Wasa

Boasting the warmest lake in the Rocky Mountains, Wasa is a quiet cottage community in the Kootenay River Valley. Named by a Finnish settler after his native town of Vasa in Finland, Wasa is based around the small Wasa Lake. The village features most tourism amenities and is a growing recreational area. Right on the doorstep is Wasa Lake Provincial Park, with one of the best recreational lakes in the East Kootenays. The beaches here are very good, with excellent swimming conditions and sandy shores from which to launch car-top boats. In winter, the cross-country ski trails are well-groomed and there’s even a lit, maintained ice rink. Wasa features excellent wetlands stemming from the Kootenay River, providing great bird and wildlife watching opportunities. Your Wasa Bed and Breakfast innkeepers can direct you to Bummer Flats, a series of potholes created by Ducks Unlimited to accommodate waterfowl. Along the way to Wasa, look for painted turtles, great blue heron, osprey, bald eagle, downy woodpeckers and turkey vultures. Just 18 km. south of Wasa, visit historic Fort Steele, where visitors will travel back to the 1890s and enjoy daily re-enactments of the town’s colorful history. Wasa, BC offers a wide variety of activities to enhance your visit to this area of the Rocky Mountains, so book your Wasa Bed and Breakfast accommodation soon!