I’m a huge advocate of getting outdoors whatever the weather. I love adventuring with friends and clients who share the same sentiment! Fernie’s weather can be such a mixed bag. Winter can be episodes of torrential rain. We could get 3 feet of powder in 24 hrs. We could have a deep freeze that dips the mercury into the -20’s. Or it could be glumly-grey. Don’t let any of those scenarios keep you indoors. Life is too short to not live well every day!
This particular trip to Fairy Creek Falls fell into the deep freeze category. The temperature was about -18 but our guests had come all the way from New Zealand and were staying in Fernie for only a week. The forecast was predicting these bone-chilling temperatures for the entire time they were visiting so out the door of our cozy insulated house we went!
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Being properly dressed is certainly the key. We are still hammering home (every single time our family leaves the house!) that the kids may not wear any COTTON clothing. Their base layers must be wool or polyester and mid-layers must be fleece. Hoodies are currently the kids’ uniform for life, so sometimes they will try and hide one amongst the layers. They also must have a neck warmer and toque, and of course, mittens. Their outer layer is usually their snow pants and ski jacket.
On days of particularly inclement weather, a short adventure is better than a longer one. This makes the Fairy Creek hike perfect! It is an out and back hike/snowshoe that is 4km round trip, and has about 120m of elevation gain. Locate the Fernie Visitor Information Centre on Crowsnest Highway 3, and the trailhead is conveniently located right out of the parking lot. The trail is well marked and well travelled and is perfect for all ages – from grandparents all the way down to toddlers and babies in a backpack hitching a ride with Mom or Dad!
