 lived crammed into the small rooms at the Langham, which had once been a hotel.

Kaslo is about an hour’s drive from New Denver, where you can learn more about Canada’s imprisonment of the Japanese Canadians at a former internment camp, which is now the Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre, a national historic site.

From Wing Creek, it’s also an hour’s drive from the hip community of Nelson, with numerous cafes, restaurants, and craft breweries.

The beach on Kootenay Lake at Wing Creek Resort

But at Wing Creek Resort, if you simply choose to sit on your porch and watch the sun over the mountains, that’s a perfectly fine choice, too.

Rates

Double occupancy rates for the cottages at Wing Creek Resort start at CAD$399 from July through mid-September and at CAD$369 outside of the summer high season. No children or pets are accepted at this adult-oriented property. Book your stay directly with the hotel or go through an online booking site such as Expedia or Hotels.com.

And if you’re looking for more nearby lodging options in the West Kootenays, check out our reviews of the Kaslo Hotel, The Sentinel south of Kaslo, and the Adventure Hotel in Nelson.

Hotel feature by Vancouver-based travel, food, and feature writer Carolyn B. Heller. Photos © Carolyn B. Heller. Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism, in partnership with Wing Creek Resort, arranged my stay for review purposes.