British Columbia is riddled with big-hitter mountain towns that offer skiing by winter, hiking by summer, and oodles more in between. But along with those sprawling resorts á la uber-famous Whistler, there are other, smaller, more historic places to explore. Enter pint-sized Coalmont, an erstwhile mining outpost that can trace its story all the way back to the beginning of the 20th century. These days, though, the pickaxes have been swapped for camping gear and hiking boots, and it’s really the great outdoors that keep the town on the map.
Yep, Coalmont might be small — the local population is estimated to be fewer than 100 people these days — but the landscapes that surround it are anything but. The town is nestled in the Similkameen Valley, surrounded by British Columbia’s Cascade Range with its gurgling rivers, mountains aplenty, and organic farms to boot. The upshot? Right on Coalmont’s doorstep, you’ll find fascinating reminders of boom town history, along with riverside campgrounds, and adventure-rich trails suited to both boots and bike wheels.
To get here, first aim for the nearby town of Princeton, then follow the Coalmont Road as it cuts through the southern end of British Columbia’s mountains. You’re looking at a drive of just over three hours from Vancouver, or closer to three and a half hours if you’re coming straight in from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The last leg of the trip will be a 20-minute cruise beside the Tulameen River to Coalmont itself.
Dive into the rich mining history of Coalmont
Coalmont was one of a whole hodgepodge of mining settlements that popped up across the British Columbia mountains in the wake of the various gold rushes of the mid-1800s. Its earliest iteration was actually as a prospector camp called Granite Creek, the name taken from the waterway where, according to local lore, a wandering cowboy named Johnny Chance first spotted nuggets of gold. His find kick-started a mining boom that brought thousands of people into this corner of the Tulameen Valley, making Granite Creek one of the largest settlements in the whole valley at its peak.
The Coalmont people know and love today, sat less than a mile away from the site of the older Granite Creek mining town on the opposite side of the river, emerged a bit later on. It was established not on gold, but — just as the name implies — on coal. It sprang into life in 1911 as a pitstop along the Kettle Valley Railway, acting as a railway hub for now-abandoned mines in nearby Blakeburn.
The heart of Coalmont remains a bit of a chocolate box of historic treasures. Be sure to seek out the Coalmont Hotel. It’s been a fixture here since the very beginning, having opened to great fanfare back in 1912. That stands alongside a series of aging signs and various other shopfronts harkening back to the town’s heyday. You’ll also want to hop across to the spot where Granite Creek once stood, to wander a haunting cemetery and see the remains of several miner cabins amid the woods.
Adventure pursuits in and around Coalmont
While the glory days of the 1900s are now long gone for Coalmont, the town still lives and breathes. Today, it’s a bit of an adventure hub, offering beaches right next to town, campsites, and access to some of the region’s most famous trails. Adding to that is the fact that you can almost be certain that there won’t be the crowds you get in more famous British Columbia mountain resorts, for Coalmont is something of a hidden gem tucked away from the main stem of the Similkameen Valley, where popular stops like Canada’s fruit stand capital of Keremeos pull in the people.
Perhaps most notably for would-be adventurers, the town center sits right atop the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, a long, snaking route that squiggles through southern British Columbia for around 400 miles in total. It’s actually a part of the Trans Canada Trail, the longest recreational trail in the world, and sections close to Coalmont offer up views of lush highland slopes clad in pine and evergreen woods. There’s also a campground in attendance at Coalmont’s Granite Creek Recreation Site. It’s first-come, first-served, and a real doozy for those who like to pitch up beside the water, because the spots all cluster close to the Tulameen River.
That same Kettle Valley Rail Trail could also be your ticket to refreshing swim spots. About an hour’s hike to the east of town, for example, you can access White Sand Beach, a little meander bay on the river that’s got swimming holes along its banks. Or the trail can take you up to Tulameen (it’s roughly a two-hour hike), home to Otter Lake Park. There are lakeside campgrounds there, converging on a lake beach that’s great for swimming, not to mention kayak launches for paddles under the gaze of the British Columbia Cascades.